Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Lexus IS owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact's son owned a 2007 Lexus IS250. The contact stated while her son was driving at 15 MPH through an intersection, another speeding vehicle that did not have the right-of-way, crashed into the passenger's side of the vehicle, causing the front end of the vehicle to crash into another vehicle. The contact's son was knocked unconscious. The air bags failed to deploy. There was no warning light illuminated. The emergency services escorted the contact's son to the nearest hospital, where he passed away a few days later. The vehicle was towed and totaled. A police report was filed. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously been serviced and had passed State inspection. The local dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000. …
Air bag light came on out of nowhere, went to take the car in for diagnosis and they stated that the issue code was the airbag B1861 is open in drivers side knee airbag squib circuit. Now all airbags are disabled due to circuit malfunction.
Takata recall. I bought my car only two years ago after my first Lexus lasted me upwards of 350,000 miles. Keeping this in mind I found my 2007 is250. I was aware after buying the car (but 2 days outside of my dealership warranty *fishy*) about the passenger air bag recall. The dashboard situation IS harsh. There IS a very chemical smell coming from my dashboard, it feels and peels off like the foam under it. It gets ripped and torn to shreds from very little friction. I have read that some people became very congested and ill from this smell. It IS very pungent. Now for my engine, this IS a big one. As I was driving, my car starts to make a loud but hallow clunking noise. For a long time I thought it was my brakes, so when I got them changed it went away, for a little. Now today as I was driving my car (which IS an automatic) completely stalled in head on traffic. …
The airbag warning light came off and on 3 years or so ago when I had started the car and sometimes while driving. When I brought the car in to the dealer the warning light was off, and the dealer checked but said they could not find the code. At the time my car was still under extended warranty. Now the light has come on again just as I was driving out after the car was serviced by the same dealer. They checked the code and said I needed to replace the airbag wiring harness for $2,798. The dealer offered to pay half of the cost since I am no longer covered by the extended warranty but since this issue causes the airbag to not deploy in case of an accident I feel that the full cost should be covered by Lexus, and a recall done for all the models affected...updated 12/03/15 the consumer stated the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer paid for the parts while the consumer paid for labor.
We had the passenger airbag replaced as part of a recall. This work was performed by a certified Lexus dealership. When we got the car back after the repair, the passenger airbag light showed 'off' even with a passenger in the seat. This airbag light and sensor had always worked correctly prior to the airbag replacement by Lexus. There are multiple complaints of the airbag wiring harness being too short and the replacement airbag causing this same issue for many other Lexus owners. When we brought the car back to Lexus, they said we would need to purchase a new ECU sensor for thousands of dollars and that this issue was not part of the recall and not caused by the repair. Again, this issue arose due to the replacement of the airbag which was performed by Lexus and a required recall.
Takata recall.... I have been contacting Lexus of orlando in orlando florida since August last year for them to complete recall but continued telling me that they do not have the parts to complete the recall estimated time for parts to arrive was around December of 2016... It IS now March of 2017 and they are still unable to supply a safe airbag for my vehicle
The cover over the front passenger IS detached and hanging open. This happened some time following a recall repair. I am concerned that something IS wrong. Both front wheel ball joints failed and I was told that this was a dangerous situation. I had them replaced as I was traveling and not able to go to a Lexus dealer.
Started the car this morning 3/29/15 and air bag light came on. Drove to store and came back light still on. Got home light still on. Went to auto shop gave me a code of b1861 SRS driver side knee air bag. Sounds very dangerous and im afraid that the air bag wont deploy during an accident......updated 12/03/15
UNKNOWN The airbag light continues to come on and off, also the check VSC keeps coming on. Not sure what the issue is. I feel unsafe and uncomfortable with this occurring!
Takata recall it has been since May 2016 that Lexus knew that our airbag(s) had been recalled. We were notified with an update on June 9, 2016 that they would fix this but did not have a remedy yet. This was over 6 months ago and we are still unable to have passengers ride in the front seat of our car. This IS extremely disappointing and it IS not acceptable for a remedy to take so long to occur- even if the Takata recall affected many vehicles.
Airbag complaints in other IS years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2007 Lexus IS?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the air bags of the 2007 Lexus IS, 18% of the model year's 122 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2007 Lexus IS airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 2007 Lexus IS, though it has 3 recalls for other components. 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 IS airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 105,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries and 1 death 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.