LEXUS LS · model year

2013 LEXUS LS

8 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2013LEXUSLS carries 8 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 2013 LS is service brakes with 4 filings, followed by forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking (2) and forward collision avoidance: adaptive cruise control (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 2013 LS. 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.

8
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

8 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
SERVICE BRAKES4
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL1
ENGINE1

Recent Complaints

20251222SERVICE BRAKES

My ABS Brake System warning lights all came on a few days ago, giving me error codes c1253 and c1256. These codes pertain to a manufacturers defect with Lexus, wherein Lexus generated a customer convenience program that said any LS460 that is less than 10 yrs old OR less than 150k miles can be brought to any dealer and have this brake system replaced at Lexus expense. Please see the attached Lexus notice to dealers. My car is 13 yrs old BUT has only 108k miles; so I asked Lexus Corporate to approve my repair and they denied it due to age. This is a SAFETY issue due to a manufacturers defect from Lexus; therefore I should not have to pay for something simply because I have a low mileage car. Lexus should pay for this due to it being a SAFETY issue. Please help me get Lexus to do so. BTW, I am a long-term Lexus customer having purchased 5 Lexus cars.

20251222FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

My ABS Brake System warning lights all came on a few days ago, giving me error codes c1253 and c1256. These codes pertain to a manufacturers defect with Lexus, wherein Lexus generated a customer convenience program that said any LS460 that is less than 10 yrs old OR less than 150k miles can be brought to any dealer and have this brake system replaced at Lexus expense. Please see the attached Lexus notice to dealers. My car is 13 yrs old BUT has only 108k miles; so I asked Lexus Corporate to approve my repair and they denied it due to age. This is a SAFETY issue due to a manufacturers defect from Lexus; therefore I should not have to pay for something simply because I have a low mileage car. Lexus should pay for this due to it being a SAFETY issue. Please help me get Lexus to do so. BTW, I am a long-term Lexus customer having purchased 5 Lexus cars.

20250127ENGINE

losing 2qts of oil every 2000 miles. manufacture say this is normal. I have low engine oil level warning light and have to put 2 quarts of oil in the engine

20240916SERVICE BRAKES

The ABS system failed. Mechanic stated it was the ABS actuator. Left front wheel locks up when brakes are applied with force. Safety is jeopardized since the ABS system no longer works. Cannot bring vehicle to safe stop in an emergency braking situation. The problem was reproduced by an independent service center. The vehicle had not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance. Lexus has been notified and said that I just missed the window on the service bulletin, which ended in March of 2024. There were no warning lamps before the system failure. The system failed during a trip.

20240812SERVICE BRAKES

For 2 years now I’ve been getting intermittent abs and traction light come on. It never showed a code when a scanner was plugged in. Every now and then the light would come on when I start the car. As soon as I drive it’s gone. Now I have the brake icon on too and my brakes are very weird with it grabbing really hard at times and slow to release. It’s the brake actuator that everyone has problems with. I only have 76k miles on my car. I had the valley plate leak at 49k miles. So these 2 things are problems everyone have that Lexus isn’t admitting it’s their fault. They are not willing to fix the actuator on my car because they supposedly sent a customer letter that I’ve never received

20231011SERVICE BRAKES

I am detailing an alarming and persistent issue with unexpected brake activation on my 2013 Lexus LS 460. Over a span of time, the vehicle's brakes have been activated spontaneously on four different occasions, putting me and my passengers in potential danger. Incident Descriptions: 1. Location: I-69 southbound, near Huntington. - Scenario: Alone in the car. Noted a shiny truck about 2,000 ft ahead under a bridge with sun reflection. - Brakes activated hard for approx. 3-5 seconds. - Active cruise and lane-keep assist were on. 2. Location: Westbound on Interstate 70, just past the Indiana line. - Scenario: My wife, [XXX] , was with me. A semi-truck with wind skirts was being overtaken when the rear wheels locked up. - This caused a sideways skid toward the truck, causing tire smoke and chaos among trailing vehicles. - Managed to drive down to the median at high speeds, stopping just before a bridge. Multiple dashboard lights illuminated. 3. Location: 69 south o

20231011FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

I am detailing an alarming and persistent issue with unexpected brake activation on my 2013 Lexus LS 460. Over a span of time, the vehicle's brakes have been activated spontaneously on four different occasions, putting me and my passengers in potential danger. Incident Descriptions: 1. Location: I-69 southbound, near Huntington. - Scenario: Alone in the car. Noted a shiny truck about 2,000 ft ahead under a bridge with sun reflection. - Brakes activated hard for approx. 3-5 seconds. - Active cruise and lane-keep assist were on. 2. Location: Westbound on Interstate 70, just past the Indiana line. - Scenario: My wife, [XXX] , was with me. A semi-truck with wind skirts was being overtaken when the rear wheels locked up. - This caused a sideways skid toward the truck, causing tire smoke and chaos among trailing vehicles. - Managed to drive down to the median at high speeds, stopping just before a bridge. Multiple dashboard lights illuminated. 3. Location: 69 south o

20231011FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

I am detailing an alarming and persistent issue with unexpected brake activation on my 2013 Lexus LS 460. Over a span of time, the vehicle's brakes have been activated spontaneously on four different occasions, putting me and my passengers in potential danger. Incident Descriptions: 1. Location: I-69 southbound, near Huntington. - Scenario: Alone in the car. Noted a shiny truck about 2,000 ft ahead under a bridge with sun reflection. - Brakes activated hard for approx. 3-5 seconds. - Active cruise and lane-keep assist were on. 2. Location: Westbound on Interstate 70, just past the Indiana line. - Scenario: My wife, [XXX] , was with me. A semi-truck with wind skirts was being overtaken when the rear wheels locked up. - This caused a sideways skid toward the truck, causing tire smoke and chaos among trailing vehicles. - Managed to drive down to the median at high speeds, stopping just before a bridge. Multiple dashboard lights illuminated. 3. Location: 69 south o

Compare 2013LEXUSLS to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2013 LEXUS LS have?
The 2013 LEXUS LS has 8 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2013 LEXUS LS?
The most-complained component for the 2013 LEXUS LS is SERVICE BRAKES with 4 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING and FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL.
Is the 2013 LEXUS LS 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.