There are 4 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2006 Lexus ISin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The contact owns a 2006 Lexus IS 250. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from underneath the hood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a transmission and radio failure. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the were no recalls associated with the VIN. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.
After having our car in the local dealerships shop to fix recalls and a Very hard jerking of the car when slowing to 8mph thinking it was the ABS accutator, that unit was replaced and system bled and tested we picked the car up and before we got 100 feet away from the shop our car still had the same problem. After much talking with a lexus forum group I now believe based on their experiences and testing myself it's a Hard 2nd to 1st gear downshift ! and through my investigating, this is a common issue among lexus transmission between years 2006 - 2013
OWNER MANUAL, SAYING IT'S LIFETIME NO CHANGING TRANSMISSION FLUID. NOW HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY TRANSMISSION BECAUSE OF THAT. I WENT ON LEXUS FORUMS, AND A LOT OF LEXUS OWNER HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF TRANSMISSION FLUID. LEXUS IS NOT STANDING BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS.
WHEN DRIVING THE THE VSC AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. WHEN I'I WAS DRIVING, MY VEHICLE GOT STUCK IN 3RD GEAR ON THE FREEWAY. I HAD TO SLOW DOWN ABRUPTLY BECAUSE MY RPM'S WERE HIGH DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT WAS STUCK IN 3RD GEAR. I DIDNT WANT TO BLOW OUT MY ENGINE DUE TO HIGH RPM'S AND I SLOWED DOWN SUDDENLY. I ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS REASON.
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