The 2004 Lexus ES 330 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 150,061 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 188 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEAT BELTS04V5950002004-12-15150,061 affected
Defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A FRONT PASSENGER POWER SEAT, WHEN INSTALLING CERTAIN REAR-FACING INFANT CHILD SEAT BASES ONTO THE SEAT WITH AN EXCESSIVELY HIGH SEATBELT TENSION, IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO UNSEAT A COMPONENT CALLED THE BUCKLE STATUS SWITCH FROM THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE.
Consequence
IF THE SWITCH BECOMES UNSEATED, THE FRONT PASSENGER OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM MAY MISTAKE THE REAR-FACING CHILD RESTRAINT FOR AN UNBELTED ADULT OCCUPANT, AND MAY NOT SUPPRESS THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT PASSENGER SEATBELT BUCKLE STATUS SWITCH. THIS SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN (SSC 40M) BEGAN ON DECEMBER 20, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331 OR LEXUS AT 1-800-255-3987..
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
48
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
34
15crashes12injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
13
4crashes
AIR BAGS
12
2crashes3injuries
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
8
3crashes1fires2injuries
POWER TRAIN
7
1crashes1injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
6
1crashes1injuries
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)
6
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
4
3crashes1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
3
1crashes1fires
Total complaints188
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Upper right motor mount has been replaced 3 times. Now car is vibrating between 45-60 and has no power and is taking up to 1-2 minute's.”
“I started my car and all of the sudden, air bag light came on. I never had an accident, airbags were never deployed, I checked all the wires and even unplugged the battery for good 10 minutes and the light will not go off. In case of an accident, my car will not deploy air bags and it creates a…”
“Passenger side airbag cover is separating from dashboard and appears to have pressure behind it. Vinyl is cracked on top side of airbag cover.”
“Passenger air bag light came on about 6 months ago and won't cut off,I haven't been in a car accident nor has my airbag emploded, had it look at by mechanic at auto shop where I get my oil changes and such he didn't recognize any problems,called lexus dealership and they want to charge an arm and…”
“Takata recall my 2004 lexus es 330 has a malfunctioning passenger side airbag. There is a light that says passenger airbag off that is illuminated. Also, there is a gap in the housing where the airbag is located on the dash of the passenger side. I am concerned there has been no formal recall on…”
“The seat belt for passenger side and the seat assembly malfunctioned when my passenger buckled his seat belt. There was a popping sound and then the airbag light came on. The system was re calibrated at the dealership but I continue to have sporadic problems with this issue. I cannot have a…”
“The seat belt for passenger side and the seat assembly malfunctioned when my passenger buckled his seat belt. There was a popping sound and then the airbag light came on. The system was re calibrated at the dealership but I continue to have sporadic problems with this issue. I cannot have a…”
“I was driving at 9:30am cst on 7/27/16 when my car experience unintentional acceleration for about 1.5 miles. My car refused to slow down, even while I had the brakes applied. I have had my car sent to lexus headquarters to be investigated.”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP05002 Opened 2005-08-05 · closed 2006-01-05
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
IN A LETTER DATED JULY 8, 2005, AND AFTER EXPERIENCING TWO INCIDENTS (AND ONE CRASH) WHERE HE ALLEGES HIS MODEL YEAR (MY) 2002 CAMRY ACCELERATED WITHOUT DRIVER INPUT, MR. JORDAN ZIPRIN PETITIONED THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION?S (NHTSA) OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) TO COMMENCE A…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2004 Lexus ES 330 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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