Remi

The reliability of any system is proportional to its complexity and number of parts - you cannot compare an entry level Camry with a loaded LS430. The larger the system, the greater the probability of unexpected failure.

My premium package LS430 has a lot fewer features that can go wrong than a UL, but still way more than a Camry.

I think that also explains why Mercedes, Audi, and BMW have so many issues, because they care more about the features than the reliability of the car...

Marklouis

well if you go with a standard model purchase without all the bells and whistles - any Huyndai, Kia, Honda, Toyota and even Chevy or Ford now that you buy can meet those needs - but the more bells and whistles you add to any vehicle at purchase will increase that TSB list down the road.

in a couple years or more look for Kia/Huyndai to be setting new bars especially in the Luxury Brand dept, but then again 10 more years down the road they may prove to have a multitude of quality issues more than anyone else - like you said it's a crapshoot until you hit that 5/6 year mark of ownership.

rael

For me, the answer is yes. I purchased the car with 90K miles nearly 3 years ago and now I am at 138,000 with only one slight issue; a marginally worn lower bushing, which was changed out at $150. Other than that, the car has been spectacular and a big step up from my Honda Civic Hybrid.

InfamousLS

Ur not a representative sample because ur a biased sample. this is where MANY people come for answers to problems... there for many people posting are due to an issue. if i posted on here everyone that loves their LS and has had no major problems speak up! people woudl most certainly post. but for the majority when theres a problem them come here to ask about it. thats half the reason u should be apart of a forum, the collective knowledge of the group.

We can argue for days... but the fact remains this car is a beast. (my opinion)

parkerjs

The radar cruise and the air suspension are probably valid criticisms and the telescoping wheel motors have been a longevity issue going way back to 1990. Like the folding mirror motor, these things are asked to do a lot of work over the years since they move every time you start and shut down the car. I just turn these feature off to avoid the wear and they're not very important to me.

Far and away the most reliable car I've ever owned is the 2000 LS400. 140K miles and everything just works the way it did 11 years ago. The 1990 LS400 I had previous to the 05 LS430 and 00 LS400 I have now went 165K miles without costing me an unscheduled dollar.

Show me an 11 to 20 year old trailblazer and I'm quite certain the story would be quite different.

Sentinel

Hmm well im coming from a different place most of the cars I have had are toyotas with NO issues.

The ls430 id expect to have no issues also. I know things break but id rather NOT have a feature then have a feature I cant use because it is broken or because it might break.

Having reliable drive train to me is expected since most of my cars are/have been toyotas

I love the car but I find the word "reliability" does not mean what it used too. Its not like these issues are only coming at 100k there are people with 50k with the same ones.

If you car is in the dealer to fix a water pump or a non telescoping steering wheel does it really matter as long as it didnt leave you on the side of the road?

CarGuy89

Nuff said!

OP, I understand your frustration with electronics going. However, keep in mind that the car is easily just as good without the folding mirrors, auto-retracting steering wheel (unless you're really big, then it might be a necessity), radar cruise, etc.

Sentinel

Side note can we make the seats retract when the doors open :-D

Jabberwock

Having driven 89 Acura Legend and then a 99 Acura RL for many years I am used to extremely reliable cars. In the Legend and RL the only common weak area I can remember was the window actuator motors and a fuel pump relay.

I think the LS is superbly well made but I have to confess some disappointment with what seems like a few too many common weak areas - motors in the outside mirrors, mirror switch on inside, telescope and pitch motors in the steering column, door lock actuators, low quality speakers especially subwoofer, semi-early air bag failure in the ULs...they may be a couple of others. Seems like these would be easy items to correct and reinforce over the model years but instead nothing changed.

Still overall this is a small list and really nothing major save the airbags on the LS430. Forums on Audi, MB, BMW big sedans have somewhat longer and more serious lists.

HiloDB1

iTrader: (3)

Hahaha. How many other car forums are you a member of? I see way more reliability issues on other forums I visit. Not to mention there is a lot more traffic on those forums so the volume of problems are a lot higher. Most of which are fairly severe issues that disable the vehicle entirely.

GLIDESUL

I've had few problems with my ls but nothing that left me on the side of the road. I really like this car overall. Just convinced wifey to get a rx350 what a ride.

jayclapp

No car can be expected to be (nor is it) 100% reliable with no failures. The true measure of reliability is the percent of failure occurrences. That data is totally missing in this forum. Mostly what is seen here are some of the failures. But we don't know if a particular failure is 0.5% or 50% of the car owners.

Also, we don't know what percent of owners are even aware of this forum, much less a part of it.

We really don't have much to argue about, except just expressing our own opinions and experiences. Let's not assume every Lexus owner shares our opinions or experiences.

warminwisc

I am more prone to side with JD Powers and consumer reports. 140 k on my Premium. T belt, tires, brakes thats it. I agree this sucker is a beast!

No oil usage, never a rattle or vibration, steady as a hovercraft at 125 MPH.

parkerjs

Point very well taken. We discuss anecdotal evidence here and can't draw scientific conclusions. JD Powers and other research organizations consistently rank the LS either at the top or very close to it for luxury sedans. These conclusions are scientific.

Personally, my own experience guides my own impressions and I simply won't drive anything else. I'm on my 3rd and probably have time for 3 more before they put me in the ground....

yuri.ber

iTrader: (7)

I have my LS for almost three years now. Right from the start many issues were dealt with when I looked at service history of it. I got the car with 85k, now there is 106k on it.
List of what I've done:
Repairs/Maintenance (all OEM dealer parts):
1. Two top O2 sensors - ~$200 each inc. labor
2. All new tires - $1200 inc. labor
3. New rotors and pads all around - $500 inc. labor
4. Timing Belt/Water Pump + all pulleys, pre-tensioner + necessary seals - $1150 inc. labor
5.Spark plugs - $120 inc. labor
6. Transmission shifter seal - $40 inc. labor
7. Steering rack bushings - $200 inc. labor
8. Front lower control arm rear bushings - $270 inc. labor
9. 4 Oil changes ~$60 each
10. Serpentine belt - $100 inc. labor.
11. Valve cover gaskets, both sides - $620 inc. labor (done at the dealer)
12. Re-calibrated yaw sensor - $230 (done at the dealer)
Total: $5070, but somewhere close to $5.3k with all tips and misc. minor stuff.
Changes I wanted to make:
1. Viper 5900 Alarm+Remote Start - $350 inc. labor
2. New front speakers/additional amp/new aftermarket sub/dynamatt + all labor - $420
Total: $770
So I spent $6k on the car in 2.5 years. But, I could've not done half of the stuff, used cheap aftermarket parts and still have a drivable car. However I do care about my car and most repairs are done "once and for long". Nothing continuously breaks on this car, it just requires expensive maintenance. Having said that, there are some common "child" issues with LS430: mirrors, speakers and steering column being the most common, other issues vary depending on use and conditions where vehicle resides.
I want my car to be the best that it possibly can by doing all necessary stuff needed and when people sit and ride in it , they ask whether this car is new. That is music my ears