Total Complaints
79 filings
LEXUS ES330 · model year
2006 LEXUS ES330
79 NHTSA complaints, 27 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2006LEXUSES330 carries 79 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 27 crashes, 1 fire, 9 injuries, and 1 fatality. 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 ES330 is vehicle speed control with 20 filings, followed by air bags (19) and power train (6). 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 ES330. 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.
79
Complaints
27
Crashes
1
Fires
9
Injuries
1
Deaths
Crashes Reported
27 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 |
|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 20 |
| AIR BAGS | 19 |
| POWER TRAIN | 6 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 5 |
| STEERING | 5 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 3 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 3 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 |
| ENGINE | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 2 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 2 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:CONCEALMENT DEVICES | 1 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20190320AIR BAGS
PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG SEAL IS BROKEN ON DASH AND APPEARS AS IT COULD INFLATE AT ANY MOMENT. NO ACCIDENTS TO CAUSE THIS.
20181023CrashELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR TO PICK-UP OUR GRANDDAUGHTER FROM SCHOOL ON 10-22-2018. SHE MADE A FULL STOP AT THE CORNER AND TOOK HER FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND STARTED TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN. WHEN SHE STARTED TO PRESS ON THE GAS PEDAL LIGHTLY, THE ENGINE REVVED UP TO FULL THROTTLE AND THE CAR ACCELERATED AND LUNGED UNCONTROLLABLY FORWARD. HER STEERING WHEEL WAS LOCKED. BECAUSE OF THIS ACCELERATION, SHE HIT THE CAR IN FRONT WITH GREAT FORCE AND SEVERELY DAMAGING OUR FRONT END AND THE CAR BUMPER IN FRONT OF HER. SHE WAS GETTING GET IN LINE TO WAIT FOR THE SCHOOL CHILDREN TO LET OUT. HAD HER THE CAR ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL WHEN CHILDREN WERE CROSSING THE STREET, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT CATASTROPHE AND DEAD CHILDREN. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE TO ALERT THE PUBLIC. ANOTHER SUDDEN ACCELERATION OCCURRED WHEN I WAS DRIVING THE CAR ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO. BUT THE DEALER SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. OUR CAR HAS A LITTLE OVER 60,000. EACH TIME I TAKE MY CAR TO THE DEALER FOR AN OIL CHAN
Mileage: 60,000
20181023CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR TO PICK-UP OUR GRANDDAUGHTER FROM SCHOOL ON 10-22-2018. SHE MADE A FULL STOP AT THE CORNER AND TOOK HER FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND STARTED TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN. WHEN SHE STARTED TO PRESS ON THE GAS PEDAL LIGHTLY, THE ENGINE REVVED UP TO FULL THROTTLE AND THE CAR ACCELERATED AND LUNGED UNCONTROLLABLY FORWARD. HER STEERING WHEEL WAS LOCKED. BECAUSE OF THIS ACCELERATION, SHE HIT THE CAR IN FRONT WITH GREAT FORCE AND SEVERELY DAMAGING OUR FRONT END AND THE CAR BUMPER IN FRONT OF HER. SHE WAS GETTING GET IN LINE TO WAIT FOR THE SCHOOL CHILDREN TO LET OUT. HAD HER THE CAR ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL WHEN CHILDREN WERE CROSSING THE STREET, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT CATASTROPHE AND DEAD CHILDREN. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE TO ALERT THE PUBLIC. ANOTHER SUDDEN ACCELERATION OCCURRED WHEN I WAS DRIVING THE CAR ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO. BUT THE DEALER SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. OUR CAR HAS A LITTLE OVER 60,000. EACH TIME I TAKE MY CAR TO THE DEALER FOR AN OIL CHAN
Mileage: 60,000
20181023CrashSTEERING
MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR TO PICK-UP OUR GRANDDAUGHTER FROM SCHOOL ON 10-22-2018. SHE MADE A FULL STOP AT THE CORNER AND TOOK HER FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND STARTED TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN. WHEN SHE STARTED TO PRESS ON THE GAS PEDAL LIGHTLY, THE ENGINE REVVED UP TO FULL THROTTLE AND THE CAR ACCELERATED AND LUNGED UNCONTROLLABLY FORWARD. HER STEERING WHEEL WAS LOCKED. BECAUSE OF THIS ACCELERATION, SHE HIT THE CAR IN FRONT WITH GREAT FORCE AND SEVERELY DAMAGING OUR FRONT END AND THE CAR BUMPER IN FRONT OF HER. SHE WAS GETTING GET IN LINE TO WAIT FOR THE SCHOOL CHILDREN TO LET OUT. HAD HER THE CAR ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL WHEN CHILDREN WERE CROSSING THE STREET, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT CATASTROPHE AND DEAD CHILDREN. SOMETHING MUST BE DONE TO ALERT THE PUBLIC. ANOTHER SUDDEN ACCELERATION OCCURRED WHEN I WAS DRIVING THE CAR ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO. BUT THE DEALER SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. OUR CAR HAS A LITTLE OVER 60,000. EACH TIME I TAKE MY CAR TO THE DEALER FOR AN OIL CHAN
Mileage: 60,000
20181002AIR BAGS
TAKATA INFLATOR . PASSENGER AIRBAG INFLATING DUE TO HEAT. DASH BUMPED. LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOING TO EXPLODE EVENTUALLY.
20180922AIR BAGS
I HAVE NOTICED THE AIR BAG COVER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE IS POPPING UP AND LOOKS LIKE IT IS GOING TO EXPLODE. REFERENCING ANOTHER COMPLAINT # 11118471. CAR HAS NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN ANY ACCIDENT.
20180808AIR BAGS
I HAVE NOTICED THE AIR BAG COVER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE IS POPPING UP AND LOOKS LIKE IT IS GOING TO EXPLODE
20180219ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
THE CAR WAS REVERSED AND DRIVEN FORWARD, SUDDENLY ACCELERATED FORWARD. APPLYING BRAKES WERE NOT HELPING AS ACCELERATION STILL CONTINUED. THERE IS NO FLOOR MAT ON THE DRIVER SEAT SIDE TO BLAME IT ON FOR GAS PEDAL GETTING STUCK TO THE MAT.. THE GAS AND BRAKE PEDALS WERE ADJUSTED TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL FROM THE FLOOR. HAPPENED A WEEK AGO AND HAPPENED AGAIN ON 17/02/2018. FIRST TIME THE VEHICLE WAS ON FOUR LANE CITY STREET. SECOND TIME ON TWO LANE CITY STREET. IT CAN HAPPEN ANY TIME ANY WHERE. I ASKED THE DEALER. NO RECALL YET I SEE LOT OF PEOPLE HAVING THIS PROBLEM ON THIS SITE. HTTPS://WWW.VEHICLEHISTORY.COM/LEXUS/ES-330/2006
Mileage: 118,000
20180219ENGINE
THE CAR WAS REVERSED AND DRIVEN FORWARD, SUDDENLY ACCELERATED FORWARD. APPLYING BRAKES WERE NOT HELPING AS ACCELERATION STILL CONTINUED. THERE IS NO FLOOR MAT ON THE DRIVER SEAT SIDE TO BLAME IT ON FOR GAS PEDAL GETTING STUCK TO THE MAT.. THE GAS AND BRAKE PEDALS WERE ADJUSTED TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL FROM THE FLOOR. HAPPENED A WEEK AGO AND HAPPENED AGAIN ON 17/02/2018. FIRST TIME THE VEHICLE WAS ON FOUR LANE CITY STREET. SECOND TIME ON TWO LANE CITY STREET. IT CAN HAPPEN ANY TIME ANY WHERE. I ASKED THE DEALER. NO RECALL YET I SEE LOT OF PEOPLE HAVING THIS PROBLEM ON THIS SITE. HTTPS://WWW.VEHICLEHISTORY.COM/LEXUS/ES-330/2006
Mileage: 118,000
20180219VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
THE CAR WAS REVERSED AND DRIVEN FORWARD, SUDDENLY ACCELERATED FORWARD. APPLYING BRAKES WERE NOT HELPING AS ACCELERATION STILL CONTINUED. THERE IS NO FLOOR MAT ON THE DRIVER SEAT SIDE TO BLAME IT ON FOR GAS PEDAL GETTING STUCK TO THE MAT.. THE GAS AND BRAKE PEDALS WERE ADJUSTED TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL FROM THE FLOOR. HAPPENED A WEEK AGO AND HAPPENED AGAIN ON 17/02/2018. FIRST TIME THE VEHICLE WAS ON FOUR LANE CITY STREET. SECOND TIME ON TWO LANE CITY STREET. IT CAN HAPPEN ANY TIME ANY WHERE. I ASKED THE DEALER. NO RECALL YET I SEE LOT OF PEOPLE HAVING THIS PROBLEM ON THIS SITE. HTTPS://WWW.VEHICLEHISTORY.COM/LEXUS/ES-330/2006
Mileage: 118,000
20170828AIR BAGS
PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG COVER IS BULGING SEEMS TO BE CAUSED BY PRESSURE.
20170805AIR BAGS
FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG ON THE DAH BOARD IS CRACKED AND SLIGHTLY PROTRUDING I AM AFRAID THIS WILL EXPLODE WHILE TRAVELLING CHECKED WITH LEXUS THEY SAY IT'S NOT UNDER WARRANTY AND THERE IS NO RECALL - ANYONE HAD INFORMATION ON THIS WOULD APPRECIATE IT
20161002AIR BAGS
SIMILAR TO OTHER COMPLAINTS I HAVE SEEN ONLINE AND ON THIS SITE, MY FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG IS BULGING AND APPEARS TO BE PARTIALLY COMING OUT. PICTURE INCLUDED. I HAVE RAISED THIS TO MY LOCAL LEXUS DEALERSHIP SERVICE ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS, AND THEY DO NOT SEEM CONCERNED AND WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. WE ARE QUITE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS AIR BAG EITHER DEPLOYING WHEN IT SHOULD NOT, OR NOT DEPLOYED WHEN IT NEEDS TO. IT SEEMS TO BE FAILING. IT ALSO APPEARS TO BE GETTING WORSE OVER TIME.
20160727AIR BAGS
THE AIRBAG COVER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR IS STARTING TO LIFT,SEEMS LIKE PRESSURE IS CAUSING THE LIFT. I LOOKS LIKE ITS READY TO BLOW OUT.
Mileage: 82,000
20160708AIR BAGS
TAKATA RECALL. MY AIRBAG HAS DEFECTS. I CALLED LEXUS AND THEY SAY IT IS NOT UNDER THE RECALL GROUP. BUT I DO NOT FEEL SAFE WHEN TRAVELING WITH PASSENGERS SPECIALLY MY CHILDREN. THIS THING IS BASICALLY READY TO BREAK OFF. THIS IS A SECURITY CONCERN.
20160701AIR BAGS
THE EDGES AROUND THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG CRACKING AND THE CONDITION KEEPS DETERIORATING AS TIME GOES BY. I'M WORRIED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY AS WE USE THE CAR ALL THE TIME. WE CONTACTED A LOCAL LEXUS DEALER AND WE TOLD THE SAME THING AS REST OF THE FOLKS EXPERIENCED WITH DEALERS.
Mileage: 58,000
20160527STRUCTURE:BODY
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 LEXUS ES330. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT NEAR THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG HOUSING THERE WAS A BULGE ALONG THE INNER LINING OF THE DASHBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,838.
Mileage: 54,838
20160504AIR BAGS
DASHBOARD PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG COVER IS BULGING AND DETERIATING, CONCERN IT MAY POP OPEN, DEALSHIP WILL NOT FIX SINCE ITS OUT OF WARRANTY, THEY WILL REPAIR IT FOR $2500, DEFINETLY A MANIFACTURE DEFECT BUT THEY DON'T CARE! THANKS!
Mileage: 35,000
20160406AIR BAGS
THE AREA AROUND THE DASHBOARD AIRBAG IS CRACKED AND BEGINNING TO BULGE. THIS IS THE ONLY AREA IN THE ENTIRE CAR AFFECTED
20151021UNKNOWN OR OTHER
THE DASH IS DISTORTING, ESPECIALLY AROUND THE AIR BAG LOCATION. FABRIC LINER HAS EXTENDED OUTSIDE THE LEATHER TRIM.
Mileage: 60,000
Compare 2006LEXUSES330 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 2006 LEXUS ES330 have?▼
The 2006 LEXUS ES330 has 79 NHTSA complaints, 27 crashes, 1 fires, 9 injuries, and 1 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2006 LEXUS ES330?▼
The most-complained component for the 2006 LEXUS ES330 is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 20 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS and POWER TRAIN.
Is the 2006 LEXUS ES330 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.