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Lexus · Midsize car

2016 Lexus ES

HybridGas

Midsize Cars
2 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11

Safety Signal

92 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns1

Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA37

Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA40 mpg

2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2016 Lexus ES is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid and gas midsize car with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the ES 300h, is EPA-rated at 40 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 37 complaints, most often about the service brakes. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
ES 300h	Hybrid	FWD	2.5L 4-cyl + 245V Ni-MH	40	39	40	$1,550
ES 350	Gas	FWD	3.5L 6-cyl	21	31	24	$2,600

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 36749, 36750.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

G0I, GLC

16,656 vehicles

ProblemToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 30, 2015, to February 3, 2016, 2016 Lexus RX350 vehicles manufactured October 26, 2015, to February 8, 2016, and 2016 Lexus ES350 vehicles manufactured September 1, 2015, to February 29, 2016. These vehicles are equipped with an ABS actuator that may have a damaged O-ring which could result in improper brake fluid pressure control during ABS, Traction Control, or Stability Control activation. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."RiskInsufficient brake fluid pressure may cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.FixToyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake actuator, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 4, 2016, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0I, GLC.

NHTSA campaign 16V198000reported Apr 7, 2016Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

NHTSA defect investigations

Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds closed

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 pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

37complaints filed

5 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 1 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2016: 7 · 2017: 4 · 2018: 2 · 2019: 5 · 2020: 3 · 2021: 5 · 2022: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2026: 4

Most-cited components

Unspecified15

Service Brakes9

Air Bags4

Electrical System3

Engine3

Power Train2

What owners describe

“On May 13, 2026, while traveling at approximately 31 mph under normal driving conditions, a critical right-front suspension or steering component suddenly suffered a catastrophic structural failure on its own. This spontaneous mechanical failure caused the vehicle to immediately and violently veer to the right, renderi…”Jul 10, 2026 · Air Bags · NHTSA owner report

“The brake actuator and/or brake booster pump assembly failed on my 2016 Lexus ES300h. This is a known issues for this vehicle's braking system and results in a sudden loss of power braking assistance. The failure requires increased pedal pressure and eventually brkaing failure, creating a significant safety hazard and …”Apr 28, 2026 · Service Brakes · NHTSA owner report

“In April 2022, the timing cover seal on my 2016 Lexus ES 350 was replaced due to a leak. This was completed under warranty at approximately 84,785 miles. In February 2025, less than three years and roughly 56,000 miles later, I was informed by the same Lexus dealership during a routine service that the exact same issue…”Apr 1, 2025 · Engine · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

Configuration	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk
4 DR FWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	11%
4 DR FWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	11%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Compare the 2016 ES with

2016 Toyota Camry →2016 Toyota Corolla →

Other ES model years

2026 Lexus ES

0 recalls · 0 complaints

2025 Lexus ES

1 recalls · 4 complaints

2024 Lexus ES

2 recalls · 9 complaints

2023 Lexus ES

2 recalls · 12 complaints

2022 Lexus ES

1 recalls · 14 complaints

2021 Lexus ES

1 recalls · 35 complaints

2020 Lexus ES

3 recalls · 24 complaints

2019 Lexus ES

4 recalls · 40 complaints

2018 Lexus ES

2 recalls · 15 complaints

2017 Lexus ES

1 recalls · 25 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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