"How reliable is the 2008 Lexus Is 250?"

"Based on 157 NHTSA complaints, the 2008 Lexus Is 250 has a median complaint mileage of 66000 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2008 Lexus Is 250?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2008 Lexus Is 250 is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 157 total complaints filed."

2008 Lexus Is 250: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 157 complaints

157

Total Complaints

66,000mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

40,000 25th Percentile

66,000 Median Mileage

88,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

STRUCTURE

ENGINE

STRUCTURE:BODY

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

VISIBILITY/WIPER

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

POWER TRAIN

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, ALMOST TO A COMPLETE STOP WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED & I WENT UP OVER A CURB & HIT A TRANSFORMER. THE DISTANCE WAS ONLY ABOUT 8 FEET. I DO NOT KNOW HOW FAST I WAS GOING PROBABLY ABOUT 15 - 30 MPH. I MOVED THE TRANSFORMER ABOUT 3 FE..."

"I WAS DRIVING MY WIFE'S LEXUS 2008 IS 250 OUT OF A PARKING LOT WHEN APPLYING MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE THE CAR ACCELERATED. I NOW SLAMMED MY FOOT ON THE BRAKES AND THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. THE ONLY THING THAT STOPPED MY CAR WAS THE CAR IN FRONT OF IT WITH VERY LITTLE DAMAGE. IF THE CAR WAS NOT IN..."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

AIR BAGS 38 complaints

25th: 67,000 mi Median: 93,000 mi 75th: 100,000 mi

STRUCTURE 17 complaints

25th: 30,000 mi Median: 60,000 mi 75th: 70,000 mi

ENGINE 14 complaints

25th: 69,546 mi Median: 71,500 mi 75th: 90,500 mi

STRUCTURE:BODY 12 complaints

25th: 57,500 mi Median: 60,500 mi 75th: 94,100 mi

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 11 complaints

25th: 35,500 mi Median: 73,000 mi 75th: 85,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

FL: 32 CA: 29 TX: 19 NY: 11 LA: 10 GA: 6 HI: 6 NJ: 4 PA: 4 SC: 4

Lexus Is 250 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
2006	252	84,711	AIR BAGS	13
2007	282	77,800	AIR BAGS	15
2009	61	64,500	AIR BAGS	4
2010	43	38,557	AIR BAGS	9
2011	38	4,047	AIR BAGS	8
2012	27	22,700	AIR BAGS	10
2014	46	23,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	10

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