Lexus bulletin L-SB-0038-23
What it saysTSB: Some 2023 model year ES 250 vehicles equipped with an A25A-FKS engine may exhibit a condition in which a popping noise is present when the engine is running. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Lexus filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 12, 2023, received Aug 28, 2023, about the engine. It names 1 model year (2023). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationTSB: Some 2023 model year ES 250 vehicles equipped with an A25A-FKS engine may exhibit a condition in which a popping noise is present when the engine is running.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L-SB-0038-23 | Service bulletin | Jul 12, 2023 | 10241397 | not found |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 12 complaints with NHTSA since 2015.
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the engine
Source: same model, same component group18 other manufacturer communications filed against the Lexus ES under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Lexus list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| L-SB-0040-20 OBSOLETE | Service bulletin | Sep 22, 2026 | OBSOLETE NOTICE September 22, 2026: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see L-SB-0026-26 |
| L-SB-0026-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 22, 2026 | This bulletin includes basic procedures for performing a rescue charge at battery on high voltage (HV) Ni-MH and Li-ion batteries. This bull… |
| L-SB-0021-25 | Service bulletin | Mar 10, 2026 | OBSOLETE NOTICE February 27, 2026: This bulletin is no longer applicable and is now obsolete. |
| L-SB-0021-25 OBSOLETE | Service bulletin | Feb 27, 2026 | OBSOLETE NOTICE February 27, 2026: This bulletin is no longer applicable and is now obsolete. |
| 24LE02 | Warranty extension | Aug 7, 2025 | The specific condition covered by this program is for a small engine coolant leak that can occur from the flow shut-off valve that can allow… |
| L-SB-0051-24 REV2 | Service bulletin | Jun 25, 2025 | Some 2021 model year ES 250 and 2019 – 2021 model year ES 300h and UX 200 vehicles equipped with an A25A-FKS, A25A-FXS, or M20A-FKS engine m… |
| 25LC01 | Service campaign | Apr 17, 2025 | The subject vehicles are equipped with a low-pressure fuel pump which may stop operating. If this were to occur, warning lights and messages… |
| L-SB-0051-24 REV1 | Service bulletin | Jan 5, 2025 | Some 2021 ES 250 and 2019 – 2021 ES 300h and UX 200 model year vehicles equipped with an A25A-FKS, A25A-FXS, or M20A-FKS engine may exhibit… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Lexus, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Lexus L-SB-0038-23 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the L-SB-0038-23 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Toyota warranty extension on file lists the ones Toyota has filed.
Which vehicles does L-SB-0038-23 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2023 Lexus ES. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.