2009 Lexus IS 250 Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other IS 250 years
- More complaints than other years 4th of 11 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 6 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 48 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Lexus IS 250. That ranks 4th out of 11 IS 250 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (20 complaints, 42%), typically at around 100,000 miles. Complaints mention 3 crashes, 1 injury. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 48owner complaints
- 6safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 3complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2009 Lexus IS 250 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 20 | 42% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 6 | 13% | 72,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 6 | 13% | 69,500 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 6 | 13% | 7,250 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 4 | 8% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 6% | — | — | — |
| Electrical System | 2 | 4% | 145,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 2 | 4% | 122,500 | — | — |
| Power Train | 2 | 4% | 34,850 | — | — |
| Visibility | 2 | 4% | 52,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 2% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 2% | 145,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 2% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 2% | 113,553 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 2% | 9,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 2% | 11,300 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 1 | 2% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 2% | 11,300 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2009 Lexus IS 250 recalls (6)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module; air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: 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 Scion xB, 2008-2009 Lexus IS-F, 2007-2012 Yaris and Lexus ES350, 2010-2017 Lexus GX460, 2002-2010 Lexus SC430, 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350 and 2010-2015 Lexus IS250C and IS350C vehicles. These vehicles had their driver or passenger frontal air bag inflators previously replaced under a prior recall using inflators of the same design. The inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front driver inflator, front passenger airbag inflator, the airbag assembly, or the front passenger airbag sub-assembly and inflator. The recall began November 20, 2019. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0A, J0B, and J0C. Lexus' numbers for this recall are JLI, JLJ, and JLK.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: 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, in the states of AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, PR, AS, GU, the MP (Saipan), and the U.S. VI or "Zone A." Toyota is also recalling certain 2010 Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, 4Runner, Lexus IS250, IS350, IS250C, IS350C, ES350, IS-F, GX460, and Pontiac Vibe vehicles sold, ever registered, in the states of AZ, AR, DE, DC, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV or "Zone B." Toyota is also recalling certain 2009 Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Lexus IS250, IS350, ES350, IS-F, and Pontiac Vibe vehicles ever registered in the states of AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY or "Zone C." These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, or replace the air bag assembly. The recall began on January 29, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for this recall are "Zone A" Toyota: G0P, Lexus: GLG; "Zone B" Toyota: G0R, Lexus GLH; "Zone C" Toyota: H0A, and Lexus: HLA.
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: 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 originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2009 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Yaris, Yaris HB, Scion xB, Pontiac Vibe, Lexus, ES350, IS250, IS350, and IS-F vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Toyota is recalling certain 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and IS350, 2007-2008 Lexus ES350, Toyota Yaris, Yaris HB, and 2008 Lexus IS-F and Scion xB vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify the Toyota, Scion and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 1, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331, or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), H0A (Toyota Zone C), GLG (Lexus Zone A), GLH (Lexus Zone B) and HLA (Lexus Zone C).
Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator module
Problem: 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, 2010-2011 Toyota 4Runner, Lexus IS250C, Lexus IS350C and Lexus GX460, 2011 Sienna, 2007-2011 Lexus ES350, and 2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Toyota is recalling certain model year 2008 Scion xB and Lexus IS F, 2007-2008 Toyota Yaris, 2006-2008 Lexus IS250 and Lexus IS350 and 2007-2008 Lexus ES350 vehicles, originally sold, or ever registered, in Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, or "Zone B." Vehicles of these model years and models that were not originally sold or ever registered in either Zones A or B are not subject to this safety recall. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Toyota will notify the Toyota and Lexus owners. General Motors will contact the Pontiac owners. Depending on the model, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator or the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on December 6, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's numbers for interim notification for this campaign are G1P (Toyota Zone A), G1R (Toyota Zone B), G2G (Lexus Zone A), and G2H (Lexus Zone B). Toyota's numbers for final remedy for this campaign are G0P (Toyota Zone A), G0R (Toyota Zone B), GLG (Lexus Zone A), and GLH (Lexus Zone B).
Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Lexus LS vehicles manufactured May 9, 2006, to July 20, 2010, 2006-2011 Lexus GS vehicles manufactured January 6, 2005, to September 10, 2010, and 2006-2011 Lexus IS vehicles manufactured August 30, 2005, to September 10, 2010. Due to anti-corrosion plating remnants, fuel may leak from where the fuel pressure sensor is attached to the fuel delivery pipe.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will clean and reseal the fuel pressure sensor mounting area, free of charge. The recall began March 3, 2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.
Visibility/wiper
Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006-2012 Lexus IS250 and IS350 vehicles manufactured August 23, 2005, through October 5, 2011; 2010-2012 Lexus IS250C and IS350C vehicles manufactured April 10, 2009, through October 6, 2011; and 2008-2011 Lexus IS-F vehicles manufactured December 14, 2007, through July 10, 2011. The nuts that fasten the wiper arms may be insufficiently torqued such that if the wiper arms are restricted by an external load, such as a buildup of heavy snow, one or both of the wipers may become inoperative.
Risk: Inoperative wipers could reduce driver visibility and increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and Lexus dealers will install new wiper arm nuts, free of charge. An interim letter was mailed to owners on April 4, 2013. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
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
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA21002) — opened Sep 17, 2021, still open.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Dashboard is melting and sticky. Causing a ridiculous glare from sunlight and headlights. Contacted lexus dealership; they stated there is a recall for this but they couldn't help me i would need to call lexus themselves. Called lexus provided my vin and other information. They told me my vin was…
My dashboard is melted and sticky. Can be a safety hazard for glare on the road.
Dash material is decomposing, creating a large spot of glare onto windshield. Lexus is well aware of this from thousands of complaints, and in 2011 updated warranty for some vehicles.however they have told me that vehicle is not covered and are being sued buy many for this same complaint. Just…
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 lexus is 250. While driving approximately 20 mph, the check engine and traction control indicators illuminated and the vehicle would not properly accelerate. The failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified. The failure…
The left and right side mirrors have become loose and freely move forward and backward. I have to use heavy duty cloth tape to permanently secure them in the rear facing orientation. I found a youtube video which discloses the mechanical defect that needs to be corrected. This is a safety hazard if…
Other Lexus IS 250 years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 IS 250 | 1 | 0 |
| 2015 IS 250 | 16 | 0 |
| 2014 IS 250 | 35 | 0 |
| 2013 IS 250 | 5 | 2 |
| 2012 IS 250 | 17 | 4 |
| 2011 IS 250 | 30 | 4 |
| 2010 IS 250 | 40 | 6 |
| 2009 | 48 | 6 |
| 2008 IS 250 | 125 | 5 |
| 2007 IS 250 | 213 | 5 |
| 2006 IS 250 | 189 | 6 |
See all Lexus IS 250 problems by year, every Lexus model, or the Lexus VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Lexus IS 250?
Owners most often report air bags, structure, unknown or other problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 20 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Lexus IS 250?
Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2009 Lexus IS 250 a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other IS 250 model years, the 2009 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.