I bought my 21 IS a year ago (Jan. to be exact) knowing very well it was a new model year (despite "never buy the first model year of a car") because it was in fact just a "refresh" using the same engine/transmission/platform, components, etc. as previous IS generations. Even all the youtube reviewers b*itched and complained that that Lexus "didn't do enough" to the new IS to distinguish it from its predecessors.

So, with the IS500, I felt even more comfortable given a year has gone by in the new model style . I've had no issues with my 21 IS (knock on wood) with 13K km on it so far.

There's an Infrared IS500 sitting all nice and warm in a showroom (while it was -20C yesterday) with my name written all over it waiting for me to pull the trigger, and now I'm second guessing.

Having said all this, this is Lexus after all, and "the relentless pursuit of perfection" motto (which BTW I always loved compared to the "Experience Amazing" motto that they use nowadays). Sure, maybe they've short changed a few things due to short supply of components, and maybe they are using sensors from their 2nd or 3rd choice suppliers, but they will not put a product out there that compromises their reputation for quality. Just my take.

Since these error codes seem to be happening almost immediately, I think I will drive around in circles around the dealership for the first 50 miles. If no error codes appear, I'll then head home. LOLOL.

 

On your door jambs did you guys have 12/21 or 11/21 production dates?

 

Mines 1690 and was built on 11/26 so I would say most are built in 11/21

 

I was thinking of doing the same thing, drive it around for a bit lol the dealership is 60 miles from me, might be worth it to drive around a few miles before hitting the freeway.

I wouldn't second guess the purchase... I bought a 2019 ES 350 when it was refreshed and like I said before, just had a shock go bad and that's it. Just yearly oil changes outside of that. And the shock just rattled a bit, but the car still drove fine. Imagine all the wonderful driving experiences you'd be missing out passing on this car.
I went back through my emails and found that I got on the list back in August! I didn't realize I had emailed about this car so early. I got the call to send my order to the dealership on November 18th, then talked again on November 29th and the order hadn't been accepted yet. I would assume mine wouldn't have been built until after the order was accepted in early December, but who knows. Maybe there was a USB with black already being built and they just got the allocation. I guess we'll find out if more and more people have the same CEL. If I get the same error I'm hoping it gets fixed and I have many years of fun in this car.

 

Curious what the weather was when these problems happened? Rain?

 

with the defective shock on my ES?

 

Sorry this was for the 4 cars having check engine lights.

 

light rain. No splashing or puddles. 30 degrees.

 

Im thinking about canceling the extended warranty and service plan. I will most likely renegotiate the warranty but i think the service plan i a complete rip off. 1995 for 50k miles with a service interval of 5k miles. That comes to $200 a month. I can do all the oil changes myself and i can Have the car inspected by my family mechanic or even have him do everything. As long as its well documented they can not deny warranty claims. I was tired as hell and felt pushed into this agreement.

what do you guys think?

 

Given various frequent issues popped up recently, this reminds me rule of thumb in buying new cars: never buy the 1st year of a new model/trim with significantly different powertrains or design, no matter how tempting it is - unless it is a one-model-year-only type.

 

The powertrain isn't new. The IS500 consists of various already existing parts mashed together.

 

I believe the powertrain and the related electronics are largely the same, but there are still quite some amount of the parts and controlling softwares unique to the IS500.

 

yep, its nearly identical to the besides the power train which has tried and true. Correct me if im wrong.

 

The IS is based on a totally different platform/architecture than the GS and LC, its dynamics is different. The core engine and transmission parts can be the same, but due to packaging (to fit into a smaller engine bay with different shapes of structural frames), some of the auxiliary components, sensors and firmwares may be unique to the IS500. I do not have the parts catalogue at this moment, I will know more details once it is available.

 

Let’s all not jump to conclusions..!!

Now, with a few owners experiencing the CEL issues - we may need the MODS to slice out the related posts and make a dedicated thread so any new owners experiencing this issue knows what to expect and benefit from lessons learned…

With Covid supply chain issues the problem can very well be with the OE parts supplier.. In these cases if it turns out to be related to the O2 sensors then it’s possible that Denso has a bad batch of sensors out there in Japan.

Hopefully the parts sitting in Lexus USA warehouses or dealerships are not part of these issues.

I would strongly recommend each owner having an issue, to be sure to have the Lexus Master Tech verify each code being thrown causing the CEL and what exact remedy steps were taken.

This will all give you a piece of mind and help others here that may run into this problem.

The IS 500 has 2 - AF (air fuel) Denso attached to the exhaust manifolds tucked away.

Underneath the IS 500 there are 2 - O2 sensors downstream attached to the mid-pipes.

These O2 sensors have been known to be finicky when aged or even over wrenched on or if the wires are wound up real tight, creating resistance / low voltage reading..

Never seen them go bad in new cars..



2 - Potential O2 sensors in question on OEM mid-pipe.


Let’s hope these CEL issues get sorted out quickly..

Joe Z