The 2020 Lexus ES has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 999,901 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 18 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS23V8650002023-12-20999,901 affected
Defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop…
Consequence
An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota…
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
8
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
4
1crashes1injuries
SERVICE BRAKES
2
1crashes3injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
1
1crashes
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
1
Total complaints18
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Car has been stalling, jerking and revving of the engine! Transmission service was done around 100,000 miles, about 30000 miles later, car was taken back to dealer and they were unable diagnose a problem. Issue got worse until it became undriveable. Car towed back to dealership only to be told I…”
“Paring brake has been bucking backwards and forward for most of 2026 and finally it failed facing downhill on feb 4, 2026 and rolled downhill until it stopped after hitting a sign.”
“I was driving on a freeway. I had my adaptive cruise control turned on. The car in front of me slowed down. My adaptive cruise control did not slow me down so I applied the breaks. The breaks did not work. The breaks did not slow me down or stop me. My pre-collision system did not activate. I…”
“I was driving on a freeway. I had my adaptive cruise control turned on. The car in front of me slowed down. My adaptive cruise control did not slow me down so I applied the breaks. The breaks did not work. The breaks did not slow me down or stop me. My pre-collision system did not activate. I…”
“I was driving on a freeway. I had my adaptive cruise control turned on. The car in front of me slowed down. My adaptive cruise control did not slow me down so I applied the breaks. The breaks did not work. The breaks did not slow me down or stop me. My pre-collision system did not activate. I…”
“• frequent battery replacements: my vehicle is now on its third battery within a five-year lifespan. The previous owner replaced the battery two years ago when the vehicle was only two years old, and I recently had to replace it again. • unacceptable battery lifespan: no vehicle should require…”
“Under recall for over a year for ocs sensor”
“The contact owns a 2020 lexus es 350. The contact stated that while his father was driving at 35-37 mph down a hill, he applied the brake pedal, but the brakes failed to respond. The contact continued to pump the brake pedal. The driver moved the gear shifter, attempting to slow down the vehicle.…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2020 Lexus ES as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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