"How reliable is the 2008 Lexus Is?"

"Based on 143 NHTSA complaints, the 2008 Lexus Is has a median complaint mileage of 73000 miles. The most common issue is UNKNOWN OR OTHER."

"What are common problems with the 2008 Lexus Is?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2008 Lexus Is is UNKNOWN OR OTHER, accounting for a significant portion of the 143 total complaints filed."

2008 Lexus Is: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 143 complaints

143

Total Complaints

73,000mi

Median Mileage

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

58,000 25th Percentile

73,000 Median Mileage

110,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

ENGINE

AIR BAGS

STRUCTURE

VISIBILITY/WIPER

STRUCTURE:BODY

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

POWER TRAIN

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I AM WRITING TO REPORT A BRAKE FAILURE ON MY NEW LEXUS IS 350 WHILE PARALLEL PARKING. I BACKED MY CAR INTO THE SPACE, AND THEN TOUCHED THE GAS LIGHTLY TO MOVE IT FORWARD TO CLOSE THE 4 TO 5 FOOT GAP. I PUT FOOT ON BRAKE AND PUSHED DOWN. BRAKE WENT DOWN CLOSE TO FLOOR AND DID NOT STOP CAR. IT KEP..."

"I PURCHASED 2 BRAND NEW MICHELIN PILOT SPORT A/S PLUS 225/45/ZR17 91Y FOR MY 2008 LEXUS IS 250 INSTALLED AS FRONT TIRES AT COSTCO. BEFORE LESS THAN 24 HOURS OF INSTALLED, AND LESS THAN 15 MILES OF USE, ONE OF THEM LOOSE THE AIR PRESSURE, THE TPMS ALERT ME OF LOW TIRE, I STOP AT NEAREST GAS STATION (..."

"IN EARLY 02/09 I WAS DRIVING HOME ON INTERSTATE 695 N IN MARYLAND. I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 50 MPH, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED TO ABOUT 95 MPH THROUGH NO EFFORT OF MY OWN. I DID NOT ENGAGE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO INCREASE THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE. I IMMEDIATELY ENGAGED THE FOOT..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28