Selling a junk Lexus IS
Any IS 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
NHTSA has 804 owner complaints on file for the Lexus IS, model years 1999 to 2022, the 315th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are body and structure (146, 18%), other (131, 16%), air bags (116, 14%). 68 complaints involved a crash, 9 a fire, and 25 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 80,000 miles. The 2006 model year has the most complaints (185). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is body and structure, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling for parts or whole: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Lexus IS by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1 | Other | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2001 | 1 | Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2002 | 17 | Body and structure | 1 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2003 | 18 | Air bags | 9 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2004 | 12 | Other | 1 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2005 | 13 | Body and structure | 2 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2006 | 185 | Body and structure | 5 | 9 | 7 | 90,000 |
| 2007 | 171 | Body and structure | 13 | 0 | 3 | 85,000 |
| 2008 | 143 | Other | 7 | 0 | 3 | 78,500 |
| 2009 | 55 | Other | 6 | 0 | 2 | 45,500 |
| 2010 | 52 | Air bags | 12 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2011 | 22 | Air bags | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 29 | Air bags | 5 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 13 | Visibility and wipers | 4 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 16 | Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 14 | Electrical system | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 2 | Fuel system | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 17 | Fuel system | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 3 | Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 3 | Visibility and wipers | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 9 | Engine | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 2 | Other | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 6 | Fuel system | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
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 recalls
NHTSA lists 9 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for fuel system (3), lights (1), 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.
- 2022 model year, fuel system (campaign 26V222000, Apr 2026): Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2015-2022 Lexus RC, 2016-2020 GS, and 2022 IS vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
- 2006 model year, fuel system (campaign 11V029000, Jan 2011): TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006-2009 LEXUS IS AND MODEL YEAR 2006-2007 LEXUS GS VEHICLES. DUE TO INSUFFICIENT TIGHTENING OF THE FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR CONNECTED TO AN ENGINE FUEL DELIVERY PIPE WITH NICKEL PHOSP…
- 2006 model year, brakes (campaign 10V499000, Oct 2010): TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 AVALON, MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 HIGHLANDER, MODEL YEAR 2004-2006 LEXUS RX, AND MODEL YEAR 2006 LEXUS GS AND IS VEHICLES. BRAKE FLUID CONTAINING POLYMERS IS USED THAT ACTS AS …
- 2006 model year, speed control (campaign 09V388000, Oct 2009): TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004-2010 PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAN GET STUCK IN THE WIDE OPEN POSITION DUE TO ITS BEING TRAPPED BY AN UNSECURED OR INCOMPATIBLE DRIVER'S FLOOR MAT.
- 1999 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 IS is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk IS 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
Should you sell your car for parts or whole? 
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 ES 837
- Lexus ES300 713
- Lexus RX330 659
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Lexus IS 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 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 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?
- 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 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.