Selling a junk Lexus ES350
Any ES350 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 ES350
NHTSA has 1,629 owner complaints on file for the Lexus ES350, model years 2007 to 2022, the 216th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are air bags (870, 53%), speed control (215, 13%), other (98, 6%). 199 complaints involved a crash, 12 a fire, and 49 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 35,000 miles. The 2007 model year has the most complaints (613). 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 ES350 by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 613 | Air bags | 73 | 6 | 5 | 39,000 |
| 2008 | 276 | Air bags | 33 | 1 | 5 | 44,000 |
| 2009 | 154 | Air bags | 20 | 2 | 5 | 20,204 |
| 2010 | 150 | Air bags | 13 | 0 | 5 | 28,056 |
| 2011 | 161 | Air bags | 12 | 0 | 3 | 50,000 |
| 2012 | 94 | Air bags | 5 | 3 | 3 | — |
| 2013 | 29 | Visibility and wipers | 8 | 0 | 1 | 27,500 |
| 2014 | 42 | Electrical system | 11 | 0 | 1 | 38,336 |
| 2015 | 23 | Other | 2 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2016 | 27 | Other | 2 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2017 | 26 | Visibility and wipers | 11 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2018 | 7 | Speed control | 3 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2019 | 6 | Fuel system | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2020 | 10 | Air bags | 5 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2021 | 6 | Wheels | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 5 | Brakes | 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 ES350 recalls
NHTSA lists 12 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (5), fuel system (2), speed control (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.
- 2018 model year, fuel system (campaign 20V682000, Nov 2020): Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 4Runner, 2019-2020 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2017-2019 Highlander, 2018-2020 Camry, 2020 Corolla, 2018-2019 Land Cruiser, 2017-2020 T…
- 2018 model year, fuel system (campaign 20V012000, Jan 2020): Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) recalled certain 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500,…
- 2007 model year, air bags (campaign 19V741000, Oct 2019): 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 Scio…
- 2010 model year, air bags (campaign 19V005000, Jan 2019): 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 …
- 2009 model year, air bags (campaign 18V024000, Jan 2018): Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013 Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Sienna, 4Runner, Lexus IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, IS-F, and GX460 vehicles sold, ever registered, i…
What a Lexus ES350 is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk ES350 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 RX350 1,109
- Lexus RX 1,088
- Lexus IS 250 938
- Lexus RX300 849
- Lexus ES 837
- Lexus IS 804
- Lexus ES300 713
- Lexus RX330 659
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Lexus ES350 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 ES350 gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Lexus ES350 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 ES350?
- 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 ES350 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.