Contact states: driver could not place car in park as she pulled into a parking spot, instead vehicle lunged forward, striking a tree. Upon impact, air bags did not deploy, total damage to front of car. Would not go into parking mode therefore, the keys could not be removed from ignition. Repairman did not find anything wrong. *ak the accident happened after the shift wouldn't go into parking mode. *sc
The worst 1997 Lexus SC300 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Engine2
- Acceleration1
- Airbags1
- Brakes1
- Steering1
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Engine2
- Acceleration1
- Airbags1
- Brakes1
- Steering1
- Tires1
- Transmission1
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Technical service bulletins for the 1997 Lexus SC300 35
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Lexus Safety Recall and Service Campaign
- POL: This consolidated Tire Warranty Guide contains the complete warranty terms for all brands of ground...
- Safety Recall and Service Campaign
- Supersession notice
- Obsolete notice
- Replacement Certification Labels
- The Immobilizer and Smart Key Reset is a feature that allows the registration of new keys when all master...
- LSB: When servicing interior electrical switches and components, please note the precautions in this...
- The purpose of this bulletin is to provide precautions to follow when installing an automatic...
- The purpose of this service bulletin is to provide information regarding the installation of the correct...
What 1997 Lexus SC300 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Consumer states that the bracket that holds exhaust to vehicle is defected, consumer states that when the bracket gets hot it expands, this causes the bracket to crack, dealer states it was poorly designed. Nlm
On jan 4, 1999, I purchased 4 cooper tires at gex tire co, 4041 west mercury blvd, hampton, va 23666. (dot number: upgrcem339 tiresize: 225/55r-16). All 4 tires were defective and appeared to have had some sort of manufacturing defectives. Shortly after the purchase, the tires began to cause unstable driving conditions for my car while traveling on less-than smooth roads, in curves, at speeds around 70 MPH and on wet roads. In addition, the tires caused my gas mileage to decrease about 3 to 4 mpg. After replacing the 4 tires all of the above conditions were eliminated without any other repairs. Due to accelerated wear, 2 of the tires were deemed unsafe after about 11,000 miles. The remaining 2 had to be replaced at 14,000 miles. The first 2 tires were returned to gex tire co who promised to return them to cooper tire for analysis of the problem. The remaining 2 tires were shipped directly to cooper tire co in finlay, oh at their request following a complaint that I sent them. In my complaint to cooper tire, I asked them to analyze the tires based on the specific problems outlined above. They immediately refunded me 75% of my cost but would not admit that the tires were defective. The alleged that the problem was due to improper car alignment and low tire pressure. Neither of their findings was valid. On jan 28, 2001, I had the car alignment checked by the lexus dealer and they verified that the alignment was in accordance with the car manufacturer's specifications. They also noted the unusal tire wear pattern and confirmed that the pressure was o.k. When the first 2 tires were turned in the gex they also noted that the pressure was correct but could not explain the reasons for the rapid and irregular wear. Although I sent cooper tire co a copy of the car alignment job order mentioned above, they still ruled that car misalignment was the problem. My major concern is that there may be similar cooper tires in service that may present a serious safety
While driving on local road made a turn and all of sudden was not able to control steering and no brakes.
Exhaust pipe bracket failed. Yh
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Questions about the 1997 Lexus SC300
Is the 1997 Lexus SC300 reliable?
Owners have filed 5 complaints about the 1997 Lexus SC300, close to a typical SC300 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Lexus SC300?
Engine and cooling, with 2 complaints. Next is acceleration (1).
How many recalls does the 1997 Lexus SC300 have?
No recalls on record.
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