IllustrationREAR NOISE WHILE DRIVING MANY OTHER DRIVERS HAVE THE SAME QUESTION. WHEN THE CAR GOES OVER POT HOLES I MAKES A SOUND SIMILAR TO GOLF / BOWING BOWLN HITTING EACH OTHER. *TR
1997 Lexus Es
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Es years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 2 of 2 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seats. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports
What owners actually said
2 reportsTL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 LEXUS ES 300. HE STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT HEATER WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY ON DECEMBER 28, 2001. APPROXIMATELY FIVE YEARS LATER HE NOTICED THAT THE SEAT HEATER GOT EXTREMELY HOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE HAVE BEEN MINOR ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE HOWEVER; HE FELT THIS ISS…
Read full complaint
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 LEXUS ES 300. HE STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT HEATER WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY ON DECEMBER 28, 2001. APPROXIMATELY FIVE YEARS LATER HE NOTICED THAT THE SEAT HEATER GOT EXTREMELY HOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE HAVE BEEN MINOR ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE HOWEVER; HE FELT THIS ISSUE WAS MORE SEVERE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000. THE VIN APPEARS TO BE INVALID. UPDATED 02/01/08. *LJ UPDATED 02/01/08 *TR
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.