There are 5 owner-reported lighting complaints for the 2005 Lexus ESin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY DEGRADES THEREBY CAUSING THE LIGHTS TO APPEAR EXTREMELY DIM WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT. *TR
2005 LEXUS ES 330 DEVELOPED PROBLEMS WITH THE HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGE HEADLAMPS. THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS DO NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE ILLUMINATION, ESPECIALLY ON ROADS WITH NO STREET LIGHTS, REFLECTORS OR LANE MARKINGS. THERE IS A SHARP CUTOFF OF LIGHT ABOUT 40-50 FEET IN FRONT OF THE CAR BEYOND WHICH THERE IS LITTLE OR NO LIGHT CAST ON THE ROADWAY SURFACE. REFLECTIVE SIGNS CAN BE SEEN FARTHER AWAY BUT ONE CANNOT HELP BUT OVERDRIVE THE LIGHTS AT ANY SPEED ABOVE 20MPH BECAUSE NOTHING ON THE ROAD ITSELF IS ILLUMINATED. THE LOW BEAMS SEEM TO BE DELIBERATELY AIMED AT THE GROUND 40-50' AWAY. LIGHT IN THE 40-50' ZONE IN FRONT OF THE CAR IS ADEQUATE. BEYOND THAT IT IS NOT. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW IN JAN 2005 AND THE PROBLEM DID NOT ARISE UNTIL 2-3 YEARS LATER, OR AT LEAST THAT'S WHEN I FIRST NOTICED IT. THE DEALER CHECKED THE LIGHTS AND STATED THE HIGH INTENSITY LIGHTS COULD NOT BE ADJUSTED TO RAISE THE CUTOFF POINT(LIGHTS ARE SELF LEVELING) AND THAT THE LIGHTS WERE WORKING NORMALLY. THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM IF THERE IS ONCOMING TRAFFIC BECAUSE THEIR LIGHTS ILLUMINATE THE ROAD BETWEEN MY CAR AND THEIRS. HOWEVER ON A DARK STREET WITH NO ONCOMING CARS IT'S LIKE DRIVING INTO A POOL OF DARKNESS PAST THE 40-50 FOOT CUTOFF OF LIGHT IN FRONT OF THE CAR. I HAVE TO USE THE HIGH BEAMS WHEN ON A PITCH BLACK ROAD, BUT THAT'S NOT A GOOD SOLUTION. I WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER CAR WITHOUT CHECKING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE LIGHTS ON A DARK ROAD. LEXUS NEEDS TO FIX THIS - IT IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. MILEAGE ON THE CAR IN NOW IN THE MID 40S. THIS CONDITION IS ONGOING, NOT INTERMITTENT. *TR
I OWN A 2005 LEXUS RX 330 WITH APPROXIMATELY 27,000 MILES ON IT.--MY RIGHT REAR BREAK LIGHT DOES NOT WORK CONSISTENTLY. LINDSAY LEXUS, ALEXANDRIA, VA, WAS TOLD OF THE PROBLEM, CHECKED IT OUT AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. SUBSEQUENTLY, I HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER BY A POLICE OFFICER AT NIGHT, AS WELL AS BEING TOLD BY FOLKS WHO FOLLOWED ME AT NIGHT, THAT THE LIGHT WAS NOT OPERATIONAL. I AGAIN, TOLD LINDSAY LEXUS WHAT WAS OCCURRING AND WAS TOLD THAT UNLESS IT DID NOT WORK WHEN I BROUGHT IT IN, THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. HOWEVER, THEY OFFERED THAT I COULD PURCHASE A NEW BULB FOR $300.00. ADDITIONALLY, THEY SAID IF IT WAS NOT WORKING WHEN I BROUGHT IT IN THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY. I CONTACTED THE LEXUS HEADQUARTERS IN CA, AND THEY OFFERED NO SOLUTION AS WELL. I WOULD SPECULATE THAT I WILL BE PULLED OVER AGAIN BY AN OFFICER, AS THE FIRST OFFICER TOLD ME IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE AND TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT SINCE IT OCCASIONALLY WORKS, IT MIGHT BE AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY LINDSAY LEXUS DOES NOT HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM. THE HAVE PLACED THE ONUS ON THE CUSTOMER. *NM
2005 LEXUS ES 330 DEVELOPED PROBLEMS WITH THE HIGH DENSITY DISCHARGE HEADLAMPS.*MR THE HEADLIGHTS DID NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE ILLUMINATION ESPECIALLY ON SAND OR GRAVEL ROADS WITH NO STREET LIGHTS, REFLECTORS OR LANE MARKINGS. *JB
HIGH DENSITY DISCHARGE WITH AUTO LEVELING SYSTEM.LOW BEAMS DO NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE LIGHTING TO DRIVE SAFELY ON UNLIT ROADS.DEALER SAYS THE LIGHTS ARE SET TO SPECKS BUT,I BELEIVE IF THEY ARE THEY WOULD HAVE HAD NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS BY OTHER OWNERS.I BELEIVE THIS TO BE EXTREMELY UNSAFE ESPECIALY IN COUNTRY WITH WILD LIFE AS IN WI,MN.MI ECT
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026