Three problems related to air bag have been reported for the 2003 Lexus IS. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Lexus IS based on all problems reported for the 2003 IS.
Vehicle fishtailed at about 40 mph due to rwd and about an inch or two inches of snow on the ground. Vehicle was uncontrollable and the brake was not applied. Seatbelt was being worn and vehicle slid onto oncoming traffic and hit an early 2000's f250 (I believe) rocker panel. The whole front end Is destroyed and I have pictures. My head hit the windshield and cracked it. I went to the hospital and had a ctscan and was ambulanced to a nearby hospital that had a neuro surgeon and kept overnight. I am now on necessary leave from work and in a great amount of pain due to a hemorrhage in my brain. I believe my medical injuries could have been avoided if the vehicles airbags were deployed.
Initially, the passenger air bag compartment started shining, melting and deteriorating then the entire dashboard started deteriorating. Now the air bag compartment weakening where it Is sinking in the middle. I'm very afraid that the compartment will deploy the air bag and injure and/or killing anyone sitting in the seat. I which started complaining about this Issue since 2009 to Lexus corporation in which I was told my warranty had expired. Lexus knew the materials used on the Is 300 were defective and did not recall them to fix.
On the night of October 27th, I was driving home with my boyfriend from a friend's house. I was in my 3-day old certified pre-owned Lexus Is300. It was a 2003 with 20,000 miles on it, in spectacular mint condition. Upon coming around a slight bend in the road leading into our apartment complex, a deer ran out into the road from the right. I swerved left upon instinct, and we hit gravel and then wet grass. We were going about 40 mph when I hit the brakes, but the car skid because it could not get any traction in the wet grass. We hit a brick wall head on, at roughly 30 mph, and none of the airbags in the car deployed.
| Air Bag problems | |
| Air Bag Not Deploy problems |