1998 Lexus GS300

Problems owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1998 Lexus GS300, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.

• Vehicle speed control25
• Suspension10
• Tires5
• Service brakes, hydraulic5
• Structure4
• Electrical system4
• Engine and engine cooling3
• Exterior lighting3
• Electronic stability control2
• Electronic stability control (esc)2

NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 5 injuries and 0 deaths reported

Compared with other years

NHTSA ODI complaints by model year

In the Netherlands

45 first registered in 1998 are on Dutch roads; 31% arrived later as imports.

Most common APK defects

• Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen26
• Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm8
• Waarschuwingsinrichting antiblokkeersysteem geeft defect aan7
• Kentekenplaatverlichting werkt niet (goed) / ontbreekt6
• Band beschadigd6
• Fusee(kogel) te veel speling6
• Richtingaanwijzers kleur wijkt af/niet toegestaan5
• Band onvoldoende profiel5

Colours

RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording

In the United Kingdom

89 cars built in 1998 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 296 more were declared off the road (SORN).

Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0

MOT test results in Great Britain

In 2023, 153 of these cars first registered in 1998 took their annual MOT test. 73% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 1998 the figure was 64%.

DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail

In Finland

12 of these cars first registered in 1998 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 311,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.

Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0

In New Zealand

26 1998 cars are on the New Zealand register; 27% arrived as used imports, 58% were sold new in New Zealand.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0

Recalls

Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words

Service bulletins

What Lexus told its dealers about the 1998 Lexus GS300: known faults, fixes and updates.

NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)