The 2005 Lexus Es330 has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 570,387 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 176 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the vehicle speed control. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING11V5390002011-11-09420,326 affected
Defect
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2004 AVALON VEHICLES; 2004 AND 2005 CAMRY, CAMRY SOLARA, HIGHLANDER, AND SIENNA VEHICLES, 2006 HIGHLANDER HYBRID; 2004 AND 2005 LEXUS ES330 AND RX330; AND 2006 LEXUS RX400H VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JUNE 1, 2004 THROUGH MARCH 31, 2005, EQUIPPED WITH THE 1MZ-FE OR 3MZ-FE ENGINE.…
Consequence
IN SOME CASES, THE BELT FOR THE POWER STEERING PUMP MAY BECOME DETACHED FROM THE PULLEY WHICH COULD RESULT IN A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND A SUDDEN INCREASE IN STEERING EFFORT, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL CHECK THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY TO IDENTIFY WHETHER IT WAS PRODUCED BY THE U.S. SUPPLIER. IF SO, THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE PULLEY WITH A NEW ONE AT NO CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING EARLY JANUARY 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
SEAT BELTS04V5950002004-12-15150,061 affected
Defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A FRONT PASSENGER POWER SEAT, WHEN INSTALLING CERTAIN REAR-FACING INFANT CHILD SEAT BASES ONTO THE SEAT WITH AN EXCESSIVELY HIGH SEATBELT TENSION, IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO UNSEAT A COMPONENT CALLED THE BUCKLE STATUS SWITCH FROM THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE.
Consequence
IF THE SWITCH BECOMES UNSEATED, THE FRONT PASSENGER OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM MAY MISTAKE THE REAR-FACING CHILD RESTRAINT FOR AN UNBELTED ADULT OCCUPANT, AND MAY NOT SUPPRESS THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT PASSENGER SEATBELT BUCKLE STATUS SWITCH. THIS SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN (SSC 40M) BEGAN ON DECEMBER 20, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331 OR LEXUS AT 1-800-255-3987..
Complaints by component
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
46
20crashes1fires9injuries
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
31
AIR BAGS
17
8crashes9injuries
POWER TRAIN
10
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
7
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
7
1crashes
SERVICE BRAKES
7
5crashes1fires2injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
5
1crashes1fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
5
3crashes
STEERING
4
Total complaints176
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“This is similar to the complain another car owner has filed. My car was purchased new from the lexus of pleasonton,ca dealership. I have had no major accident or no airbag deployment. Car has been lightly used with 80k miles on the odometer currently. The airbag container on the passenger dash has…”
“My check engine light is on and when the diganoised code check is performed "no codes appear," but I do have a power steering leakage and I hear the power steering noise when I am turning and from the recall 11v53900 11/09/2011 engine and engine cooling its a huge problem. I call customer service…”
“My check engine light is on and when the diganoised code check is performed "no codes appear," but I do have a power steering leakage and I hear the power steering noise when I am turning and from the recall 11v53900 11/09/2011 engine and engine cooling its a huge problem. I call customer service…”
“My check engine light is on and when the diganoised code check is performed "no codes appear," but I do have a power steering leakage and I hear the power steering noise when I am turning and from the recall 11v53900 11/09/2011 engine and engine cooling its a huge problem. I call customer service…”
“Tamara recall on my airbags,never repaired. I got into an accident and airbags didn't come out. Have to replace brakes every few months on this car also”
“Tamara recall on my airbags,never repaired. I got into an accident and airbags didn't come out. Have to replace brakes every few months on this car also”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2005 lexus es330. The contact noticed that the front passenger air bag cover was bulging and had separated along the seam nearest the windshield on the dashboard. The passenger air bag and check engine warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to butler lexus of…”
“Front passenger airbag cover appears to be separated along the seam near windshield on dashboard and there is a wider gap on that side vs the side closest passenger. I've not seen this before in any of my other lexus vehicles and it's cause for concern of safety as a result.”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP05002 Opened 2005-08-05 · closed 2006-01-05
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
IN A LETTER DATED JULY 8, 2005, AND AFTER EXPERIENCING TWO INCIDENTS (AND ONE CRASH) WHERE HE ALLEGES HIS MODEL YEAR (MY) 2002 CAMRY ACCELERATED WITHOUT DRIVER INPUT, MR. JORDAN ZIPRIN PETITIONED THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION?S (NHTSA) OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) TO COMMENCE A…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2005 Lexus Es330 as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.