Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Lexus ES 350 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My wife involved an accident when she was driving crossing an intersection in the city of pomona, ca. She was impacted by the crossing car on the driver's front and side plus the left rear passenger's side right behind the driver. The car was totaled, but none of the front and side airbags were deployed during the impact, which caused the left clavicle bone fracture, head injuries, and leg injuries to my wife. The car was confirmed to equip with side curtain airbags, and knee airbags.
Lexus ES 350 2007 dashboard is melting and compromised. Due to the sticky mess the airbags will not deploy properly and death will likely occur. Very concerned about the toxicity of the dashboard as well. It's melting, changing color from black to white and cracking. This carcinogenic material is now poisoning all who ride in the vehicle. Included photo does not convey the glossy melting ,sticky reality of it all. The glossy melting reflection causes lots of glare and impairs visibility on sunny days. This issue must be resolved before a life is taken needlessly. Lexus refuses to replace the dashboard even though they admit that its a compromised part and have deceptively allocated this safety issue as a warranty problem that has expired. Because my vehicle is seldom driven and garaged (69,717K miles) problem did not surface until now.
Air bag not working on passenger side...red lights flashing on both sides..took to Lexus service for repair....told they replaced the sensor and that is not correcting the malfunction .....I was told I would have to replace the passenger seat and it would cost around $8,000.......that is prohibitive as the blue book on the car ....in good condition...is only $9,000 to $11,000. My only recourse would seem to have them disconnect the air bags and I don't know if they can do that ....I was in an accident in new Mexico in the 80's and the air bag saved my face and even possibly my life so I am afraid to drive without them but I certainly can't afford a repair of that magnitude. I had just started my car when the lights started flashing as I was driving down a city street on a straight road.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Lexus ES 350. The contact stated that the dashboard was melting and created a blinding glare that could cause a crash. The vehicle was taken to prestige Lexus of ramsey (1000 nj-17, ramsey, nj 07446, [phone]), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact also received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V340000 (air bags). The failure mileage was 90,000.
Takata recall - I am being told that it will be the first qtr of 2017 before they expect to have replacement parts. That is almost a year since the notice. We cannot use this car with more than the driver on board. This is an unacceptable delay in getting parts. Honda had it done in a month. We would prefer not to be given a rental car.
Have contacted Lexus of louisville, ky numerous times since 6-1-17 and they are dragging their feet, telling me they don't have the parts to repair my car. This is an active safety recall and a danger to me as I have to use this vehicle.0
Tl* Takata recall. The contact owns a 2007 Lexus ES 350. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V340000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact called a local dealer (pohanka Lexus 13909 lee jackson memorial highway, chantilly, va 2015[phone]) and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and was not able to confirm when the parts would be available. The contact was advised to contact the dealer to arrange a loaner vehicle, but the dealer declined. The contact called the manufacturer again, but was disconnected. The contact had not experienced a failure. …
Takata recall since the car is not useable for the purpose for which it was purchased (a 5-passenger car), I am asking for compensation from Lexus or Takata, as there is no indication that the repair can be made in any time frame. It could be years before the repair is made, thereby meaning that we would have to purchase a new vehicle. Lexus or Takata should provide monetary compensation to make up for this. It is unacceptable that we cannot use the vehicle, and the recall notice was completely useless, basically saying "don't use your car" (for which we paid tens of thousands of dollars). It is calling it an "inconvenience" which is not accurate. The issue of the air bags has been known for a couple of years and Lexus had the opportunity to work on a remedy. I am hoping that NHTSA can assist in this matter. Thank you.
Takata recall. We called Lexus of fife in November of 2017 when we received notification the airbag replacements were available. As of this date of January 21st 2018 we have not had a fix. When we called the first of the year we were told we we #51 on the list. We called again mid month and were told the same thing #51. There seems to be no sense of urgency to solve this issue. We are scheduled to drive to southern california for a wedding in mid February 2018 and I would like this issue resolved before we drive that far. If this is a deadly issue shouldn't it be a priority to solve it. While I understand Lexus of fife can't do free work all day there should be another option to fix this problem asap.
Tl* Takata recall. The contact owns a 2007 Lexus ES 350. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V340000 (air bags) and stated that the part was not available within a reasonable time frame to schedule the recall repair. The dealer and the interim recall notice from the manufacturer did not give a specific date for when the part would become available. The contact was unable to determine when the vehicle would be repaired. The manufacturer could not provide an estimated date for when the contact's vehicle would receive the recall repair. The contact was not experiencing a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Airbag complaints in other ES 350 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2007 Lexus ES 350?
NHTSA has 64 complaints about the air bags of the 2007 Lexus ES 350, 86% of the model year's 74 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2007 Lexus ES 350 airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 2007 Lexus ES 350. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2007 Lexus ES 350 airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 90,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 2 injuries to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.