The contact owns a 2013 Lexus ES300 Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a sudden and significant reduction in braking efficiency. The contact stated that the brake pedal became extremely stiff and rigid, requiring excessive force to be depressed to stop the vehicle. Simultaneously, the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) warning light illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 127,000.
The worst 2013 Lexus ES Hybrid problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Acceleration3
- Body2
- Brakes2
- Airbags1
- Engine1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Acceleration3
- Body2
- Brakes2
- Airbags1
- Engine1
- Transmission1
Recalls 1
Forward collision avoidance: crash imminent braking
- What is wrong
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Avalon and Avalon Hybrid vehicles manufactured October 19, 2012 to October 27, 2015 and 2013-2015 Lexus ES350 and ES300h vehicles manufactured June 18, 2012 to July 6, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with a Pre-Collision System (PCS) as optional equipment. In these vehicles, the PCS may unexpectedly activate and apply the brakes when the radar detects a steel joint or plate in the roadway as an object.
- Risk
- A vehicle that unexpectedly brakes increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace certain PCS components, free of charge. The recall began on July 28, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota at 1‑888‑270‑9371. Toyota's numbers for this campaign are F1V and F2E.
Recall number 15V728000 · Recall details
See all 1 recalls for the 2013 Lexus ES Hybrid
Defect investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
the federal safety agency 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 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 rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, the federal safety agency opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified the federal safety agency he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by the federal safety agency regarding the subject matter of the petition.
DP22005
Technical service bulletins for the 2013 Lexus ES Hybrid 266
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Condition in which a musty odor is present
- The air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air...
- Paint stains after the removal of Rapgard™. The paint stains may appear to be under the clear coat but are...
- Condition in which a musty odor is present
- Condition in which a musty smell is present
- Vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad...
- Lexus vehicles are currently protected with RapgardTM protective film designed to protect the horizontal...
- Acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical...
- The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix...
- Ti: 19LE05
What 2013 Lexus ES Hybrid owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Abs brake failure code c1391 brakes failed to function during emergency stop while in motion dry city street, lucky there was no accident. Cost of repair $ 5000.00 by lexus dealer. This is an ongoing issue with both lexus and toyota vehicles. Also cruise control function does not work after this happened as the ABS system is now disabled. ``````````````````
The vehicle was parked facing uphill in my driveway. I started the car and set the gear shift/selector (automatic transmission) to drive position while checking that the backup camera was not engaged. I released the emergency break with my foot on the break and confirmed that the gear shift was in drive and that the backup camera had not engaged. I released the break and accelerated to go up the hill. The car accelerated in reverse. I hit the breaks and confirmed again that the gear shift was clearly in drive position even though I had now reversed and crashed into the garage door that had been behind me. I then set the gear shift to park position and turned off the car.
The car experienced an unintended acceleration event while pulling into a parking spot at a low rate of speed. While the driver's foot was on the brake the car began accelerating out of control and bounced over a curb, down a hill, striking a pick up and a tree.
Parked in parking ramp front in.backed out slowly, tapped pillar at rear moved forward to adjust steering, reversed again, then engine accelerated slammed me back into pillar, steering wheel turned right engine continued to accelerate high speed up the ramp. I tired to put throttle in n, did not slow down, slammed one foot on brake, did not slow down, then slammed both feet on brake pedal and it did stop before hitting cement fence.
The federal safety agency recall 15v728 was issued on 11/3/2015. Lexus has an temporary fix that simply disables the pre-collission system. There has been no fix for the problem and I have had no success getting any information about when it will be fixed. The pre-collision system applies to when the vehicle is in motion.
The car was in a very bad front end collision 1-15-16, and not 1 air bag deployed. We can send photos, and the car is on hold, not to be touched at the insurance storage yard. Please contact us for more info.
Car was rear ended by ford f-150 pretty hard while stopped at a light and got pushed forward into the front SUV vehicle which also got pushed forward from stationary position and hit the vehicle in front of it. Car got totaled that the length of the car shrunk wrapping the front and back rails and still airbags did not deploy. Hence the complaint
Compare the 2013 Lexus ES Hybrid
Other model years
Questions about the 2013 Lexus ES Hybrid
Is the 2013 Lexus ES Hybrid reliable?
Owners have filed 8 complaints about the 2013 Lexus ES Hybrid, 1.6 times a typical ES Hybrid model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2013 Lexus ES Hybrid?
Acceleration and speed control, with 3 complaints. Next is body (2).
How many recalls does the 2013 Lexus ES Hybrid have?
1 recall, covering forward collision avoidance.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2013 Lexus ES Hybrid?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history