Lexus IS 250 years to avoid
Lexus IS 250 years to avoid, by NHTSA owner complaints: the 2006 (425 complaints, led by the body structure at 126 and the airbags at 89) and the 2007 (388, led by the body structure at 119 and the airbags at 87) drew the most of the 2006–2015 model years on record as of November 10, 2026; complaints are owner reports, not proven defects, and the counts also reflect each year’s age and sales. Before buying a used IS 250, run its VIN: the $14.99 original ClearVIN PDF shows title brands, odometer readings, accident and auction records on file.
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The 2006 (425) and 2007 (388) drew the most owner complaints to NHTSA of the 2006–2015 Lexus IS 250 model years on record, as of November 10, 2026.
2012–2015 have fewer than 40 complaints on file, too few to compare.
NHTSA also holds fewer than 10 complaints and no recall for 2016; that stray filing is left out of the table.
Fewest complaints: of the Lexus IS 250 model years from 2006 to 2015 with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2011 (49) and 2009 (91) drew the fewest. Fewer complaints can also mean fewer sold or fewer still on the road, so it is a starting point, not a clean bill of health; years after 2020 are left out because they have had less time to collect complaints.
Half of the 451 NHTSA owner complaints on the Lexus IS 250 that list mileage came after 64,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Lexus IS 250 last? →
Lexus IS 250 complaints and recalls by model year, 2006–2015
This table lists the 10 Lexus IS 250 model years NHTSA holds records for between 2006 and 2015, collected from NHTSA’s complaints and recalls APIs on November 10, 2026. Each owner complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, and a complaint can name more than one component; recall campaigns are counted once per model year, by campaign number. Across these years NHTSA lists 8 distinct recall campaigns, the newest filed Oct 17, 2019. In the years NHTSA files the IS 250 together with the IS 350 (as IS250/350), the counts include both.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Most-reported components | Recall campaigns | Newest recall filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 IS 250 | 425 · most | body structure (126), airbags (89), windshield wipers (56) | 6 | Oct 17, 2019 |
| 2007 IS 250 | 388 · most | body structure (119), airbags (87), windshield wipers (42) | 5 | Oct 17, 2019 |
| 2008 IS 250 | 256 | airbags (68), body structure (58), engine (36) | 5 | Oct 17, 2019 |
| 2009 IS 250 | 91 | airbags (24), speed control (16), body structure (10) | 6 | Oct 17, 2019 |
| 2010 IS 250 | 111 | airbags (66), speed control (10) | 6 | Oct 17, 2019 |
| 2011 IS 250 | 49 | airbags (33) | 4 | Oct 17, 2019 |
| 2012 IS 250 | 36 · too few to compare | airbags (21) | 4 | Oct 17, 2019 |
| 2013 IS 250 | 13 · too few to compare | airbags (3), engine (3), windshield wipers (3) | 2 | Jan 9, 2019 |
| 2014 IS 250 | 35 · too few to compare | electrical system (9), airbags (8), suspension (4) | 0 | — |
| 2015 IS 250 | 16 · too few to compare | electrical system (4), airbags (3) | 0 | — |
Lexus IS 250 by model year: mileage, problems and recalls
Each page below covers one model year in NHTSA’s complaints file of November 11, 2026: the mileage when owners reported problems, the most-reported components and the recall campaigns NHTSA’s recall files list. That file is a separate collection from the table above and goes back to the 1981 model year, so its counts can differ and it holds years the table does not.
How to read these numbers
- A higher count is not proof of a worse vehicle. Complaint volume rises with sales volume and with years on the road, so older and best-selling years collect more.
- The comparison is between years of the Lexus IS 250 only. It says nothing about how the IS 250 compares with other models.
- NHTSA publishes owner reports without verifying them. A complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- Recall campaigns cover production ranges. NHTSA’s VIN lookup checks open recalls within its coverage and excludes completed repairs. A zero result does not prove the vehicle’s complete recall or repair history; ask for dated repair documentation.
- NHTSA files some years under body or cab names (for example ACCESS CAB or CREW CAB). This collection asked for the names NHTSA lists, and a year far below its neighbours also under the common cab and body names. Such a year is marked as possibly filed under another name only when NHTSA’s records show it split across names or holding recalls and no complaint; otherwise its count is read as low.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and API documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA complaints by vehicle APINational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls by vehicle APINational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Lexus IS 250 year-by-year questions
Which Lexus IS 250 years should I avoid?
Lexus IS 250 years to avoid, by NHTSA owner complaints: the 2006 (425 complaints, led by the body structure at 126 and the airbags at 89) and the 2007 (388, led by the body structure at 119 and the airbags at 87) drew the most of the 2006–2015 model years on record as of November 10, 2026; complaints are owner reports, not proven defects, and the counts also reflect each year’s age and sales. 2012–2015 have fewer than 40 complaints on file, too few to compare. NHTSA also holds fewer than 10 complaints and no recall for 2016; that stray filing is left out of the table.
What are the best Lexus IS 250 years?
Complaint counts do not show which model year is best; the closest they come is which years drew the fewest complaints. Of the Lexus IS 250 model years from 2006 to 2015 with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2011 (49) and 2009 (91) drew the fewest. Fewer complaints can also mean fewer sold or fewer still on the road, so it is a starting point, not a clean bill of health; years after 2020 are left out because they have had less time to collect complaints.
Do complaint counts mean the IS 250 is unreliable?
No. NHTSA complaints are unverified owner reports, and the count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road. They are useful for comparing years of the same model, which is what this page does, not for ranking one model against another.
How do I check a specific IS 250 before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the windshield or driver-door label and run it through NHTSA's free recall lookup. It reports open recalls within its coverage and excludes completed repairs. A zero result is not a complete recall or repair history; ask the seller or manufacturer for dated repair documentation. For the vehicle's own past, the original ClearVIN PDF from VIN Lookup shows title brands, odometer readings, accident and auction records on file for that VIN.