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2014 Lexus ES problems: engine and transmission complaints and recalls

NO ELEVATED SIGNAL
21%
9 of 46 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

No elevated drivetrain complaint concentration in the available NHTSA records for the 2014 Lexus ES. Engine, transmission and fuel system account for 21% of relevant complaints.

Better than 85% of the 1,790 model years we track (2010–2023).

NHTSA data checked October 3, 2026

The VIN is on the listing, the driver’s door jamb, and the bottom of the windshield on the driver’s side.

Does the 2014 Lexus ES have engine or transmission problems?

Not as a pattern, going by owner complaints. 9 of 46 relevant complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2014 Lexus ES concern the engine, transmission or fuel system (21%). For comparison, the 2013 scores 17% and the 2015 scores 20%. This describes the model year, not any one car: a well-maintained or already-repaired example can be fine, and a clean model year can still have a bad car in it.

Drivetrain complaints
9
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
46
this model year
Fires reported
0
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
1
7 crashes · 3 injuries

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM14 · 30%
SERVICE BRAKES10 · 22%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER8 · 17%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM5 · 11%
ENGINE5 · 11%
STRUCTURE4 · 9%

The years either side

2010
8%
4 of 179
2011
20%
5 of 197
2012
0%
0 of 116
2013
17%
9 of 63
2014
21%
9 of 46
2015
20%
5 of 27
2016
18%
6 of 37
2017
14%
3 of 25
2018
too few complaints
2019
59%
17 of 34
2020
too few complaints
2021
0%
0 of 35
2022
too few complaints
2023
too few complaints

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

How the 2014 compares with other Lexus ES years

Of the 10 Lexus ES years with enough complaints to score, the 2014 is the 2nd-worst on engine and transmission share (21%). The worst is the 2019 (59%), the best the 2021 (0%). By volume, the 2014 drew 46 complaints (9 drivetrain), against 63 for the 2013 and 27 for the 2015.

Lexus ES years to avoid and best years →

In the full report

The rest of the picture on the 2014 Lexus ES

  • Up to 15 owner reports, with the ones about your car's own engine first.
  • What to ask the seller and what to check on the test drive, for this car.
  • Two cars side by side, if you are deciding between them.

What one owner reported

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHI11/01/2018CRASH
WHEN I WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT IN REVERSE THE BRAKE WAS FIGHTING ME SO IT KEPT GOING INTO A CONCRETE PILLAR THEN WHEN I SHIFTED IT INTO DRIVE IT DID IT AGAIN AND NOW MATTER HOW HARD I PRESSED THE BRAKE IT COULDN'T OF STOPPED TILL IT RAN INTO A FENCE NOT FAR IN FRONT OF THE CAR WHEN IT HIT THE CONCRETE PILLAR.…

One of 9 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows up to 15, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

2014 Lexus ES engine and transmission recalls

No engine or transmission recalls. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign on the 2014 Lexus ES, none of them for the engine, transmission or fuel system. A recall is the manufacturer admitting a defect and paying to fix it; whether a specific car still has one open depends on its VIN, which the full report checks. The owner complaints above are a separate record and often point at problems that never became a recall.

1 other recall on this model year (airbags, lighting, brakes and the rest)
forward collision avoidance: crash imminent braking15V728000 · Nov 2015
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Avalon and Avalon Hybrid vehicles manufactured October 19, 2012 to October 27, 2015 and 2013-2015 Lexus…

Source: NHTSA recall campaigns filed against this year, make and model; one of NHTSA's listings did not answer when this page was built, so the list may be incomplete. Checked October 3, 2026.

Checking one particular 2014 Lexus ES? This page is about the model year. Accidents, title brands and odometer records belong to the individual car, and that is what a vehicle history report covers.

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Questions people ask about the 2014 Lexus ES

Does the 2014 Lexus ES have engine or transmission problems?

Not as a pattern, going by owner complaints. 9 of 46 relevant complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2014 Lexus ES concern the engine, transmission or fuel system (21%). It describes the model year, not any one car, so an inspection still matters.

What is the most common problem with the 2014 Lexus ES?

Going by NHTSA owner complaints, the most common problem filed against the 2014 Lexus ES is electrical system: 14 of 46 complaints (30%) name it, followed by service brakes (10) and fuel/propulsion system (5). A complaint can name more than one component, so these overlap. Engine, transmission and fuel-system complaints together make up 21% of the relevant total.

Is the 2014 Lexus ES reliable?

On the engine and transmission, nothing stands out: 21% of relevant complaints filed with NHTSA concern the drivetrain, below the 33% line where we call a signal elevated. That is better than 85% of the 1,790 model years we track. Among the 10 Lexus ES years we score, it ranks 2nd-worst. Complaint data describes the model year, not one car, and it says nothing about trim, paint or electronics outside the drivetrain; an independent inspection still decides it.

Are there engine or transmission recalls on the 2014 Lexus ES?

No. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign on the 2014 Lexus ES, none of them for the engine, transmission or fuel system.

Which Lexus ES years are better?

Among the Lexus ES years we track, the 2012 (0%), the 2021 (0%) and the 2010 (8%) have a lower engine and transmission complaint share than the 2014 (21%). Manufacturers fix things mid-generation, so the year before or after can be a different car. Every year side by side: https://thelanecheck.com/cars/lexus-es

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle. Combined across 3 body styles NHTSA files separately.