The 1998 Lexus Es300 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 540,037 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 61 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE STEERING WHEEL SET NUT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENTLY TIGHTENED CAUSING STEERING VIBRATION AND LOOSENESS.
THIS CAN RESULT IN A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.
DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE STEERING WHEEL SET NUT.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“May 17, 2014 traveling on florida turnpike after two hours had two tires separate. Replaced two tires in palm beach gardens and continued another hour when a third tire separated. Tires were all cooper cs4 p205/65r15. In key west replaced the remaining failed tire and the so far fourth remaining…”
“Both left and right rear seat belt buckles have failed. I am unable to insert belts into the buckle. Cleaning and lube had no affect. *tr”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 lexus es300. The contact stated that the engine failed with the illumination of the check engine warning light. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where a diagnostic was performed. The failure was located at the engine evap canister. The vehicle was not repaired. The…”
“The day before the accident happened all the tail light were off and I found the fuse for tail light was blew. So I replaced the fuse. Next day,when I turned on headlight while driving on highway 680, the "r" indicator on the dashboard became on as well -- now both "d" and "r" were on. It puzzled…”
“Fuel pressure regulator (damper) failed allowing fuel to flow into engine compartment and fumes through air intake into passenger compartment. Could have been a serious fire if not detected in time and repaired.”
“My 1998 lexus hit a cement wall and the air bag did not deploy. I called and wrote to lexus headquarters three times and they never responded. I want to hear from lexus about this problem. *tr”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 lexus es300. The contact was driving approximately 45-50 mph when another vehicle side swiped his vehicle, causing him to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a cement wall. The front air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the neck and shoulder…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1998 lexus es300. While driving approximately 5 mph pressure was applied to the brake pedal but the vehicle would not stop until colliding with another vehicle in a minor crash. He continued driving and the brakes began to function as normal. Later in the day while driving…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1998 Lexus Es300 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.