The headlight assembly degrades thereby causing the lights to appear extremely dim when driving at night. *Tr
Lights
Lexus ES330 Lighting problems by year
14 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Lexus ES330's lights. Headlights, tail lights, brake lights, turn signals and interior lighting failures.
Lighting complaints by model year
Latest ES330 lighting complaints
1. Headlights: before purchasing the vehicle, I noticed the blinking caution light on the dashboard. Service manager said the automatic headlight adjustment was working fine and to ignore the blinking caution light. Nothing could be done. I later researched and found there are lots of complaints about this. 2. Transmission lags at low speeds. This is incredibly dangerous especially when driving through traffic circles and going through busy intersections. Service manager said this is normal operating and to use a higher octane gas. I am returning vehicle to lexus. *Tr
While driving in heavy traffic and traveling at a low speed, the car lurched forward and hit the car that was 6 feet in front of me. The sound of the engine was that of a spontaneous acceleration just like the incident we had on april 30, 2013. There was little or no damage to the car in front of me but the lexus sustained over $10,000. Worth of damage and has subsequently been considered a total loss. The incident on april 30 consisted of our crawling forward into a parking spot, suddenly the car spontaneously...
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accelerated, went over the cement parking barrier and hit a car approximately 5 feet away. Lexus looked at the black box after the 4/30 accident and determined that the car was safe to drive. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 lexus es 330. While parked, the contact noticed that the driver side headlight was not illuminated. The contact stated the driver and passenger headlight would intermittently fail but both had never failed simultaneously. The contact replaced the headlight bulbs yet the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the technician advised that two computers that controlled the exterior lighting and the headlights would have to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
2005 Lexus es 330 developed problems with the high intensity discharge headlamps. The low beam headlights do not provide adequate illumination, especially on roads with no street lights, reflectors or lane markings. There is a sharp cutoff of light about 40-50 feet in front of the car beyond which there is little or no light cast on the roadway surface. Reflective signs can be seen farther away but one cannot help but overdrive the lights at any speed above 20mph because nothing on the road itself is illuminated....
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The low beams seem to be deliberately aimed at the ground 40-50' away. Light in the 40-50' zone in front of the car is adequate. Beyond that it is not. The car was purchased new in jan 2005 and the problem did not arise until 2-3 years later, or at least that's when I first noticed it. The dealer checked the lights and stated the high intensity lights could not be adjusted to raise the cutoff point(lights are self leveling) and that the lights were working normally. This is not a problem if there is oncoming traffic because their lights illuminate the road between my car and theirs. However on a dark street with no oncoming cars it's like driving into a pool of darkness past the 40-50 foot cutoff of light in front of the car. I have to use the high beams when on a pitch black road, but that's not a good solution. I will not buy another car without checking the performance of the lights on a dark road. Lexus needs to fix this - it is an accident waiting to happen. Mileage on the car in now in the mid 40s. This condition is ongoing, not intermittent. *Tr
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 lexus es 300. While driving various speeds at night, the headlights dim intermittently. The vehicle has been to the dealer four times, but they could not duplicate the failure or determine the cause. The vehicle has not been repaired. The vin was unknown. The failure mileage was 40,000 and current mileage was 70,000.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds at night, there was a limited range of the headlight beams. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who determined this was the way the vehicle was designed, and within compliance of the manufacturer's specifications. The manufacturer was notified.
Collision with a deer causing damage to the hood, grille, right fender and right headlight (hid). Impact caused the headlight to ignite resulting in a fire that spread over the hood totally destroyed the engine compartment. Right front tire exploded during the fire. My concern is the fact that high intensity discharge (hid) lights ignite on impact. These lights are widely used today even though they are fire hazards. Please provide information pertaining to any other reports of fires resulting from these hid lights. *Jb
I own a 2005 lexus rx 330 with approximately 27,000 miles on it.--My right rear break light does not work consistently. Lindsay lexus, alexandria, va, was told of the problem, checked it out and said there was nothing wrong with it. Subsequently, I have been pulled over by a police officer at night, as well as being told by folks who followed me at night, that the light was not operational. I again, told lindsay lexus what was occurring and was told that unless it did not work when I brought it in, there was...
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nothing they could do. However, they offered that I could purchase a new bulb for $300.00. Additionally, they said if it was not working when I brought it in that I would not have to pay. I contacted the lexus headquarters in ca, and they offered no solution as well. I would speculate that I will be pulled over again by an officer, as the first officer told me it was a safety issue and to have it repaired. It seems to me that since it occasionally works, it might be an electrical problem. I do not understand why lindsay lexus does not have the technology to locate the problem. The have placed the onus on the customer. *Nm
2005 Lexus es 330 developed problems with the high density discharge headlamps.*Mr the headlights did not provide adequate illumination especially on sand or gravel roads with no street lights, reflectors or lane markings. *Jb
High density discharge with auto leveling system.Low beams do not provide adequate lighting to drive safely on unlit roads.Dealer says the lights are set to specks but,i beleive if they are they would have had numerous complaints by other owners.I beleive this to be extremely unsafe especialy in country with wild life as in wi,mn.Mi ect
Dt: caller says vehicle has several problems., Brakes vibrated, and she had to pump them. Also, rear suspension problems, traction control problems, and cooling system problems in the engine.. Vehicle was at dealer for 4 days the first time and they were unable to give her any information on the diagnostic test. Manufacturer could not provide caller with any information because they have not contacted the dealer yet. Caller is waiting for manufacturer to call her back. Also, caller had problems with the lights inside the vehicle and dash lights. . *Ak
While driving at night, the driver noticed that the headlights were inoperative. The low beam lights did not illuminate and caused poor visibility to the driver. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection numerous times, and the mechanic adjusted the lights. But problem recurred. *Ak *sc *jb
While driving and when consumer turned on the turn signal lights to make right or left turns the arrows indicated left or right, but didn't make a clicking noise. Consumer indicated he had to observe the dashboard to see if they were working while he was driving. The dealership indicated vehicle was operating as designed by the manufacturer. *Ak
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data