2016 Lexus ES
Hybrid Gas Midsize car
The 2016 Lexus ES is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid and gas midsize car with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the ES 300h, is EPA-rated at 40 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 37 complaints, most often about unknown or other. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES 300h | Hybrid | FWD | 2.5L 4-cyl + 245V Ni-MH | 40 | 39 | 40 | $1,550 |
| ES 350 | Gas | FWD | 3.5L 6-cyl | 21 | 31 | 24 | $2,600 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
Out of factory warranty soon?
The 2016 Lexus ES is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.
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Recalls (1)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
highProblem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Toyota RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 30, 2015, to February 3, 2016, 2016 Lexus RX350 vehicles manufactured October 26, 2015, to February 8, 2016, and 2016 Lexus ES350 vehicles manufactured September 1, 2015, to February 29, 2016. These vehicles are equipped with an ABS actuator that may have a damaged O-ring which could result in improper brake fluid pressure control during ABS, Traction Control, or Stability Control activation. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Risk: Insufficient brake fluid pressure may cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake actuator, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 4, 2016, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G0I, GLC.
NHTSA investigations
Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds (closed)
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005
Owner complaints
37 complaints filed
5 involved a crash, 0 a fire, 1 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2016: 7 · 2017: 4 · 2018: 2 · 2019: 5 · 2020: 3 · 2021: 5 · 2022: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2026: 4
Most-cited components
- Unknown Or Other — 15
- Service Brakes — 9
- Air Bags — 4
- Electrical System — 3
- Engine — 3
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 DR FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 11% |
| 4 DR FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 11% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.
Compare the 2016 ES with
Other ES model years
2026 ES
0 recalls · 0 complaints
A2025 ES
1 recalls · 4 complaints
A2024 ES
2 recalls · 9 complaints
A2023 ES
2 recalls · 12 complaints
A2022 ES
1 recalls · 14 complaints
A2021 ES
1 recalls · 35 complaints
D2020 ES
3 recalls · 24 complaints
D2019 ES
4 recalls · 40 complaints
B2018 ES
2 recalls · 15 complaints
A2017 ES
1 recalls · 25 complaints
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 36749, 36750). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.