Home›Lexus›LS›2021

Lexus · Midsize car

2021 Lexus LS

HybridGas

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

Safety Signal

89 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns2

Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA6

Crash ratingNHTSA overall—

Fuel economybest combined, EPA28 mpg

2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2021 Lexus LS is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid and gas midsize car with 4 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the LS 500h, is EPA-rated at 28 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 6 complaints, most often about the wheels.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
LS 500h	Hybrid	RWD	3.5L 6-cyl + 311V Li-Ion	25	33	28	$2,750
LS 500h AWD	Hybrid	AWD	3.5L 6-cyl + 311V Li-Ion	23	29	26	$3,000
LS 500	Gas	RWD	3.4L 6-cyl turbo	18	29	22	$3,500
LS 500 AWD	Gas	AWD	3.4L 6-cyl turbo	17	27	21	$3,700

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 43742, 43743, 43489, 43490.

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

Recalls (2)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Air Bags

24LA03

509 vehicles

ProblemToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Lexus LS500 and 2018-2020 Lexus LS500 Hybrid vehicles equipped with the "Executive Package." The front passenger seat may have been assembled with interference between internal parts that can cause the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor to incorrectly detect the occupant. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."RiskIncorrect detection of an occupant may result in improper air bag deployment during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.FixDealers will inspect and repair the front passenger seat, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 7, 2024. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 24LA03.

NHTSA campaign 24V275000reported Apr 17, 2024Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

○minor

Electronic Stability Control (Esc)

22TA03, 22LA01

458,110 vehiclesHybrid only

ProblemToyota Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2022 Lexus LX 600, Lexus NX 350h, Lexus NX 450h+, Toytoa RAV4 Hybrid, 2021-2022 Lexus LS 500h, Toyota Mirai, RAV4 PRIME, Sienna, Venza, and 2020-2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid vehicles. The Skid Control ECU software may not turn on the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system when the vehicle is restarted after the driver has disabled the VSC system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."RiskDriving with a deactivated stability control system increases the risk of a crash.FixDealers will update the Skid Control ECU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 22TA03. Lexus' number for this recall is 22LA01.

NHTSA campaign 22V239000reported Apr 13, 2022Toyota 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

6complaints filed

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

Filed per year: 2022: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2026: 2

Most-cited components

Unspecified2

Wheels1

Tires1

Exterior Lighting1

Engine1

What owners describe

“My vehicle has the V6 twin turbo engine thatâ€™s been recalled on other years and models and was diagnosed with an internal engine failure. The mechanic at the dealership couldnâ€™t figure out the problem so an expert TAS Lexus specialist was called in and couldnâ€™t figure out the problem either. Theyâ€™ve had the car…”May 26, 2026 · Engine · NHTSA owner report

“Both headlight assemblies on a 2021 Lexus LS 500 show external lens delamination, along with visible condensation inside the sealed units. The vehicle has been garage kept, has not been involved in any accidents, and has no external damage to the headlight assemblies. The outer lens surfaces are deteriorating, and mois…”Apr 29, 2026 · Exterior Lighting · NHTSA owner report

“OEM Bridgestone Turanza EL440 RFT 245/45 R20 These tires have not retained recommended air pressure for more than a few weeks at a time since new. Inspection earlier this year by a Bridgestone dealer found no problem with a tire that had lost 5 psi in a week. The tire subsequently began making a rotational noise that t…”Nov 21, 2024 · 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

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Other LS model years

2026 Lexus LS

0 recalls · 0 complaints

2025 Lexus LS

3 recalls · 3 complaints

2024 Lexus LS

2 recalls · 0 complaints

2023 Lexus LS

2 recalls · 1 complaints

2022 Lexus LS

1 recalls · 0 complaints

2020 Lexus LS

2 recalls · 0 complaints

2019 Lexus LS

4 recalls · 7 complaints

2018 Lexus LS

4 recalls · 18 complaints

2017 Lexus LS

0 recalls · 2 complaints

2016 Lexus LS

0 recalls · 6 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.

JSON for this page · API