AutoUtility currently tracks 9 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Lexus ES. Brakes & Traction Control issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 2 complaints (22.2% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 2 filings cite a crash, 1 reports one or more injuries. The 2016 Lexus ES belongs to the 6th Generation (XV60) platform.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 9 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Brakes & Traction Control (2 reports • 22.2% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Air Bags & Restraints (1), Steering System (1)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 2 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 0 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 1 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2016 Lexus ES
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Brakes & Traction Control
Air Bags & Restraints
Steering System
Suspension
Powertrain & Transmission
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Lexus ES
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"On May 13, 2026, while traveling at approximately 31 mph under normal driving conditions, a critical right-front suspension or steering component suddenly suffered a catastrophic structural failure on its own. This spontaneous mechanical failure caused the vehicle to immediately and violently veer..."
"The brake actuator and/or brake booster pump assembly failed on my 2016 Lexus ES300h. This is a known issues for this vehicle's braking system and results in a sudden loss of power braking assistance. The failure requires increased pedal pressure and eventually brkaing failure, creating a..."
"While driving at highway speeds on Interstate and without warning my standard size sunroof exploded. This event caused loud noise and shattered glass. I was not under overpass or around any other vehicles. This event caused immediate panic due to noise and not understanding what occurred until a..."
"On 2/3/2026 i was sitting at a light and out of no where i heard a bang or what sounded like a explosion i get out of the car and my panoramic sunroof is completely shattered but it looked like it exploded from the inside out. My sunroof was closed the cover was shit and i have no idea what would..."
"In April 2022, the timing cover seal on my 2016 Lexus ES 350 was replaced due to a leak. This was completed under warranty at approximately 84,785 miles. In February 2025, less than three years and roughly 56,000 miles later, I was informed by the same Lexus dealership during a routine service that..."
Complaint History for Lexus ES
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Lexus ES | 5 | 2 | 0 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Lexus ES Current Page | 9 | 2 | 0 | Current |
| 2017 Lexus ES | 2 | 0 | 0 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Lexus ES | 5 | 1 | 0 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Lexus ES | 34 | 6 | 1 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Lexus ES | 24 | 6 | 1 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Lexus ES | 35 | 2 | 1 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Lexus ES | 13 | 1 | 0 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Lexus ES | 12 | 3 | 2 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Lexus ES | 9 | 2 | 2 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Lexus ES | 4 | 2 | 1 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Lexus ES | 0 | 0 | 0 | View 2026 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2016 Lexus ES
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 5 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,AIR BAGS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight ra...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.