Most common 2008 Lexus IS 350 problems
Share of the 30 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Lexus IS 350 complaints by model year
Best IS 350 years: 2013, 2009, 2012. Years to avoid: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014. Compare all years →
2008 Lexus IS 350 recalls (8)
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
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,…
Remedy: 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.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
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.
Remedy: 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.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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,…
Remedy: 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…
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
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…
Remedy: 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…
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
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.
Remedy: 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.
Engine
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.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and Lexus dealers will replace the VVT unit free of charge. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Show 2 more recalls
Visibility/wiper
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.
Remedy: 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.
Engine and engine cooling › Engine
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.
Remedy: 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.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2008 Lexus IS 350:
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
What 2008 Lexus IS 350 owners say
Air bags
On November 8, 2017, I was involved in a traffic accident in santa monica, ca as I was making a left turn from an alley onto a two-lane residential street. The other vehicle struck me on the left front corner of my car. While the airbags of the other car were deployed , none of my airbags were deployed. Further, my shoulder belt failed to properly restrain me and the top of my head struck the left 'a-pillar'. Soon after the accident, I requested that Lexus download my car's edr( aka "black box" ). The injury to the top of my head did not turn out to be serious. However, about 2-3 weeks following the accident, I started having pain in my lower right abdomen. This was soon thereafter diagnosed as a right side inguinal hernia. About this same time, I received a download of the raw data from my car's edr. …
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 struggling why a faulty (defective) wiring harness that disables all airbags IS not a safety recall. It shouldn't have to be a fatal crash due to inoperative airbags to warrant a recall.
Body & structure
25% of my 2008 Lexus IS 350 dash IS melting. The shine from the dash reflects off the windshield producing a significant glare. This issue could potentially cause an accident. The material used for the dash and door panels are defective and not up to par for Lexus or any other luxury auto maker. Contacted Lexus customer care directly and they realize there's an issue based on the pics I sent them. They offered me 25% parts and labor.there IS no recall at this point. I bought the car last year, July 2013. It wasn't evident that the dash was melting until summer, this year. I bought a sun shield and tinted the windows to limit the melting dash. The sum shield sticks to the dash now.
Dashboard has developed a sticky, shiny appearance. Dealership has acknowledged that these models have this problem but will not cover under warranty. The shiny appearance makes it difficult to see out the windshield in strong sunlight. I feel this IS very unsafe. Will the airbag deploy properly with a sticky surface?
Speed control & acceleration
I was pulling up to a red stoplight with a car already stopped at the light. While applying pressure to the brakes, I realized the vehicle wasn't braking correctly. I started applying more pressure until I was nearly standing on the brake pedal when the engine starting revving as if I were accelerating. When I realized the car was not going to stop, I tried to put the car in park. Luckily, I only tapped the car in front of me which startled the 3 children in the back seat of that car. When the driver of the other car and I got out of our cars, we could smell the burning rubber. No damage to either car, but leery to drive the vehicle. Had the rear brake pads replaced during last vehicle service in November 2013. Called the dealership this morning and was told no recall or other incidents of this nature.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Lexus is350. The contact was driving approximately 0 MPH and applied the brakes however, the vehicle continued to accelerate and crashed into another vehicle. A police report was not filed of the incident. There were no injuries. The vehicle was taken to a collision center where the front end was repaired. The failure recurred on two separate occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the acceleration malfunction. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 19,200. ...updated 04-03-13 updated05/09/2013
2008 Lexus IS 350 engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | RWD | 18 / 25 / 20 |
EPA ratings. Class: Subcompact car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2008 Lexus IS 350 a good car?
Based on 30 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2008 IS 350 rates use caution: 2.9× as many complaints as a typical year of the IS 350 at the same age. It is one of the IS 350 years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2008 Lexus IS 350?
The air bags — 10 complaints, 33% of all complaints for this model year, most often about knee bolster. Next are the body & structure (7) and speed control & acceleration (5).
How many recalls does the 2008 Lexus IS 350 have?
There are 8 recalls for the 2008 Lexus IS 350, the most recent from October 17, 2019 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Lexus IS 350?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2013, 2009 and 2012. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2014. See the full Lexus IS 350 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2008 Lexus IS 350 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 50,000 miles; 48% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.