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Vehicle safety record

2004 Lexus LS430 Problems, complaints & recalls

Owners have filed 36 complaints about the 2004 Lexus LS430 with NHTSA, most often about the acceleration & cruise control (6) and the engine & cooling (5). Those complaints describe 5 crashes and 2 injuries. There are no recalls for it. For comparison, the 2003 has 25 and the 2005 has 26.

NHTSA data checked

CAbout as many problems as a typical LS430 year, for its age

#169 most complained-about 2004 vehicle

Complaints
36
Recalls
0
Crashes
5
Fires
0
Injuries
2
Deaths
0

Most common 2004 Lexus LS430 problems

Share of all 36 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.

No recalls for the 2004 Lexus LS430

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2004 Lexus LS430. Recalls can be announced at any time - this page updates daily.

What owners say

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36 complaints about the 2004 Lexus LS430

Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 2.

Engine & cooling

Sometimes, the car's RPM goes up to 4 and stays there as the car is unable to shift into the next gear. So, the car is not really accelerating at times when this happens. I have to pull over and turn off the car and start it again and sometimes it works correctly and at other times it doesn't. I've started to get check engine lights from time to time that point to solenoid issues. This makes driving this car very dangerous as this issue happens randomly. Thanks, [[redacted]] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 11533848
Engine & cooling

2004 Lexus ls430 vehicle stalled and would not restart immediately on the road presenting dangerous condition. Engine would crank but not restart. Vehicle would restart the next day. This happened twice before pump failed completely. Research indicates this problem identical to that identified in nhtsa campaign id o4v295000.Build dates 2003-07-29 until 2004-01-23. Lexus campaign 4lb 2004 ls 430. This vehicle has 44,000 miles on it and has no previous engine repair history defect summary: on certain passenger...

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vehicles, the impeller inside the fuel pump may have been improperly molded due to a manufacturing error. Alcohol in some fuels may deform the impeller and cause it to come into contact with the pump housing. Consequence summary: this condition could increase the rotational resistance of the impeller and, in the worst case, may result in failure of the fuel pump. Owner replaced original failed fuel pump with pump supplied by lexus dealer. Service manager at walcher lexus in wichita, ks indicates vehicle was manufactured in february, 2004 outside the range of the recall vehicles.Lexus technical support was contacted and referred me back to my local service manager. No one seems concerned that defective cars continued to exist outside of the range of vehicles identified in the original recall.

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 11404435
Transmission & drivetrainLightsFuel system

On certain vehicles when the accelerator is operated quickly, a small piece of metal may separate from a retaining collar located in the inner part of the automatic transmission. This small piece of metal may become caught in the parking lock mechanism. Recall *tr

Filed Incident Power train · Exterior lighting · Fuel / propulsion systemNHTSA 11325317
SteeringWheels & tires

Takata recall it was raining I was coming out of antloch church rd to turning on augusta rd peidmont sc 29673 when I hear a big boom and pull over at the spinx to see what it was and had three big potholes in the road I could see that my wheels was bent and also it was pulling to the right.

Filed Incident Steering · WheelsNHTSA 10991306
Acceleration & cruise controlCrash

When pulling into parking space at a low speed (2 mph) car suddenly accelerated even though accelerator pedal was not being depressed. Operator's foot was on brake pedal the entire time but car would not stop until it hit a parked vehicle. At the time the car was being turned to the right coming into the parking space. There was a high curb (~10 inches high) at the front of the parking space and a median but the car jumped over this and struck the parked on the other side of the median.

Filed Incident Vehicle speed controlNHTSA 10959529
Lights

I hit a large dog while driving one night and busted my front bumper on the passenger side pertly good. Had bumper, fog lights replaced, car looks dam good. Since I am an older person, retired and drive mostly during the day, it was a while before I noticed my bright lights shine directly on the ground about 20 to 30 feet in front of the car . I have had the charleston sc lexus dealer try to eliminate the problem. They told me I would have to replace the headlight. I took it in to lexus of mobile on two...

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occasion to try and correct the problem, all they could do was try to adjust the the bright light, but the bright lights still shines directly 20 to 30 feet on the ground, but was unable to, this has cause a larger illumination problem for my eyes while driving @ night., Which I try to avoid doing at night. I love this ls 430, but need a solution to this issue. Please help

Filed Incident Exterior lightingNHTSA 10883551
Engine & cooling

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 lexus ls430. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start until after numerous attempts. The failure recurred sporadically. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mleage was unknown. Updated 09/08/16*lj *cn

Filed Incident EngineNHTSA 10873921
Visibility & wipers

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 lexus ls430. The contact stated that the defrost system failed to operate without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the multi display function failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 143,000.

Filed Incident Visibility / wiperNHTSA 10871777
Steering

The most recent occurrence was yesterday. Has happened at least 5 other times, have owned the car for 2 years. The car will not start if the steering wheel is not exactly level, tires straight. I have to turn the wheel over and over and over to try to move it an inch so it will start. This time took about 10 minutes of doing the same thing over and over, and it miraculously started. Have no idea why it does this and when it will happen again. Most irritating and dangerous if I am alone away from home. *Tr

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 10648137
Visibility & wipers

The lexus ls430 folding rear view mirrors (both driver side and passenger side) fold out past the acceptable vision range each time the vehicle is started. There is no way to disable the mirrors from being swung out each time the car is started (even though there is a cut-off switch). This results in having to manually adjust the mirrors by hand (which is not always easy to do for the passenger side mirror). Lexus does not offer an affordable method to stop this from happening - - other than offering a $2,000+ solution for new mirrors - - which is unattractive. I believe this problem is highly common from my research on the internet, and I would like to see lexus fix the problem. *Tr

Filed Incident Visibility / wiperNHTSA 10494961
Body, doors & structure1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 lexus ls 430. The contact stated that she was placing items in the trunk when the trunk lid unexpectedly slammed shut. The contact suffered injuries to her finger as a result of the failure. An authorized dealer was notified, but offered no assistance. The manufacturer was also notified via email and the contact was awaiting a response. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 74,000 and the current mileage was 75,000. The vin was unavailable.

Filed Incident StructureNHTSA 10442652
Fuel system

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 lexus ls430. While driving approximately 15 mph, the vehicle began to hesitate while accelerating and suddenly stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic stated there was a failure with the fuel pump which would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. There was a recall under nhtsa campaign id number: 04v295000 (fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump) that could have been related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised that the vin was not included in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 100,200.

Filed Incident Fuel system, gasolineNHTSA 10437928
Lights

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 lexus ls430. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, he noticed that the headlights were not angled straight and causing limited illumination of the highway ahead of him. In addition, the afs warning light was illuminated on the instrumental panel. The vehicle was inspected by the dealer and they advised him that he would need to replace the height control sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they advised him that they would get back to him in five to seven days. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

Filed Incident Exterior lightingNHTSA 10392482
Electrical system

Using radar cruise control under conditions where the road a has a slight reflective property (mist or slight rain on ground) the cruise becomes 'blind' to traffic in front of the vehicle and does not slow down/stop/or warn driver of pending crash. *Tr

Filed Incident Electrical systemNHTSA 10389645
Visibility & wipersBody, doors & structure

2004 Lexus ls 430 component: structure:body details: driver side mirrors are not in the correct location to view the rear sight. Note: there was no apparent exterior physical damage that would have caused it. Mirror had the stop mechanisms break, allowing the mirror to be off line. Very dangerous when driving. Can not view behind you. Repair cost: $660 occurrences: 1 injuries: 0. *Tr

Filed Incident Visibility · StructureNHTSA 10382779
Body, doors & structure

Both side mirrors are not in the correct location to view the rear sight. Both mirrors have had the stop mechanisms break, allowing the mirrors to be off line. Very dangerous when driving. Can not view behind you.

Filed Incident StructureNHTSA 10380363
Airbags

AIRBAG FAILURE. *TR

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 10371139
Engine & cooling

Our 2004 lexus ls430 has stalled (or died) 4 times (while driving) in six months, taken to lexus dealer 3 times, where they could not diagnose the problem. Stalls occur after driving 30 to 40 minutes, could not restart immediately although starter cranked well. Vehicle has less than 35,000 miles. Could usually restart after 20 to 30 minutes. Adequate level of fuel. Battery was replaced and fuel pump shut-off relay was replaced, but it did not solve the problem. Contacted lexus customer service in california,...

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but they since it is out of warranty they could not help. According to dealer, fuel pump recall has been completed. We are a retired elderly couple and are afraid to drive it on freeways or congested streets for safety reasons. Also we do not want to make expensive repairs, particularly if we are not sure it will solve the problem. Also we are very much interested in any similar problems that have been reported and their solution. *Tr

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 10357208
Acceleration & cruise controlCrash

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 lexus ls430. The contact stated that while driving at 5 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated while her foot was on the brake pedal. The vehicle crashed into a parked vehicle. There were no injuries. The contact called the manufacturer and was told that someone would contact her in 6-8 weeks. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.

Filed Incident Vehicle speed controlNHTSA 10329281
Acceleration & cruise controlCrash1 injury

Sudden uncontrolled acceleration of 2004 lexus ls430: owner was in parking garage beginning to exit garage from parking place when lexus suddenly accelerated uncontrollably. Owner applied brake pedal but could not stop the lexus. Owner steered lexus to avoid hitting other vehicles and collided with medical office building, glanced off side of building and collided head-on with electrical power transformer. Owner was seriously injured. (Lawyer wrote in on behalf of his client). Updated ivoq 06/03/10.*Jb

Filed Incident Vehicle speed controlNHTSA 10324726
Visibility & wipers

Yesterday, at 75 mph on i-80, I had a near collision with a car in the lane to the left of me caused by a non-functional drivers side mirror. The lexus folding mirrors fail to return to the proper position, rendering them useless. This is a documented common problem in 2004-2006 lexus ls-430 models. See http://www.Clublexus.Com/forums/ls430/412430-04-06-replacement-mirrors-cost-3.Html for one area of documentation. Today, we were quoted $1100 to repair at omaha lexus (drivers side only). Toyota denies this is a safety defect and refuses to pay for repairs or replacement. *Tr

Filed Incident VisibilityNHTSA 10324126
Acceleration & cruise control

I have a 2004 lexus ls 430 that has a random problem that the dealers tell me is normal. On occasion when I roll to a stop the car lunges forward on its own forcing me to apply extreme pressure on the brake to stop the vehicle. It accelerates just for a split 2nd then stops. I have learned to stop approx. 20' Behind a vehicle just in case the car decides it wants to lunge forward. This has happened no less than 6 times since we purchased the vehicle new in 10/2003. I have explained the problem to the dealer...

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at least 4 times and they tell me they can not find a problem and its normal. With the latest toyota problems I suspect there is an electrical problem and I wanted to report the problem to you. *Tr

Filed Incident Vehicle speed controlNHTSA 10313107
Lights

A sensor failed (afs) on my 2004 lexus 430 that locked the headlights into a very low position - the effective lighting on low beam is such that visibility is only 20-30 feet. Upon searching the web I found out this is a common failure and required replacing a simple sensor on the rear axle costing app. $450 Parts and labor. I am looking to repair, but am concerned about the condition it was left defective - it appears the failure default position at low beam is dangerous. *Tr

Filed Incident Exterior lightingNHTSA 10288912
Steering

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 lexus ls430. While parking his vehicle the tire rod fractured. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic it was repaired. The contact also filed a complaint with the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 85,000.

Filed Incident SteeringNHTSA 10288695
AirbagsCrash

Motor vehicle accident on 6/3/08. Vehicle - 2004 lexus ls5430. Vehicle was broadsided on drivers side. Side curtain airbag did not deploy. *Tr

Filed Incident Air bagsNHTSA 10233489

Lexus LS430: every year compared

YearComplaintsRecallsCrashesFiresTop problemGrade
200617060Wheels & tiresB
200526091Acceleration & cruise controlC
200436050Acceleration & cruise controlC
200325030Body, doors & structureC
200242081Body, doors & structureD
2001520101Body, doors & structureD
All LS430 years

2004 Lexus LS430 vs rivals

More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.

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Questions about the 2004 Lexus LS430

Does the 2004 Lexus LS430 have any recalls?

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2004 Lexus LS430 right now. Recalls can be announced at any time, and this page checks NHTSA every day. You can also check your exact vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What are the most common problems with the 2004 Lexus LS430?

By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the acceleration & cruise control (6), engine & cooling (5), lights (5).

How many complaints has the 2004 Lexus LS430 had?

36 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on November 14, 2004 and the latest on July 22, 2023. Of these, 5 describe a crash and 0 a fire, and together they report 2 injuries and 0 deaths.

Is the 2004 Lexus LS430 a reliable vehicle?

Its Safety Index is 58 out of 100 (grade C: about as many problems as a typical Lexus LS430 year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.

Which Lexus LS430 years have the most complaints?
What should I do if my 2004 Lexus LS430 has a problem?

If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data

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