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2016 Lexus IS

Gas
Compact Cars
4 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
A
Safety Signal
100 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns0
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA16
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA26 mpg
20262025202420232022202120202019201820172016

The 2016 Lexus IS is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact car with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the IS 200t, is EPA-rated at 26 mpg combined. NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year so far (Safety Signal A). Owners have filed 16 complaints, most often about the service brakes. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
IS 200tGasRWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo223226$3,000
IS 350GasRWD3.5L 6-cyl192822$3,500
IS 300 AWDGasAWD3.5L 6-cyl192621$3,700
IS 350 AWDGasAWD3.5L 6-cyl192621$3,700

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 36891, 36893, 36892, 36894.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2016 Lexus IS is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (0)

Source: NHTSA recall database

No NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2016 Lexus IS. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them.

NHTSA defect investigations

Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator Module — Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture open

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa

Opened Sep 17, 2021 · action EA21002

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
16complaints filed

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

Filed per year: 2017: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2019: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2026: 1

Most-cited components

Service Brakes5
Electrical System3
Unspecified2
Fuel/Propulsion System2
Wheels1
Engine1

What owners describe

“When I start my car, every once in a while it acts as if it is not getting enough gas and lags. In the colder months it seems to do this more often and sometimes will not start. When the weather is warmer it will sporadically do this. I have put a new battery in thinking it was weak and this could be the cause for it t…”Mar 23, 2026 · Fuel/Propulsion System · NHTSA owner report
“Car keeps randomly dying out while driving sometimes it comes back on sometimes It has to pull over and start the car again has a lean code pretty sure its the fuel pump noticed they have a recall on other is200t for fuel pump issues believe mine should Definitely been part of the recall it's very dangerous when it die…”Aug 4, 2024 · Fuel/Propulsion System · NHTSA owner report
“Tire size 225/45 R 14 Purchased four tires April 22, 2019 and had to replace one tire on August 5, 2021 due to not keeping air, which I wasn't told why. Then I was having the same problem with another tire and this time was shown what the tire looked like, which is splitting, separating on the inside wall. On October 2…”Nov 14, 2022 · Tires · 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
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
4 DR AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★★10%
4 DR AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★★10%
4 DR AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★★10%
4 DR RWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★★10%
4 DR RWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★★10%
4 DR RWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★★10%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Other IS model years

A

2026 Lexus IS

0 recalls · 0 complaints

A

2025 Lexus IS

0 recalls · 1 complaints

A

2024 Lexus IS

0 recalls · 1 complaints

A

2023 Lexus IS

0 recalls · 5 complaints

A

2022 Lexus IS

1 recalls · 5 complaints

A

2021 Lexus IS

0 recalls · 3 complaints

A

2020 Lexus IS

0 recalls · 7 complaints

B

2019 Lexus IS

2 recalls · 10 complaints

A

2018 Lexus IS

1 recalls · 9 complaints

B

2017 Lexus IS

2 recalls · 19 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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