Model Year Index

Which Lexus IS years to avoid

Across 5 scored model years, the 2010 and 2014 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Lexus IS Full report
D
Grade 2010–2015
2010 vs model median 1.7×
Model median3× median
Speed Control 6
Transmission 4
Driver Assist 3
Avoid

2010 · 2014

Best

2011 · 2015

What the record shows

Written from this model’s own complaint and recall history.

The IS attracts fewer complaints than almost any car on this site — between 11 and 29 a year — and carries a single recall campaign across its entire record. That is the finding here, and it matters more than the year-to-year ordering.

It also explains the gaps. Only five model years appear because the rest fall below the ten-complaint floor this site requires before scoring a year: the 2013 car has three complaints inside its window and the 2021 car two. Those years are not missing, and they are not bad — there is simply too little filed against them to rank honestly.

Within what can be scored, 2010 and 2014 are the weakest. On the 2010 car, speed control leads at 6 of 19 reports, with owners describing the car accelerating or the revs rising without input — the same period as Toyota’s unintended-acceleration recalls, and Lexus is Toyota’s luxury division. On the 2014 car, electrical and airbags lead at 6 each, with the infotainment system failing while driving the recurring subject.

2011 and 2015 are the quietest, at 14 and 12 complaints.

This page covers every IS trim, including the IS 250 and IS 350 — NHTSA files them under one model name, so they are scored together.

Reviewed Claude, 13 August 2026, against the model's own record and NHTSA campaign filings

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
1.67× 19 D
2011
0.91× 14 B
2012
1.00× 11 B
2014
1.75× 29 D
2015
0.56× 12 B

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2010 D 19 reports · median 5,900 mi

  1. Speed Control 6

    I purchased a lexus is350c on feb 12, 2010. On july 29, 2010 with a little over 9,000 miles on the vehicle, I was getting on the freeway at whipple headed north on 101, I accelerated really hard to avoid oncoming… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Transmission 4

    Currently have a 2010 lexus is250 AWD (bought on 2/9/2010) and noted on several occasions that the RPMS increase randomly after the car has stopped and is stationary. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Driver Assist 3

    This 2010 is250 was purchased new in october 2009 and has approximately 3,300 miles. On feb 19th, 2010 driver made a u-turn at low speed. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

11 crash · 3 injuries

2014 D 29 reports · median 4,919 mi

  1. Electrical 6

    The navigation/entertainment system simply stopped working while the car was in motion. The dealer couldn't restart the system and is waiting for the replacement unit. The car is new (purchased less than 2 months ago). owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Airbags & Restraints 6

    The contact owned a 2014 lexus is 250. While driving at 40 MPH, another vehicle crashed head on into the contact's vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Body & Interior 3

    I smelled something electrical while driving but I believed it was outside. A day later I happened to look down at the passenger side seat and noticed a small hole forming. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

7 crash · 2 fire · 1 injuries

The best year for the IS

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2015 is the best-scoring IS model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 82.6 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2015 0.56× 12 B
2011 0.91× 14 B
2012 1.00× 11 B

Recalls

1 campaign on record.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
09V388000 VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL 2010 4,445,056

Recall work is free at any franchised dealer, whoever owns the car and however old it is. Check a specific car’s VIN on NHTSA’s register before you buy — an unrepaired campaign is among the most commonly missed items on a used vehicle.

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2010 were reported at a median of 5,900 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Lexus IS years should you avoid?
2010, 2014 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Lexus IS model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Lexus IS?
2015 is the best-scoring Lexus IS model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 82.6 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Lexus IS have?
1 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Lexus IS model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2010 IS
Complaints in window
19
Severity-weighted
53.5
Model median (weighted)
32
vs model median
1.67×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
1
Open investigations
1
Score 52.4 D