There are 3 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2003 Lexus ESin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
CLICKING NOISE WHEN TURNING STEERING WHEEL; TOOK THE CAR TO WILKIE LEXUS DEALERSHIP IN ARDMORE, PA. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE CAR NEEDS NEW STEERING SHAFT. CAR HAS 52000 MILES AND A PART LIKE THIS FAILING THIS EARLY IS NOT EXPLAINED. *JB
WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH DRIVER WAS MAKING A RIGHT TURN LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND HIT A CONCRETE BARRIER. BOTH AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR ANALYSIS, AND MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
HESITATION UPON ACCELERATION. I NOTICE THE VEHICLE LACKS THE ABILITY TO PICK UP SPEED FROM A SLOW DOWN OR DEAD STOP. I FEEL THIS IN 1ST-3RD GEARS WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A DECELERATION SPEED OR STOP. THIS IS VERY SERIOUS AND IS CAUSE FOR SAFETY CONCERNS. I JUST BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE AND I HAVE ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH A CLICKING, WHINING NOISE WHEN TURNING INTO A PARKING SPOT OR MAKING SLOW TURNS.
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