IllustrationA CLOUD OF BLUE SMOKE COMES OUT WHEN I FIRST START MY CAR IN THE MORNING. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE 3.0 LITER ENGINES HAVE SLUDGE PROBLEMS AND NEED TO BE REPLACED.
1993 Lexus ES300
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1993 Lexus ES300 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 38.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all ES300 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 8 of 43 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
5 crash reports4 fire reports5 injury reports
What owners actually said
43 reportsINSTRUMENT BACKGROUND LIGHTING OF THE NEEDLES BLACKED OUT, CREATES DRIVING HAZARD.*AK
VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER FOR AN OIL LEAK, DEALER REPLACED THE O-RING. TWO MONTHS LATER THE OIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS, APPROXIMATELY THREE MONTHS LATER THE ENGINE FROZE UP ON THE HIGHWAY, THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED, CONSUMER IS REQUESTING REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIRS. *SLC
ENGINE OIL IS JELLING WHICH PREVENTS OIL FROM CIRCULATING THROUGH THE ENGINE. DEALER CONTACTED. *AK FIRST THERE WAS OIL FILTER GASKET LEAK AT BLOCK. DEALER REPLACED OIL FILTER HOUSING O-RING. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, THE OIL LIGHT WAS ON AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. LASTLY, THE ENGINE SEIZED. DEALER REPLACED ENGINE AND FOUN…
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ENGINE OIL IS JELLING WHICH PREVENTS OIL FROM CIRCULATING THROUGH THE ENGINE. DEALER CONTACTED. *AK FIRST THERE WAS OIL FILTER GASKET LEAK AT BLOCK. DEALER REPLACED OIL FILTER HOUSING O-RING. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, THE OIL LIGHT WAS ON AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. LASTLY, THE ENGINE SEIZED. DEALER REPLACED ENGINE AND FOUND OIL GELLING IN ENGINE. AFTER NEW ENGINE, DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER OF AN OIL GELLING CONDITION THAT MAY OCCUR. CONSUMER IS REQUESTING REIMBURSEMENT FROM EXPENSES INCURRED FOR OIL GELLING CONDITION. *TT
CONSUMER STATES THAT DASHBOARD AREA IS DIM CAUSING LOSS OF ILLUMINATION TO THE NEEDLES ON THE SPEEDOMETER, TACHOMETER AND GAS GAUGE. *TT
INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS HAVE FAILED, AND DRIVER COULD NOT SEE GAUGES DURING NORMAL OPERATION OF VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP HAS EXAMINED VEHICLE, AND INFORMED CONSUMER REPAIRS COULD BE MADE AT CONSUMER'S EXPENSE, $600 - $1,000. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / DOCUMENTATION.*AK
DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT UNLATCHES AT TIMES.ADDITIONALLY, THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT PLASTIC RETAINER HAS BROKEN AND HAS A SHARP PROTRUDING EDGE WHICH IN AN ACCIDENT MAY PROVE VERY DANGEROUS. *AK
THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BACKGROUND LIGHTING AND ILLUMINATION OF THE NEEDLE INDICATORS BLACKED OUT AND CREATES POOR VISIBILITY, DEALERSHIP WILL NOT REPAIR WITHOUT PAYMENT BECAUSE THE WARRANTY DOES NOT APPLY. *MJS
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ACCELERATED UNEXPECTEDLY AT HIGH SPEED WHICH ALMOST CAUSED A CRASH. *AK THE DIAGNOSIS OF THE PROBLEM INDICATE THAT DEFECTIVE WIRE ON A SENSOR IS THE CAUSE. *YH
DEFECTIVE TREAD TIRE BY GOODYEAR ORIGINALLY EQUIPPED CAUSED TERRIBLE TIRE PULLS SO LONG UNABLE TO ROTATE TIRES.LEXUS REFUSES TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE TIRE WITH A CORRECT TIRE WITH NO CHARGE. IT IS RISKY TO KEEP DRIVING ES300 WITH DEFECTIVE TIRE, CAUSING SERIOUS ACCIDENT AS A GOODYEAR TIRE DEALER WARNED ME.PLEASE TREAT THIS AS A …
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DEFECTIVE TREAD TIRE BY GOODYEAR ORIGINALLY EQUIPPED CAUSED TERRIBLE TIRE PULLS SO LONG UNABLE TO ROTATE TIRES.LEXUS REFUSES TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE TIRE WITH A CORRECT TIRE WITH NO CHARGE. IT IS RISKY TO KEEP DRIVING ES300 WITH DEFECTIVE TIRE, CAUSING SERIOUS ACCIDENT AS A GOODYEAR TIRE DEALER WARNED ME.PLEASE TREAT THIS AS A SAFETY RELATED PROBLEM AND ASK LEXUS/GOODYEAR TO REPLACE IT FREE AS THEY COVERED UP THE DEFECT WHEN I BOUGHT ES300. IT WILL BE TOO LATE AFTER AN ACCIDENT. APPRECIATING YOUR QUICK REMEDY! HARRY( DOT NUMBER: )
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.