2005 Lexus ES330 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other ES330 years
- Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 4 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 141 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Lexus ES330. That ranks 2nd out of 4 ES330 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is vehicle speed control (51 complaints, 36%), typically at around 24,266 miles. Complaints mention 34 crashes, 2 fires, 18 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 141owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 34complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2005 Lexus ES330 problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control problems | 51 | 36% | 24,266 | “suddenly accelerated” (14%) | — |
| Power Train | 43 | 30% | 22,550 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 17 | 12% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 9 | 6% | 18,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 8 | 6% | 8,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 7 | 5% | 78,557 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 5 | 4% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 3% | 15,750 | — | — |
| Steering | 4 | 3% | 78,650 | — | — |
| Engine | 3 | 2% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 2% | 82,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 2% | 5,150 | — | — |
| Structure | 3 | 2% | 60,500 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 1% | 37,937 | — | — |
| Tires | 2 | 1% | 11,000 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 1% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 1% | 69,000 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 1 | 1% | 1,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 1% | 101,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 1% | 28,250 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 1% | 7,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 1% | 1,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 1 | 1% | 33,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 1% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2005 Lexus ES330 recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Engine and engine cooling
Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004 avalon vehicles; 2004 and 2005 camry, camry solara, highlander, and sienna vehicles, 2006 highlander hybrid; 2004 and 2005 lexus es330 and rx330; and 2006 lexus rx400h vehicles manufactured from june 1, 2004 through march 31, 2005, equipped with the 1mz-fe or 3mz-fe engine. The amount of adhesive agent applied between the outer ring and the torsional rubber damper (inner ring) in the crankshaft pulley may be inadequate. If the adhesive is insufficient, there is a possibility that the outer ring may become misaligned and it may not properly rotate with the inner ring, causing noise and/or illumination of the battery discharge indicator light.
Risk: In some cases, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley which could result in a loss of power steering and a sudden increase in steering effort, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will check the crankshaft pulley to identify whether it was produced by the u.s. Supplier. If so, the dealer will replace the pulley with a new one at no charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during early january 2012. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Seat belts:front:buckle assembly
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a front passenger power seat, when installing certain rear-facing infant child seat bases onto the seat with an excessively high seatbelt tension, it may be possible to unseat a component called the buckle status switch from the seat belt buckle.
Risk: If the switch becomes unseated, the front passenger occupant classification system may mistake the rear-facing child restraint for an unbelted adult occupant, and may not suppress the deployment of the front passenger airbag.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front passenger seatbelt buckle status switch. This safety improvement campaign (ssc 40m) began on december 20, 2004. Owners should contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or lexus at 1-800-255-3987..
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Vehicle speed control (DP05002) — opened Aug 5, 2005, closed Jan 5, 2006.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Passenger seat airbag sensor light on when seated
This is similar to the complain another car owner has filed. My car was purchased new from the lexus of pleasonton,ca dealership. I have had no major accident or no airbag deployment. Car has been lightly used with 80k miles on the odometer currently. The airbag container on the passenger dash has…
This car was purchased from the lexus of memphis dealership as used in 2010. I have had no accidents or airbag deployment. I am.not aware of any a evident history from the previous owner. The airbag container on the passenger dash has progressively cracked at the topical seams over time. I have…
My check engine light is on and when the diganoised code check is performed "no codes appear," but i do have a power steering leakage and i hear the power steering noise when i am turning and from the recall 11v53900 11/09/2011 engine and engine cooling its a huge problem. I call customer service…
Passenger airbag on the dashboard is opening, and my car has never been involved in an impact.
Other Lexus ES330 years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 ES330 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 ES330 | 64 | 0 |
| 2005 | 141 | 2 |
| 2004 ES330 | 174 | 2 |
See all Lexus ES330 problems by year, every Lexus model, or the Lexus VIN decoder.
Similar Lexus models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2005 Lexus ES330?
Owners most often report vehicle speed control, power train, air bags problems. The top one, vehicle speed control, accounts for 51 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2005 Lexus ES330?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2005 Lexus ES330 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other ES330 model years, the 2005 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.