1996 Lexus ES300 engine and engine cooling problems
11 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the engine and engine cooling on the 1996 Lexus ES300 — 30% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“1996 lexus es300; sludge build-up; excessive oil consumption; white smoke on start-up; dealer says the engine needs to be rebuilt at a cost of about $7000. This is the same problem that toyota/lexus has acknowledged for 1997 to 2001 models with the v-6 engine. Why won't they honor the repair to the…”
filed Sep 26, 2005
“Engine failed (seized up) due to oil sludge, despite the fact that the car's oil had been regularly changed. In fact, the car's oil was changed every 3-4,000 miles, not every 5,000 as recommended by lexus. Car was also completely serviced by lexus at 70,000 miles and they obviously didn't look at…”
filed Apr 22, 2004
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Engine and Engine Cooling problems in other ES300 years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 ES300 | 11 | 9% |
| 2002 ES300 | 9 | 6% |
| 2000 ES300 | 4 | 7% |
| 1999 ES300 | 10 | 37% |
| 1998 ES300 | 5 | 10% |
| 1997 ES300 | 5 | 11% |
| 1995 ES300 | 4 | 11% |
| 1994 ES300 | 1 | 3% |
| 1993 ES300 | 7 | 16% |
| 1992 ES300 | 4 | 11% |
Other reported problem areas on the 1996 Lexus ES300
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.