There are 10 owner-reported body & structure complaints for the 2003 Lexus ISin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 LEXUS IS300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT DASHBOARD WAS MELTING. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.
THE DASHBOARD AND CENTER CONSOLE IS MELTING, LEAVING A STICKY & SHINY SURFACE MAKING IT HAZARDOUS TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. A WARRANTY CAMPAIGN WAS ISSUED FOR SEVERAL OTHER LEXUS MODELS TO ADDRESS THIS VERY ISSUE, HOWEVER, THE 2003 IS300 WAS EXCLUDED. LEXUS COULD NOT PROVIDE A REASON AS TO WHY THIS EXACT DEFECT WAS NOT ADDRESSED FOR THE 2003 IS300 MODEL, SINCE THEY ADDRESSED THE VERY SAME ISSUE WITH AN OLDER 2003 GX470 MODEL. MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN GARAGE KEPT AND EXTREMELY WELL MAINTAINED, SO SUN EXPOSURE WAS MINIMAL AND STILL EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE AS THOUSANDS OF OTHERS THAT HAVE COMPLAINED. THIS HAZARDOUS DEFECT HAS HINDERED ME FROM DRIVING MY VEHICLE IN FEAR OF LEAVING IT IN THE SUN TO FURTHER DETERIORATE CAUSING MORE DAMAGE AND RENDERING THE VEHICLE UNDRIVABLE.
DASH IS MELTING AND COMING OFF CREATING A SHINY SURFACE. *TR
THE DASHBOARD ON MY LEXUS IS 300 IS MELTING. IT IS VERY STICKY AND AS IT HEATS UP A CHEMICAL IS RELEASED AND THERE IS AN ODOR IN THE CAR. I CALLED LEXUS AND THEY SAID THAT THE RECALL DOES NOT EFFECT THE YEAR OF MY VEHICLE, BUT IT IS VERY CLEAR THAT THIS CAR HAS A SERIOUS ISSUE. ALL IS300 REGARDLESS OF YEAR WITH THIS ISSUE MUST BE RECALLED.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 LEXUS IS300. THE CONTACT STATED THE DASHBOARD COVERING WAS DETERIORATING DUE TO DEFECTIVE MATERIAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND STATED THE DASHBOARD COVER WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER DENIED ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 43,000. UPDATED 08/31/11 *BF UPDATED 12/13/11
DASH IS MELTING AND IS STICKING TO ANYTHING THAT IS RUB UP AGAINST IT. BODY PARTS, CAR WASH TOWEL, GROCERY. I SEEL RECALL ON ALL OTHER MODEL REGARDING THIS ISSUE. EXCEPT THIS PARTICULAR MODEL 2003 LEXUS IS300. I BELIEVE IT SHOULD EXTEND TO THIS YEAR AND MODEL AS WELL. NO DASH SHOULD BE MELTING AWAY WITH HEAT!
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 LEXUS IS 300. THE TRUNK OF THE VEHICLE DOES NOT REMAIN OPEN AND NEEDS TO BE HELD UP. IF THE CONTACT REACHES IN TO GET SOMETHING OUT OF THE TRUNK AND FAILS TO HOLD THE TRUNK DOOR, IT WILL FALL AND STRIKE HIS HEAD. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS A COMMON FAILURE IN THAT MODEL AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 78,000.
DASH IS MELTING AND IS STICKING TO ANYTHING THAT IS RUB UP AGAINST IT. BODY PARTS, CAR WASH TOWEL, GROCERY. I SEEL RECALL ON ALL OTHER MODEL REGARDING THIS ISSUE. EXCEPT THIS PARTICULAR MODEL 2003 LEXUS IS300. I BELIEVE IT SHOULD EXTEND TO THIS YEAR AND MODEL AS WELL. NO DASH SHOULD BE MELTING AWAY WITH HEAT! AND OWNER SHOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR POORLY BUILT PARTS!!!!
DASHBOARD IS "MELTING". RECALLS HAVE BEEN MADE FOR DASHBOARDS OF THE ES300 AND RX 300 MODELS FOR THE SAME PROBLEMS. *TR
HIGH WIND NOISE AND FLAPPING NOISE FROM THE DRIVER DOOR; IT'S VERY ANNOYING AND UNCONVERTIBLE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY BECAUSE OF THE NOISES PRODUCED BY THIS PROBLEM. LEXUS CLAIMS THEIR CARS AS LUXURY CARS, BUT ALSO CLAIMS THAT A WIND NOISE AND A FLAPPING NOISE ARE NORMAL FOR $34K LUXURY CARS. I TOOK THE CAR IN AND THEY EVEN DID NOT WANT TO TRY TO FIX THE PROBLEM.*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