2008 Lexus IS 350 recalls and problems

The 2008 Lexus IS 350 has 8 safety recalls and 30 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at any Lexus dealer.

Recalls
8
Complaints
30
Crashes / fires
6 / 0
Injuries / deaths
2 / 0

Recalls may cover only some 2008 Lexus IS 350 vehicles. Check your VIN at NHTSA ↗ to see open recalls for your exact car.

2008 Lexus IS 350 recalls

Recall 19V-741: Air Bags

Reported Oct 17, 2019 · 928,220 vehicles affected · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

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.

Recall 18V-432: Fuel System, Gasoline

Reported Jun 26, 2018 · 114,998 vehicles affected · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2007-2011 Lexus GS350 and GS450h, 2006-2013 Lexus IS350 and 2010-2014 Lexus IS350C vehicles, equipped with 3.5L V6 2GR-FSE gasoline engines. The diaphragms in the fuel pulsation dampers may harden over time and develop cracks, possibly causing a fuel leak.

Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.

Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel delivery pipe with a new pipe that has improved pulsation dampers, free of charge. The recall began August 23, 2018. Owners may contact Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's number for this recall is JLF.

Recall 17V-006: Air Bags

Reported Jan 9, 2017 · 577,875 vehicles affected · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

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).

Recall 16V-340: Air Bags

Reported May 23, 2016 · 1,754,517 vehicles affected · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

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).

Recall 14V-647: Fuel System, Gasoline

Reported Oct 15, 2014 · 422,509 vehicles affected · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

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.

Recall 13V-395: Engine

Reported Sep 4, 2013 · 101,584 vehicles affected · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Lexus GS350 vehicles manufactured June 19, 2006, through July 12, 2011; and model year 2006-2011 Lexus IS350 vehicles manufactured May 27, 2005, through July 13, 2011; and model year 2010-2011 Lexus IS350c vehicles manufactured November 25, 2009, through July 19, 2011. These vehicles, equipped with the 2GR-FSE engine, use bolts to secure the housing and sprocket of the Variable-Valve Timing (VVT) system gear assembly. These bolts could become loose due to abnormal impacts generated within the gear assembly immediately after a cold start-up.

Risk: The loose bolts could cause the VVT gear housing and sprocket to separate and result in the engine stopping while the vehicle is being driven, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and Lexus dealers will replace the VVT unit free of charge. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

Recall 13V-030: Visibility/Wiper

Reported Jan 30, 2013 · 267,718 vehicles affected · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

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.

Recall 10V-309: Engine and Engine Cooling

Reported Jul 6, 2010 · 138,874 vehicles affected · TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.

Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2008 lexus passenger cars manufactured from august 26, 2005 through august 4, 2008. Micro-foreign objects in the material of the valve spring may degrade the strength of the valve spring, possibly causing the spring to break.

Risk: The engine could fail and stop suddenly while the vehicle is in motion, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Toyota will notify owners and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The safety recall began on september 2, 2010. Owners may contact lexus at 1-800-255-3987.

2008 Lexus IS 350 problems reported by owners

Problem areaReports
Air Bags11
Structure7
Vehicle Speed Control5
Electrical System4
Steering3
Unknown or Other3
Engine and Engine Cooling2
Power Train2
Visibility/Wiper2
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility1
Equipment1
Service Brakes, Hydraulic1

Most reported parts

  • Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine — 1
  • Electrical System › Wiring › Interior/Under Dash — 1
  • Air Bags › Knee Bolster — 1

Typical mileage at the time of the problem: 50,000 miles (median of owner reports).

Problems that are not covered by a recall are paid repairs; labor rates follow local mechanic pay — see what auto mechanics earn in each state.

Recent 2008 Lexus IS 350 complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA, as written (personal details removed). Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.

Unknown or Other · at 110,252 miles · reported May 16, 2019
So I bought the car just yesterday and I searched the VIN in ur website and I saw that there is one unrepaired issue and I'm a little worried it could cause a safety issue later in the future if I don't do anything about it. The dealer where I bought it from told me the car was good with no issue so I was a little confused after seeing this. Below I sent a screenshot of the issue I saw and just want to know what do I do about it.
Air Bags · at 77,000 miles · reported Feb 4, 2019
There has been an intermittent airbag warning light on my vehicle. When taken to the dealer for service, unfortunately the light went out, and no code was captured. It was returned to the dealer recently, and a fault code was recognized; a possible knee airbag issue. When talking with the service writer, their technicians had mentioned it was most likely a short in a wiring harness at a cost of $3500 to replace. I was told all of the airbags may be inoperative with the warning light on, but the dealership was not sure. A number of online lexus blogs talk about similar circumstances and…
Air Bags · at 153,000 miles · reported Jan 13, 2019
After hitting a hard bump, the vehicle threw a b1866 code indicating an open circuit on the front passenger knee airbag. The connector has become loose and after reading other complaints online it seems to happen frequently with this connector or on the driver side knee airbag connector.
Air Bags · at 170,000 miles · reported Apr 11, 2018
Takata recall. After letting the lexus dealership do the recall on my airbags, I received a airbag light shortly after and let them know I didn't have the issue until after they serviced the airbag. The issue is stated that they made the harness too short in my year car and lexus is not taking responsibility for their error which is putting my life and my child's life in danger if we were to get in a accident with my car. The airbags are disabled due to this faulty harness. When contacting corporate they only offered to help with $500 of the cost while the dealership wants $3500 to fix. This…
Visibility/Wiper · at 104,000 miles · reported Dec 7, 2017
I have a 2008 lexus is 350 in which the interior rear view mirror has become hazy and filled with black lines limiting rear visibility. I have read several blogs and been informed that this is a common problem with this model. This seems to be in violation of the following safety guidelines, however lexus does not feel the need to replace the mirror without $1000 out of owners pocket. < 571.110 571.112 > subpart b - federal motor vehicle safety standards 571.111 standard no. 111; rearview mirrors. S1. Scope. This standard specifies requirements for the performance and location of rearview…

Other Lexus IS 350 years

Compare all Lexus IS 350 years · All Lexus models

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2008 Lexus IS 350 have any recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 8 recalls for the 2008 Lexus IS 350: 19V-741 (air bags), 18V-432 (fuel system, gasoline), 17V-006 (air bags), 16V-340 (air bags), 14V-647 (fuel system, gasoline) and more. Not every vehicle is affected, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What is the most common problem with the 2008 Lexus IS 350?

Owners report air bags problems most often (11 reports), followed by structure (7). The typical mileage when problems were reported is about 50,000 miles.

Are Lexus recall repairs free?

Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at authorized Lexus dealers, whether you are the first owner or bought the car used.