1990 Lexus ES250 from North America - Comments

1.TRUNK WAS NOT BUILT RIGHT SO THE HINGES WERE REPLACED 4 TIMES. The trunk buckles open about an inch 4 months after the dealer changed the hinges. When it was no longer under warranty, they dealer would not change the hinge. I have seen this problem on other cars.

2, Sunroof was not used and it caved into the passenger compartment and had to be replaced at 50,000 miles.

3. Lexus-Toyota/Camry engine was well-maintained, but at 70,000 miles, a piston blew through the engine floor. Short block was replaced. The Toyota mechanic did not replace hoses. It overheated and ruined the engines one month later.

4. The overheating caused the radiator to go and eventually the transmission went.

WE donated the car to charity. What a lemon. We bought it from the dealer as a used Lexus company car at 17,000 miles.

Other people have had good experiences with LEXUS, but this car was a nightmare, an expensive nightmare because LEXUS repairs are much more expensive than most cars. My MAZDA GLC is still running well after 280,000 miles.

I would never buy a LEXUS again.

I have a Lexus and have had no problems like this at all. How did the engine overheat to the point of being ruined, without the driver noticing and turning off the car immediately? This is as ridiculous as driving on a flat tire and wondering why the rim gets ruined! And the transmission, was it filled with the proper fluid, and the proper amount? If it was neglected, that is hardly the fault of the car. I am sure the car is much happier now, maybe it will get maintained properly.

The trunk hinges on these cars were kind of crappy. And the sunroofs were not the greatest either. But what did you do to kill one of the most reliable engines ever built? I know people getting 250k out of there 2.5 liter Toyota motors. You could change the oil every 10k miles and still get 140-150k out of them.

Folks, before you write rude comments, you should read the reviews more carefully! In this review, the person stated that the engine blew a piston. The engine was repaired, then after being repaired it overheated and damaged the engine again. I hardly can imagine it being the owners fault if he/she states the car was well maintained and the car only had 70k miles to begin with. Blowing a piston at 70k miles is crazy talk! Gosh, some engine. This is not the only owner review I've read where the 2.5L V6 self-destructed. After reading these kinds of reviews, as well as other reviews about sludge build-up problems with the Toyota 2.2L and 3.0L motors, I'm SO not impressed! Save your money. Buy a Volvo. No more costly to fix, but at least they don't have these really odd, major problems.

My '88 Camry (the car this "Lexus" is based on) had the sunroof cave in as well. Not sure what that was all about, but it was pretty unnerving to open the sunroof sunshade one day to see the glass broken. No, there was no object that fell on the car, so don't even go there. This is not the first time I've heard of the 2.5L engine killing itself off prematurely. Look around the web. It's pretty common, so obviously a design flaw somewhere. By the way, that Camry I mentioned was the worst car I've ever owned and I've owned anything from Chryslers to Volvos. Do I even need to mention the fuel economy of the 2.5L motor? Yikes!

Well, I'm a Lexus mechanic. I'll start off by saying this, the ES250 is a blemish on Lexus' history, and should have never happened.

The engines overheating due to the hoses was not because of poor quality, it was because of a bad mechanic. There are a lot of things I would ask at the point when the engine threw a rod. What are the driving habits of the person behind the wheel? Same for the tranny going out.

But I must say, I work on these cars for a living, I see their quality, and I guarantee you that the ES250 does not reflect the Lexus quality that I see in the other cars they make. And also remember that car was made 18 years ago; Lexus has come a long way since then.

Sounds like you should have bought an American car...

I've owned an ES250 for quite a long time now after trading in a horrible Volvo (Wheel flew off when the bolts holding the rims to the brakes failed, Engine overheats, and the car had a clean carfax, BAH!) And nothing has happened to her. I'd say it was a good investment too.