Lexus Es 2002

Model Es made in 2002 by Lexus got 24 consumer complains. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to engine and engine cooling, exterior lighting and other. The car has one 3 engine.

Model 2002

Engine [L]CylindersTransmissionDriveEstimate MPG (city/highway/combined)Unadjusted MPG (city/highway/combined)FuelFuel costClassRelease date
3 6Lockup/automatic, 5 gearsF21/29/2423/37.4/27.8202Regular938MIDSIZE CARS

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
10/12/2011104000
 I was backing into a parking space at my town's transfer station. as i came to a stop, i began to shift into park with my foot on the break, the car suddenly accelerated out of my control. the vehicle smashed into a three foot concrete wall coming to a stop. the car suffered extensive back end damage. i was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for xrays of my neck and spine. thankfully i am not injured. this vehicle was not under my control. it was as if it had a mind of it's own. i am a clear headed, forty eight year old female. i have a perfect driving record. this was the result of something out of my control. i believe this 2002 lexus es 300 is a dangerous car. i have only had the vehicle for two years. it was purchased as a second car for my husband. the car does not have floor mats nor did i confuse the accelerator and brake.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL
04/08/20028000110/29/2001
 On many occasions the check engine light has come on in my 2002 lexus es300. i informed the dealer and was instructed to unscrew the gas cap and re-screw it and the light would go off. it did not solve the problem. the dealer wants to charge me to replace an oxygen sensor after the dealers inspection and finding a diagnostic trouble code. the car had the problem when it was under warranty and i was not informed that it would be a costly problem later. *jb
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS
10/01/20072200010008/22/2003
 My 2002 es 300 has headlight sensors which make it go up and down depending on what angle the car is parked/moving at. so going downhill, it should dip down to avoid oncoming traffic from glare and going uphill, it should make the light go farther. somehow the sensor (or something else) got faulty. lexus dealership made me drive at least 5000 miles (i used to live in fargo, nd and the nearest dealership with 225+ miles one way) before they could acknowledge that there was something wrong with the lights. i had to make a video at night (as they denied test driving at night) to show them my safety concerns about the headlights. the distance i could see was very small and it got dangerous at night time, unless i turned my high beam on. lexus acknowledged the problem, kept my car for one month, drove it for approximately 3000 miles. engineers from chicago and la came (i was told) and the answer was: we could not find what exactly is causing this, but there is some magnetic field around the wire to the sensor which disrupts the functioning of the sensor. we have put the shielded wire around the wire and it should not happen again. i had not been driving this car much since then at night time due to safety concerns, till i moved to albuquerque. the terrain here is hilly and i don't see the lights to dip down or go farther while going downhill and uphill respectively. while making turns around canyons and cliffs , going uphill, it becomes dangerous as you can' see more than 30-40 feet (or less) on a freeway which is not a safe braking distance at 65-70 miles/hr and if you turn the high beam on it's not safe for the oncoming traffic. i urge that nhtsa investigate this issue and i am willing to provide my car for driving up to 300-400 miles. even though i have put aug 22nd 2003 as the incident date, that is my purchase date from my uncle (the original owner) and it happens . everytime i drive. thanks for your time in this matter. *tr
OTHER
03/04/200688300103/20/2002
 The plastic key to my 2002 lexus es300 cracked due to faulty product design and the microchip that controls the car fell out. i did not know this had happened and was unable to start the car. i was stranded in a rain storm and had to call lexus for help. subsequently i used an emergency key which was in my purse. even though the break occurred because of faulty design, i had to order and pay for a new key ($206) because my car was beyond warranty. i was told by the lexus service department that these keys break more often than we would like .clearly, the design of the key is the problem. when the car key breaks the car is inoperable unless you have another key with you. the dealer has to order a new key and cannot start your car for you. this is a danger to consumers and owners of these cars. i was never advised that the key could crack and break due to normal use or that the car would be inoperable if the chip fell out. i complained to lexus using their customer service on-line web site. someone from a local dealership called me and was indifferent to the problem. i did not ask for my money back for the new key but stressed this is a safety issue. luckily i was able to resolve my dilemma without injury but others may not be so lucky. when you pay $40,000 for a car you expect the key to hold up to normal use. i believe that all owners of lexus products with this style key should be notified that this breakage may occur and be issued new unbreakable keys .additionally, from what the service department told me lexus knows this is a problem and should have issued a warning and a recall. *nm
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
10/15/200610006/15/2002
 Transmission shifts roughly and sometimes abruptly in the lower gears. the downshift at times is very hard. the vehicle will also surge forward at times or will not accelerate for several seconds after the accelerator is depressed. *nm
08/12/20065600050
 The transmission on this vehicle will hesitate and surge causing erratic behavior. this behavior is dangerous and annoying. one never knows how it will react. i would like this fixed once and for all. the dealer has not been able to fix after several attempts. the lexus user group has many complaints regarding this behavior. this is a problem that may get someone injured. *jb
06/01/200628900104/21/2002
 When my vehicle is immediately put in drive gear from reverse gear, foot taken off the brake and tap the gas pedal, my vehicle surges forward as if it is in full throttle. as result, my vehicle jumped the curb and impacted a brick wall. i suffered a bloody nose and a cut on my hand. the vehicle suffered frontal damage and is undriveable. i have contacted the auto manufacturer. they will tow and inspect it. *jb
02/01/20063400038006/25/2002
 This vehicle hesitates intermittently in traffic and has a dangerous loss of power. when i pull out into traffic, or turn a corner, the vehicle occasionally loses power and will not engage for several seconds, then the vehicle will proceed. i have also had the transmission completely blow up and the vehicle completely lost power, and had to be towed. the dealer has denied that this problem exists, and that i am the only one that is experiencing this problem. they have refused any assistance. *jb
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
10/15/2002100100
 The brakes will fade/release after being stopped for 1-2 minutes with the foot on the brake pedal. it appears that this happens as the engine rpm decreases about 100-200 and the brake pressure ebbs. the car will sometimes move forward about 1-2 feet before it stops again. *nm
SUSPENSION
10/01/200543000107/13/2005
 Cars pulls to the left when on freeway. lexus dealer where i bought car has determined that because i'm over weight it pulls to the left. they determined that almost 2 years after i bought the car. every time i brought it in they said nothing is wrong. the told me the caster was off and was going to fix it then they said the caster was fine and it was me being over weight i'm about 350lbs. my car still pulls to the left and they misaligned my car telling me it was going to fix it. left is at 1.8 right is at 1.5. *tr
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
10/12/2011104000
 I was backing into a parking space at my town's transfer station. as i came to a stop, i began to shift into park with my foot on the break, the car suddenly accelerated out of my control. the vehicle smashed into a three foot concrete wall coming to a stop. the car suffered extensive back end damage. i was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for xrays of my neck and spine. thankfully i am not injured. this vehicle was not under my control. it was as if it had a mind of it's own. i am a clear headed, forty eight year old female. i have a perfect driving record. this was the result of something out of my control. i believe this 2002 lexus es 300 is a dangerous car. i have only had the vehicle for two years. it was purchased as a second car for my husband. the car does not have floor mats nor did i confuse the accelerator and brake.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
10/12/2011104000
 I was backing into a parking space at my town's transfer station. as i came to a stop, i began to shift into park with my foot on the break, the car suddenly accelerated out of my control. the vehicle smashed into a three foot concrete wall coming to a stop. the car suffered extensive back end damage. i was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for xrays of my neck and spine. thankfully i am not injured. this vehicle was not under my control. it was as if it had a mind of it's own. i am a clear headed, forty eight year old female. i have a perfect driving record. this was the result of something out of my control. i believe this 2002 lexus es 300 is a dangerous car. i have only had the vehicle for two years. it was purchased as a second car for my husband. the car does not have floor mats nor did i confuse the accelerator and brake.
06/01/200628900104/21/2002
 When my vehicle is immediately put in drive gear from reverse gear, foot taken off the brake and tap the gas pedal, my vehicle surges forward as if it is in full throttle. as result, my vehicle jumped the curb and impacted a brick wall. i suffered a bloody nose and a cut on my hand. the vehicle suffered frontal damage and is undriveable. i have contacted the auto manufacturer. they will tow and inspect it. *jb

Car dealers selling


StateCityZipNamePhone
CACATHEDRAL CITY92234DESERT LEXUS760315750
CACONCORD94520LEXUS OF CONCORD925-808-4122
CASAN DIEGO92111LEXUS KEARNY MESA(858) 268-8000
GAATLANTANALLEY LEXUS
TNBRENTWOOD37067LEXUS OF COOL SPRINGS