Selling a junk Lexus ES
Any ES sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Lexus ES
NHTSA has 837 owner complaints on file for the Lexus ES, model years 1996 to 2022, the 309th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are air bags (226, 27%), other (98, 12%), body and structure (73, 9%). 143 complaints involved a crash, 24 a fire, and 69 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 70,000 miles. The 2007 model year has the most complaints (164). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is air bags, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car after an accident: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Lexus ES by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 2 | Fuel system | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1997 | 2 | Seats | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1998 | 3 | Electrical system | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1999 | 8 | Speed control | 1 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 2000 | 9 | Electrical system | 0 | 5 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | 3 | Transmission and drivetrain | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2002 | 48 | Engine | 15 | 13 | 0 | 127,000 |
| 2003 | 37 | Speed control | 17 | 0 | 0 | 125,000 |
| 2004 | 21 | Speed control | 7 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 75 | Transmission and drivetrain | 18 | 0 | 0 | 27,000 |
| 2006 | 12 | Air bags | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 164 | Other | 19 | 1 | 0 | 76,200 |
| 2008 | 78 | Air bags | 9 | 0 | 0 | 57,000 |
| 2009 | 29 | Air bags | 4 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 47 | Air bags | 2 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 60 | Air bags | 12 | 0 | 0 | 47,000 |
| 2012 | 36 | Air bags | 6 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 50 | Brakes | 6 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 |
| 2014 | 4 | Brakes | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 7 | Air bags | 2 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 13 | Other | 4 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 3 | Lights | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 8 | Body and structure | 2 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 55 | Fuel system | 14 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2020 | 22 | Air bags | 3 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2021 | 29 | Air bags | 2 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2022 | 12 | Driver assistance | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Lexus ES recalls
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (2), lights (1). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2020 model year, air bags (campaign 23V865000, Dec 2023): Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybri…
- 2019 model year, air bags (campaign 19V288000, Apr 2019): Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019 Lexus ES vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with a driver knee air bag assembly mounted to the lower instrument panel (IP) that may have been…
- 1997 model year, lights (campaign 09E012000, Apr 2009): SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMEN…
What a Lexus ES is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk ES on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car after an accident 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Lexus models
- Lexus ES350 1,629
- Lexus RX350 1,109
- Lexus RX 1,088
- Lexus IS 250 938
- Lexus RX300 849
- Lexus IS 804
- Lexus ES300 713
- Lexus RX330 659
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Lexus ES worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same ES gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Lexus ES that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Lexus ES?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Lexus ES numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.