Selling a junk Lexus IS 250
Any IS 250 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 IS 250
NHTSA has 938 owner complaints on file for the Lexus IS 250, model years 2006 to 2016, the 290th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are air bags (230, 25%), body and structure (160, 17%), other (104, 11%). 79 complaints involved a crash, 7 a fire, and 33 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 (282). 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 IS 250 by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 252 | Body and structure | 13 | 4 | 6 | 85,600 |
| 2007 | 282 | Body and structure | 15 | 0 | 5 | 77,850 |
| 2008 | 157 | Air bags | 7 | 1 | 5 | 68,092 |
| 2009 | 61 | Air bags | 4 | 0 | 6 | 64,500 |
| 2010 | 43 | Air bags | 9 | 0 | 6 | — |
| 2011 | 38 | Air bags | 8 | 0 | 4 | — |
| 2012 | 27 | Air bags | 10 | 0 | 4 | — |
| 2013 | 8 | Wheels | 2 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2014 | 46 | Electrical system | 10 | 2 | 0 | 29,500 |
| 2015 | 20 | Other | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 4 | Air bags | 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 IS 250 recalls
NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (5), fuel system (1), visibility and wipers (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.
- 2006 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…
- 2006 model year, air bags (campaign 17V006000, Jan 2017): 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…
- 2006 model year, air bags (campaign 16V340000, May 2016): Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Scion xB and Lexus IS F, 2009-2011 Toyota Corolla and Corolla Matrix, 2006-2011 Toyota Yaris, Lexus IS250 and Lexus IS350, 2010-…
What a Lexus IS 250 is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk IS 250 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 RX300 849
- Lexus ES 837
- Lexus IS 804
- Lexus ES300 713
- Lexus RX330 659
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Lexus IS 250 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 IS 250 gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Lexus IS 250 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 IS 250?
- 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 IS 250 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.