Seven problems related to side/window air bag have been reported for the 2004 Lexus ES330. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Passenger side airbag cover is separating from dashboard and appears to have pressure behind it. Vinyl is cracked on top side of airbag cover.
Takata recall my 2004 Lexus ES 330 has a malfunctioning passenger side airbag. There is a light that says passenger airbag off that is illuminated. Also, there is a gap in the housing where the airbag is located on the dash of the passenger side. I am concerned there has been no formal recall on this issue. There are several complaints online from consumers with same issue on the same make/model. Please add this vehicle to the recall.
Passenger side airbag cover is separating from the dash. I appears to be rising up from its flat position on the dash and I'm afraid it might deploy and injure a passenger. Is this a takata airbag?.
While the car was garaged overnight, the passenger side airbag in the dashboard cracked and is now partially exposed. I called Lexus and they asked me to take the car in to my local Lexus dealership. I did. While they reviewed the issue, they also completed service on a recall of the passenger side seat belt. I was then told that the airbag was not covered under warranty, but they would submit a claim to Lexus. The claim was denied. They said, the warranty is six years/70,000 miles. While the car is under 70,000 miles the car is ten years old. The charge to fix the cracked airbag is $3500. 00 my argument to them was: 1. The airbag is not a "wear and tear" item. The airbag is a safety item that should last the lifetime of the car. 2. Lexus fixed the other safety item a seat belt, so they should fix the airbag. 3. Lexus could not guarantee that the airbag would function properly. I informed them that I had two teenagers who are driving and asked: a. Will the airbag deploy properly if the car is in an accident? b. Will the airbag deploy unexpectedly while driving? Lexus could not answer the questions to my satisfaction. I do believe this is a design flaw in the ES 330 that could potentially harm the driver and passengers.
The passenger side airbag seem to have developed a tear around the top edge. Not sure if this affects the deployment of the airbag. After doing a search on th web this problem is very common for Lexus ES 330 of 2003 onwards.
The contact owns a 2004 Lexus Es330. The contact stated that the front passenger side air bag cover was warped. The contact was concerned for his safety. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
The passenger side airbag is splitting or busting around the top of it, where it attaches to the rest of the dashboard. Not sure how this affects the airbag as far as its performance if in an accident. Or if it continues to split will the airbag deploy.