2012 Lexus Is 350 problems
The Lexus IS (Japanese: レクサス・IS, Hepburn: Rekusasu IS) is a compact executive car (D-segment in Europe) sold by Lexus, a luxury division of Toyota, since 1998. The IS was originally sold under the Toyota Altezza (Japanese: トヨタ・アルテッツァ, Hepburn: Toyota Arutettsua) nameplate in Japan from 1998 (the word Altezza is Italian for 'height' or 'highness'). The IS was introduced as an entry-level sport model positioned below the ES in the Lexus lineup.
The first-generation Altezza (codename XE10) was launched in Japan in October 1998, while the Lexus IS 200 (GXE10) made its debut in Europe in 1999 and in North America as the IS 300 (JCE10) in 2000. The first-generation models were powered by a straight-six engine and available in sedan and wagon variants. The second-generation IS (codename XE20) was launched globally in 2005 with V6-powered IS 250 (GSE20) and IS 350 (GSE21) sedan models, followed by a high-performance V8 sedan version, the IS F, in 2007, and coupé convertible versions, the IS 250 C and IS 350 C, in 2008. The third-generation Lexus IS premiered in January 2013 and includes the V6-powered IS 350 and IS 250, turbocharged IS 200t/300, hybrid IS 300h and performance-tuned F Sport variants. The IS designation stands for "Intelligent Sport".
First generation (XE10; 1998)
Produced as a direct competitor to the luxury sports sedans of the leading European luxury marques, the XE10 series Toyota Altezza and Lexus IS was designed with a greater performance emphasis than typically seen on prior Japanese luxury vehicles. The engineering work was led by Nobuaki Katayama from 1994 to 1998 under the 038T program code, who was responsible for the AE86 project. Design work which had been done in 1995 by Tomoyasu Nishi was frozen in 1996 and filed under patent number 1030135 on 5 December 1996, at the Japan Patent Office. At its introduction to Japan, it was exclusive to Japanese dealerships called Toyota Netz Store, until Lexus was introduced to Japan in 2006. The Japan-sold AS200 Altezza sedan and AS300 Altezza Gita correspond to the Lexus IS 200 and IS 300 models respectively, as sold in markets outside of Japan. The Lexus IS' primary markets were North America, Australia, and Europe. The Altezza Gita was a hatchback-station wagon version sold in Japan and was known in the US and Europe as the Lexus IS SportCross. The AS300 Altezza Gita was the only Altezza with the 2JZ-GE engine; in export markets this engine was available in the sedan models as well as the Lexus IS300 Sedan.
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Common 2012 Lexus Is 350 problems
Based on the complaints from owners of the Lexus IS 350 2012 model, several common problems have been reported:
- Melting Dashboards and Door Panels: Owners have experienced issues with the dashboard and door panels melting, particularly in the 2006 and 2007 models of the Lexus IS 350. This problem affects the aesthetics of the interior and can potentially interfere with the functionality of components like airbags and electronics. The melted plastics can release harmful VOCs, posing health risks.
- Irregular Discoloration of Inside Rearview Mirror: Another reported problem is the irregular discoloration of the inside rearview mirror. While this may seem like a minor issue compared to mechanical problems, it can affect visibility and compromise driving safety.
- Clicking Noises from Rear Suspension: Owners have reported clicking noises emanating from the rear suspension of the Lexus IS 350 2012. These noises can be indicative of underlying suspension issues that may require attention to ensure the vehicle's optimal performance and safety.
- Check Engine Light Illumination with Trouble Codes P0751, P2714, and P0894: The Check Engine light regularly illuminates in conjunction with trouble codes P0751, P2714, and P0894. These codes are associated with issues in the automatic transmission of the vehicle and may necessitate repairs involving the powertrain control module to rectify the problem.
These common problems reported by owners of the Lexus IS 350 2012 highlight a range of issues affecting different aspects of the vehicle, from cosmetic concerns like melting dashboards to more critical mechanical issues like suspension noises and Check Engine light illuminations with specific trouble codes. Addressing these problems promptly is crucial to maintaining the vehicle's performance, safety, and overall driving experience.
What years of Lexus IS350 to avoid?
A: If you're in the market for a used Lexus RX 350, avoid the 2007, 2008, 2010, 2016, and 2017 model years. These particular years are the most problematic and ensure a more reliable and satisfying ownership experience.
Is Lexus 2012 reliable?
The 2012 Lexus IS 250 scores points for attractive styling and unshakable reliability, but comes up short in regard to practicality and power.
Is the IS350 engine reliable?
The Lexus IS350 Reliability Rating is 4.0 out of 5.0, which ranks it 9th out of 31 for luxury midsize cars. The average annual repair cost is $543 which means it has lower than average ownership costs. While repairs are more common, these issues are less likely to be severe than with other cars.
How many miles can a Lexus IS350 last?
While it's tough to give a one-size-fits-all answer (since it depends a lot on how well the car is maintained), it's not uncommon for a Lexus IS350 to surpass 200,000 miles with proper care. Some owners even report pushing their Lexus cars to 300,000 miles and beyond! Here are a few key things to remember: Mainten.
2012 Lexus Is 350 complaints
The NHTSA has received 0 complaints about various vehicle components related to the 2012 Lexus Is 350.
You can leave your car complaint via the special form below.
2012 Lexus Is 350 recalls
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued 5 recalls for different components of the 2012 Lexus Is 350.
- Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
- Components: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
- Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2010-2016 4Runner, 2003-2006 Tundra, 2003-2013 Corolla, 2009-2010 Corolla Matrix, 2004-2005 RAV4, 2002-2007 Sequoia, 2011-2013 Sienna, 2008-2012 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2002-2010 Lexus SC430, 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350 and 2010-2015 Lexus IS250C and IS350C vehicles. These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
- Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began November 20, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0A, J0B, and J0C. Lexus' numbers for this recall are JLI, JLJ, and JLK.
- Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
- Components: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
- Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Toyota 4Runner, 2014-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2014 Toyota Sienna, Lexus IS-F, and 2014-2017 Lexus GX460 vehicles sold, or ever registered in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Toyota is also recalling certain 2011-2013 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Lexus IS250, IS350, 2011-2016 4Runner, 2011-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2011-2014 Toyota Sienna, Lexus IS-F, 2011-2017 Lexus GX460, and 2011-2012 Lexus ES350 vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Toyota is also recalling certain 2010-2013 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Lexus IS350, 2010-2016 4Runner, 2010-2013 Lexus IS250, 2010-2015 Scion xB, Lexus IS350C, IS250C, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2010-2014 Lexus IS-F, and 2010-2012 Lexus ES350 vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, used as original equipment or replacement equipment (such as after a vehicle crash necessitating replacement of the original air bags), that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
- Consequence: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, or replace the air bag assembly. The recall began February 15, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are "Zone A" Toyota: G0P, Lexus: GLG; "Zone B" Toyota: G0R, Lexus GLH; "Zone C" Toyota: H0A, and Lexus: HLA.
- Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
- Components: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
- Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Lexus GS350 and GS450h, 2006-2013 Lexus IS350 and 2010-2014 Lexus IS350C vehicles, equipped with 3.5L V6 2GR-FSE gasoline engines. The diaphragms in the fuel pulsation dampers may harden over time and develop cracks, possibly causing a fuel leak.
- Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
- Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel delivery pipe with a new pipe that has improved pulsation dampers, free of charge. The recall began August 23, 2018. Owners may contact Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's number for this recall is JLF.
- Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
- Components: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
- Summary: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota 4Runner, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, Yaris, Scion xB, Lexus ES350, GX460, IS-F, IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, and Lexus LFA vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2009 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Yaris HB, Scion xB, Pontiac Vibe, Lexus, ES350, IS250, IS350, and IS-F vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and IS350, 2007-2008 Lexus ES350, Toyota Yaris, Yaris HB, and 2008 Lexus IS-F and Scion xB vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
- Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy: Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 1, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), H0A (Toyota Zone C), GLG (Lexus Zone A), GLH (Lexus Zone B) and HLA (Lexus Zone C).
- Manufacturer: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
- Components: VISIBILITY/WIPER
- Summary: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350 vehicles manufactured August 23, 2005, through October 5, 2011; 2010-2012 Lexus IS250C and IS350C vehicles manufactured April 10, 2009, through October 6, 2011; and 2008-2011 Lexus IS-F vehicles manufactured December 14, 2007, through July 10, 2011. The nuts that fasten the wiper arms may be insufficiently torqued such that if the wiper arms are restricted by an external load, such as a buildup of heavy snow, one or both of the wipers may become inoperative.
- Consequence: Inoperative wipers could reduce driver visibility and increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and Lexus dealers will install new wiper arm nuts, free of charge. An interim letter was mailed to owners on April 4, 2013. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Negative 2012 Lexus Is 350 car reviews
Positive 2012 Lexus Is 350 car reviews
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I'm so glad you love the car!
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I really like this car! It's a lot of fun and I love the power it has! Before this, I had a 2002 Celica GT with only 140 HP, so having 309 HP now is amazing! Although I prefer manual cars, the paddle shifters on the automatic IS 350 are okay. The interior of the car is what really sold me - I love everything about it! While the exterior could be more aggressive, I'm planning on getting a body kit. Overall, this car is just so awesome and so much fun!
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The car has the F-Sport package.
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This is actually my second time purchasing an IS 350. I leased a 2006 IS350 for three years and enjoyed it so much that I recently bought a new one. I looked at BMW, Acura, and the GS350, but I couldn't find a car that matched the style and performance of the IS350. While it may not be the best in class in one particular aspect, it is definitely the best all-round luxury sports car, hands down.
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The car is almost perfect, but unfortunately a few details prevent it from being so. The balance between luxury and sportiness is unparalleled, and the ML stereo sounds wonderful. However, XM sounds subpar due to signal compression, which is not Lexus's fault. The navigation system could use some improvement, as it suffers from obvious language and requirement translation issues during the design cycle. It's a shame that it has some limitations and is not very user-friendly, as nothing about it is intuitive. The speech recognition is not the best, as it struggles to recognize simple commands, making it unusable. Additionally, Bluetooth only auto-connects with one phone, which is inconvenient. The steering wheel controls are also quite limited, which means constantly navigating menus. Overall, the car has some areas for improvement, but it's still a great choice.
Additional sources
More sources of information about 2012 Lexus Is 350 problems:
2011-13 350 issues? - ClubLexus - Lexus Forum Discussion
May 10, 2017 ... He mentioned that the 2011 350s are known to have an issue with the motor and that im better off with a 2012 or 13. Ive never heard about ...
Why shouldn't I buy a Lexus IS 350? : r/Lexus
Feb 18, 2023 ... The IS350 is as reliable of a sporty car that you can daily that you could ask for. I've owned mine for over 6 years and outside of routine ...
High Mileage IS350s Common Problems? - ClubLexus - Lexus ...
Feb 18, 2014 ... The MPH and RPM needle lighting will fail, some start around 80K. Depends on the amount of use and climate you live in. The cluster can also ...
Common problems with the IS350 : r/Lexus
Nov 29, 2018 ... 2005-2011 3.5L have more failing transmissions as age, headgaskets $5k job failure if you don't change the water pump $1500 job, rear timing ...
I am thinking about buying a 2012 Lexus ES350 with 113,000 miles ...
Aug 6, 2016 ... I am thinking about buying a 2012 Lexus ES350 ... Reliability: Lexus has a rep for reliability, and the ES350 is no exception. ... common problem - ...
Other years of Lexus Is 350
Are you having problems with your 2012 Lexus Is 350?
Arlo Gutkowski 2024-06-01
I test drove several cars including the 335i, G35, G37, Acura TL, and A4. In my opinion, the BMW was the best driving car in every aspect. It was more refined, fluid, and precise by far. However, I ultimately chose the IS for its reliability and my wife's preference for the interior. Unfortunately, the IS has been in the shop four times for squeaks and rattles. Compared to the BMW, the car handles like a Buick, with a harsh suspension and needless understeer, always pushing and sliding the front end beyond the intended arc. Additionally, there is no feel in the controls such as steering, throttle, and brakes. If you are near retirement age and prefer a mellow driving experience, this car is great. On the positive side, the fit and finish are great and the car does have a strong engine.
Hunter Huels 2024-03-11
The rattles in this car are unacceptable, especially considering the low mileage. Despite visiting the dealer seven times, the issue has not been resolved. It is disappointing that the service provided did not meet the advertised standards of Lexus. I would not recommend this car to those who are bothered by squeaks and rattles.
Destin Abernathy 2024-02-09
As a fellow Lexus enthusiast, I was thrilled to upgrade from my 02 IS300 to the 08 IS350 with all its new technology. While the interior comfort and performance are top-notch, I must admit that I still have a soft spot for the superior styling of my old IS 300. I was really hoping that after spending many hours staring at it, I would fall in love with the new one, but unfortunately, it hasn't happened yet :(
Bell Koch 2024-01-22
Pros - power, handling, ride comfort, overall appearance, and decent gas mileage considering its 306 HP output. The car is also quiet and smooth. However, there are some cons to consider. The instrument panel on the center console is poor, and the LED panel is fuzzy (although this is not a defect and all ISs are like that). Additionally, the gas mileage could be better, and there is a lack of remote start (even by a third party).