The 2013 Lexus ES Hybrid has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 30,812 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 12 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the vehicle speed control. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Avalon and Avalon Hybrid vehicles manufactured October 19, 2012 to October 27, 2015 and 2013-2015 Lexus ES350 and ES300h vehicles manufactured June 18, 2012 to July 6, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with a…
Consequence
A vehicle that unexpectedly brakes increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace certain PCS components, free of charge. The recall began on July 28, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this campaign are F1V and F2E.
Complaints by component
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
3
2crashes
STRUCTURE:BODY
2
2crashes1injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2
1crashes
AIR BAGS
1
1crashes1injuries
ENGINE
1
1crashes
POWER TRAIN
1
1crashes
SERVICE BRAKES
1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
1
Total complaints12
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact owns a 2013 lexus es300 hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a sudden and significant reduction in braking efficiency. The contact stated that the brake pedal became extremely stiff and rigid, requiring excessive force to be…”
“Abs brake failure code c1391 brakes failed to function during emergency stop while in motion dry city street, lucky there was no accident. Cost of repair $ 5000.00 by lexus dealer. This is an ongoing issue with both lexus and toyota vehicles. Also cruise control function does not work after this…”
“The vehicle was parked facing uphill in my driveway. I started the car and set the gear shift/selector (automatic transmission) to drive position while checking that the backup camera was not engaged. I released the emergency break with my foot on the break and confirmed that the gear shift was in…”
“The vehicle was parked facing uphill in my driveway. I started the car and set the gear shift/selector (automatic transmission) to drive position while checking that the backup camera was not engaged. I released the emergency break with my foot on the break and confirmed that the gear shift was in…”
“The car experienced an unintended acceleration event while pulling into a parking spot at a low rate of speed. While the driver's foot was on the brake the car began accelerating out of control and bounced over a curb, down a hill, striking a pick up and a tree.”
“Parked in parking ramp front in.backed out slowly, tapped pillar at rear moved forward to adjust steering, reversed again, then engine accelerated slammed me back into pillar, steering wheel turned right engine continued to accelerate high speed up the ramp. I tired to put throttle in n, did not…”
“The car was in a very bad front end collision 1-15-16, and not 1 air bag deployed. We can send photos, and the car is on hold, not to be touched at the insurance storage yard. Please contact us for more info.”
“The car was in a very bad front end collision 1-15-16, and not 1 air bag deployed. We can send photos, and the car is on hold, not to be touched at the insurance storage yard. Please contact us for more info.”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP22005 Opened 2023-01-27 · closed 2023-08-07
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2013 Lexus ES Hybrid as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.