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Vehicle safety record

1997 Lexus SC300 Problems, complaints & recalls

Owners have filed 5 complaints about the 1997 Lexus SC300 with NHTSA, most often about the engine & cooling (2) and the acceleration & cruise control (1). Those complaints describe 1 crash. There are no recalls for it.

NHTSA data checked

CAbout as many problems as a typical SC300 year, for its age

#192 most complained-about 1997 vehicle

Complaints
5
Recalls
0
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
0

Most common 1997 Lexus SC300 problems

Share of all 5 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.

No recalls for the 1997 Lexus SC300

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 1997 Lexus SC300. Recalls can be announced at any time - this page updates daily.

What owners say

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5 complaints about the 1997 Lexus SC300

Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners.

Transmission & drivetrainAirbagsAcceleration & cruise controlCrash

Contact states: driver could not place car in park as she pulled into a parking spot, instead vehicle lunged forward, striking a tree. Upon impact, air bags did not deploy, total damage to front of car. Would not go into parking mode therefore, the keys could not be removed from ignition. Repairman did not find anything wrong. *Ak the accident happened after the shift wouldn't go into parking mode. *Sc *jb

Filed Incident Power train · Air bags · Vehicle speed controlNHTSA 10119594
Engine & cooling

Consumer states that the bracket that holds exhaust to vehicle is defected, consumer states that when the bracket gets hot it expands, this causes the bracket to crack, dealer states it was poorly designed. Nlm

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 8006430
Wheels & tires

On jan 4, 1999, I purchased 4 cooper tires at gex tire co, 4041 west mercury blvd, hampton, va 23666. (Dot number: upgrcem339 tiresize: 225/55r-16). All 4 tires were defective and appeared to have had some sort of manufacturing defectives. Shortly after the purchase, the tires began to cause unstable driving conditions for my car while traveling on less-than smooth roads, in curves, at speeds around 70 mph and on wet roads. In addition, the tires caused my gas mileage to decrease about 3 to 4 mpg. After...

Read the full complaint

replacing the 4 tires all of the above conditions were eliminated without any other repairs. Due to accelerated wear, 2 of the tires were deemed unsafe after about 11,000 miles. The remaining 2 had to be replaced at 14,000 miles. The first 2 tires were returned to gex tire co who promised to return them to cooper tire for analysis of the problem. The remaining 2 tires were shipped directly to cooper tire co in finlay, oh at their request following a complaint that I sent them. In my complaint to cooper tire, I asked them to analyze the tires based on the specific problems outlined above. They immediately refunded me 75% of my cost but would not admit that the tires were defective. The alleged that the problem was due to improper car alignment and low tire pressure. Neither of their findings was valid. On jan 28, 2001, I had the car alignment checked by the lexus dealer and they verified that the alignment was in accordance with the car manufacturer's specifications. They also noted the unusal tire wear pattern and confirmed that the pressure was o.K. When the first 2 tires were turned in the gex they also noted that the pressure was correct but could not explain the reasons for the rapid and irregular wear. Although I sent cooper tire co a copy of the car alignment job order mentioned above, they still ruled that car misalignment was the problem. My major concern is that there may be similar cooper tires in service that may present a serious safety

Filed Incident TiresNHTSA 748032
SteeringBrakes

While driving on local road made a turn and all of sudden was not able to control steering and no brakes.*Ak

Filed Incident Steering · Service brakes, hydraulicNHTSA 864777
Engine & cooling

EXHAUST PIPE BRACKET FAILED. YH

Filed Incident Engine and engine coolingNHTSA 609890

Lexus SC300: every year compared

YearComplaintsRecallsCrashesFiresTop problemGrade
19975010Engine & coolingC
19953000Electrical systemA
19942010AirbagsC
19937000Wheels & tiresC
All SC300 years

1997 Lexus SC300 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 1997 Lexus SC300

Does the 1997 Lexus SC300 have any recalls?

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 1997 Lexus SC300 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 1997 Lexus SC300?

By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the engine & cooling (2), acceleration & cruise control (1), steering (1).

How many complaints has the 1997 Lexus SC300 had?

5 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on February 1, 1999 and the latest on June 3, 2005. Of these, 1 describe a crash and 0 a fire, and together they report 0 injuries and 0 deaths.

Is the 1997 Lexus SC300 a reliable vehicle?

Its Safety Index is 50 out of 100 (grade C: about as many problems as a typical Lexus SC300 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 SC300 years have the most complaints?
What should I do if my 1997 Lexus SC300 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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