Lexus Sc Reliability by Year

Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

20 NHTSA complaints (2002–2008).Complaint rate: 8.0 per 1,000 vehicles.

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Should I buy a Lexus Sc?

Quick answer from 20 NHTSA complaints · 2002–2008

Lexus Sc reliability depends heavily on the model year.

Most common Lexus Sc problem: Airbags11 complaints (18.2% crash-involvement rate).

Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.

Severity Score
234.6
Complaints
20
Crash Rate
15.0%
Fire Rate
0.0%
Injuries
3
Fatalities

Which Years to Buy & Avoid

Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.

Rankings based on raw NHTSA complaint counts. Sales volume data not yet available for this model.

Bottom line: The Lexus Sc has consistently lower complaint volume in 2004 compared to other years.

Avoid These Years

No years with significant complaint spikes.

Average

2002–2003
~5/yr complaints
2005
~5/yr complaints

Better Years

2004
~2/yr complaints
Looking at a specific Lexus Sc?

A model's reputation is just the start.

Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).

Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA complaint count per model year

Common Lexus Sc Problems

Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.

Show full table
ComponentComplaintsCrash %
Airbags1118.2%
Data Sources & Methodology

Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (20 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.

Sales data: Not yet available for this model. Complaint counts are shown as raw numbers.

Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.

Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint count. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).

See also: Lexus Scaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.

Buying a Lexus Sc?

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