Total Complaints
12 filings
LEXUS ES · model year
2006 LEXUS ES
12 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2006LEXUSES carries 12 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2006 ES is air bags with 7 filings, followed by unknown or other (2) and power train (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 2006 ES. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
12
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | 7 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20201229AIR BAGS
THE PASSENGER AIR BAG APPEARS TO BECOMING DETACHED FROM THE DASH. IT SEEMS THAT IT MAY DEPLOY AT ANY GIVEN TIME. THIS DOES NOT FEEL SAFE TO ME AS MY FAMILY RIDES IN THE CAR WITH ME.
Mileage: 155,200
20191023AIR BAGS
THE AIRBAG COVER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE IS CRACKED AND LOOKS AS IF IT IS GOING TO POP. THIS COULD BE A HAZARD.
20190809AIR BAGS
THE AIRBAG COVER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR IS STARTING TO CRACK AND LIFT,SEEMS LIKE PRESSURE IS CAUSING THE LIFT. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT'S BECAUSE THE DASHBOARD IS OLD. COMPARED IT TO AN ES300, THE AIR BAG DEFINITELY HAS STARTED TO LIFT.
20190806AIR BAGS
CRACKING AROUND THE AIRBAG LINING. THIS LOOKS LIKE A SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED.
Mileage: 50,000
20171105AIR BAGS
THE AIRBAG COVER WHERE IT IS ATTACHED TO THE DASHBOARD HAS SEPARATED. THE SEPARATION BEGAN ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO AND THE GAP CONTINUES TO WIDEN. THIS VEHICLE IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE TAKATA RECALL AND AM UNSURE IF THE AIRBAG MAY INFLATE IF THE GAP CONTINUES TO OPEN.
Mileage: 90,000
20170922UNKNOWN OR OTHER
TAKATA RECALL
20170815UNKNOWN OR OTHER
MY 2006 LEXUS I250 DASH BROAD IS CRACKING AND STICKY AND SO WHEN I'M DRIVING IN THE SUN, IT CREATES A GLARE ON YOUR DASHBOARD. NEVER RECEIVE A RECALL. I DID GO TO A LOCAL LEXUS IN 2014 AND TOLD THEM THAT THIS CAR WASN'T LIKE THIS WENT I PURCHASED IT. WORKED IN AL (BALDWIN COUNTY) AND I NOTICE THAT MY LEXUS INTERIOR STARTED TO CRACK AND MELT DUE TO MY CAR BEING PARKED OUT IN THE SUN DURING MY WORKING HOURS. THIS SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPEN TO A LEXUS
20170413AIR BAGS
THE AIRBAG COVER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR IS STARTING TO CRACK AND LIFT,SEEMS LIKE PRESSURE IS CAUSING THE LIFT. I LOOKS LIKE ITS READY TO BLOW OUT.
Mileage: 134,000
20160701AIR BAGS
ALL ALONG THE AIRBAG ON THE DASHBOARD; THE DASHBOARD IS CRACKING ALL AROUND THE AIR BAG. THERE IS NO OTHER DAMAGE TO MY DASHBOARD AND EXCEPT WHERE THE AIRBAG WAS INSTALLED. THIS IS DEFINITELY A DEFECTIVE AIRBAG. I AM TRYING TO MAKE PEOPLE AWEAR BEFORE SOMEONE GETS INJURED OR KILLED.
20151021ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
THE RIGHT REAR WINDOW DOES NOT OPEN. NEITHER THE DRIVER'S NOR THE DOOR SWITCH WILL OPEN THE WINDOW. WHEN PUSHED THERE IS A CLICK BUT THE WINDOW DOESN'T OPEN.
Mileage: 115,000
20150625ENGINE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 LEXUS ES. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION AND THE BRAKING SYSTEM WOULD NOT RESPOND. THE CONTACT HAD TO SHIFT TO NEUTRAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE. A NUMBER OF WARNING INDICATORS WERE ILLUMINATED AT THE TIME OF FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART AND WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 148,800. UPDATED 09/08/15*LJ UPDATED 10/27/2017*CN
Mileage: 148,800
20150513POWER TRAIN
TRANSMISSION WAS HESITANT AND SUDDENLY RELEASE CREATING A SUDDEN ACCELERATION RUSH WHEN GAS PEDAL WAS APPLIED AT 10 TO 15 MPH. THIS HAPPEN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN DOWNSHIFT GEAR MODE AND WAS ASKED TO ACCELERATE UPSHIFT GEAR SUDDENLY. THE TRANSMISSION JERKING/HESITANT IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION ESPECIALLY IN MERGING TRAFFIC. THIS COULD LEAD TO SERIOUS ACCIDENT. TRANSMISSION ALSO HAS A ROUGH SHIFT FROM TIME TO TIME.
Mileage: 86,500
Compare 2006LEXUSES to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2006 LEXUS ES have?▼
The 2006 LEXUS ES has 12 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2006 LEXUS ES?▼
The most-complained component for the 2006 LEXUS ES is AIR BAGS with 7 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER and POWER TRAIN.
Is the 2006 LEXUS ES safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.