LEXUS ES HYBRID · model year

2021 LEXUS ES HYBRID

4 NHTSA complaints, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2021LEXUSES HYBRID carries 4 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 2021 ES HYBRID is electrical system with 1 filings, followed by forward collision avoidance: adaptive cruise control (1) and forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking (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. This model year has 1 active recall campaign, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 2021 ES HYBRID. 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.

4
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

4 filings

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

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING1
SEAT BELTS1

Recalls (1)

23V86500020/12/2023

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short cir

Recent Complaints

20240926SEAT BELTS

The contact owns a 2021 Lexus ES 300H. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH and attempting to stop, the front driver’s side seat belt failed to retract. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

Mileage: 60,000

20230124ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

On Nov 9, 2022 I first noticed the problem. When I drove back to home Vancouver, WA from California I used cruise control all the way. I was driving at 70 and ahead of me was traffic. The car in front of me slowed down and the cruise control was on which was supposed to detect the car ahead and slowed down using the brakes but it didn’t and my rpm went high almost 4-5. I called the dealership about the incident while on the way. I was asked if there were any issues like lights, warning/message but there was nothing. I have a video about it. When I arrived home turned off the car. Woke up the next day, took it to the dealership and the car is working fine. I showed one of the service reps the video and he stated they cant fix the car because there is no issue coming up in the computer. At the time the mileage was 46,313. After this incident it didn’t happen again. However after 60k miles when I drove over 6-7hrs the problem came up again. I almost got in an accident because the car

20230124FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

On Nov 9, 2022 I first noticed the problem. When I drove back to home Vancouver, WA from California I used cruise control all the way. I was driving at 70 and ahead of me was traffic. The car in front of me slowed down and the cruise control was on which was supposed to detect the car ahead and slowed down using the brakes but it didn’t and my rpm went high almost 4-5. I called the dealership about the incident while on the way. I was asked if there were any issues like lights, warning/message but there was nothing. I have a video about it. When I arrived home turned off the car. Woke up the next day, took it to the dealership and the car is working fine. I showed one of the service reps the video and he stated they cant fix the car because there is no issue coming up in the computer. At the time the mileage was 46,313. After this incident it didn’t happen again. However after 60k miles when I drove over 6-7hrs the problem came up again. I almost got in an accident because the car

20230124FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

On Nov 9, 2022 I first noticed the problem. When I drove back to home Vancouver, WA from California I used cruise control all the way. I was driving at 70 and ahead of me was traffic. The car in front of me slowed down and the cruise control was on which was supposed to detect the car ahead and slowed down using the brakes but it didn’t and my rpm went high almost 4-5. I called the dealership about the incident while on the way. I was asked if there were any issues like lights, warning/message but there was nothing. I have a video about it. When I arrived home turned off the car. Woke up the next day, took it to the dealership and the car is working fine. I showed one of the service reps the video and he stated they cant fix the car because there is no issue coming up in the computer. At the time the mileage was 46,313. After this incident it didn’t happen again. However after 60k miles when I drove over 6-7hrs the problem came up again. I almost got in an accident because the car

Compare 2021LEXUSES HYBRID to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2021 LEXUS ES HYBRID have?
The 2021 LEXUS ES HYBRID has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2021 LEXUS ES HYBRID?
Yes, the 2021 LEXUS ES HYBRID has 1 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2021 LEXUS ES HYBRID?
The most-complained component for the 2021 LEXUS ES HYBRID is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL and FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING.
Is the 2021 LEXUS ES HYBRID 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.