There are 4 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2001 Lexus ISin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 LEXUS IS 300. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT WARNING. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE AS THE VEHICLE JERKED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ROLL DOWN THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE WINDOW AND IT FAILED TO ROLL BACK UP. THE FAILURES RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE GLASS PANEL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 154,000. ...UPDATED 09/19/16 *BF
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE JERKED AND PULLED TO THE RIGHT. THE PULLING PROGRESSIVELY GOT WORSE OVER THE COURSE OF A WEEK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP. THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THE COTTER PIN CAME OUT OF THE CV BALL. *AK
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 45MPH ON HIGHWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, VEHICLE TURNED OFF. HE WAS FORCED TO PULL OVER TO SHOULDERS. HE WAS FORCED TO PUT BOTH FEET ON BRAKE PEDAL TO BRING VEHICLE TO A COMPLETE STOP.*AK
DURING ACCELERATION, THE AUTO LOSES ALL POWER WHILE HOLDING IN SECOND GEAR - AS IF SOMEONE HAS PUT ON THE BREAKS - AND THEN GOES TO FULL POWER AFTER SHIFTING INTO THIRD GEAR CAUSING THE SEATBELTS TO LOCK. IF SEATBELTS WERE NOT WORN, RIDERS WOULD BE FORCED INTO THE WINDSHIELD.*AK
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 25, 2026