This service and repair manual is built around the 2002 Lexus IS 300 specifically, matched to the exact year, engine and trim in your driveway, so the figures it gives for the 3.0L inline-six (2JZ-GE) are the ones Lexus published for the 2002 car rather than values carried over from an adjacent model year.
Engines
- 3.0L l6 GAS Naturally Aspirated
Trims
- Base, Automatic
- Base, Standard
- SportCross
Known issues on the 2002 IS 300. No recalls are on federal record for the 2002 IS 300. Owners have still filed 45 complaints for the year, and Lexus has issued 37 technical service bulletins. The diagnostic and repair procedures behind the systems those bulletins address are here.
From chasing down a fault that turns out to be bulletin-documented to a routine service interval on the 2JZ-GE, it keeps you on the OEM procedure and the correct specification for your specific 2002 IS 300.
LEXUS IS300 2002 VEHICLE ROLLOVER ON FREEWAY. DEFECT THAT CAUSED THE CAR TO ROLL WAS FROM THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL/RIM BROKE IN HALF WHILE DRIVING. I WAS MERGING AND HEARD SOMETHING BREAK UNDER THE CAR. MY STEERING WHEEL TURNED A HARD RIGHT FORCEFUL AND WITHOUT MY CONTROL. I TRIED TO STRAIGHTEN THE STEERING WHEEL OUT FROM THIS INVOLUNTARY HARSH DIRECTION OF VEHICLE, IT WAS LOCKED UP. I TURNED COMPLETELY AROUND FACING TRAFFIC. ALL ATTEMPTS TO TURN THE STEERING COLUMN WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO DO SO (
CAR WAS T-BONED-UNABLE TO OPEN DOORS-PASSENGER HIT HEAD ON WINDOW- SIDE AIRBAGS DID NOT OPEN. *JB
MY 2002, LEXUS IS300 HAD A CASE OF SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION THAT LED TO A CRASH CAUSING OVER $10,000 WORTH OF DAMAGES TO BOTH MY CAR AND THE OTHER PERSONS CAR. I HAVE SEEN OTHER REPORTS OF OTHER PEOPLE WONDERING IF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE IS SUSPECT IN THESE CASES, HOWEVER I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT THE REAL PROBLEM IS ONLY PARTLY TO BLAME ON THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE. IN MY OPINION, THE PROBLEM IS THE LIKELIHOOD OF THE PEDAL GETTING STUCK UNDER FLOOR MATS IS TOO HIGH, COMBINED WITH THE REL
ACCELERATOR FAILURE IN A LEXUS IS300 ABOUT TWO YEARS MY DAUGHTER GOT ON A CAR ACCIDENT AT THAT TIME SHE MENTIONED THAT HER ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK. THERE HAS BEE A FEW TIME THAT I FELT THAT THE ACCELERATOR GOT STUCK WHILE DRIVING MY CAR ALSO. I CALLED THE DEALER AND THE LEXUS COMPANY FOR THE LAST 6 MONTHS AND ALL THEY SAID IS THAT MY CAR IS NOT INVOLVE IN THE RECALL. THAT DON'T MEAN THAT MY CAR IS NOT DEFECTIVE, OR THERE NEED TO BE A FATAL ACCIDENT FOR THEM TO TAKE ACTION. *TR
THE NEW BLUE LIGHTS IN NEW CARS CREATE BLINDNESS WHEN APPROACHING AT NIGHT. EVEN FROM BEHIND IN REAR VIEW MIRROR THEY CREATE BLINDING DISTRACTION.
PROBLEM STARTED WHEN CAR WAS IN FOR REPAIR OF WHEEL ALIGNMENT WHEELS GOT STOLEN FROM DEALER COLLISION CENTER LEXUS NOT CAR GOES OUT OF ALIGNMENT WHILE DRIVING ON A ROUGH ROAD WEARING OUT TIRES COMPLIANTLY ABOUT 3 SET OF TIRES REPLACED
SOMETHING ON WINDSHIELD THAT MAKES IT HARD TO SEE, IT IMPAIRS MY VISION. DASHBOARD IS LITERALLY MELTING! IT'S STICKY! NOW I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY LEXUS DOESN'T TAKE CARE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS AND SEND OUT A RECALL. FIX THEIR MISTAKES AND DO IT RIGHT. I UNDERSTAND THEY TRIED TO PASS SOME CHEAPER PRODUCTS OFF ON THEIR VEHICLES BUT THAT ONLY BOUGHT THEM SOME TIME. WORD OF MOUTH IS THEIR WORST ENEMY RIGHT NOW. *TR
ANGLE OF THE REAR WINDOW, THE RELATIVELY NARROW APERTURE OF THE GLASS AND THE LARGE HEADRESTS ON THE REAR SEATS CONSPIRE TOGETHER TO SEVERLY RESTRICT THE DRIVER'S VIEW OUT OF THE REAR VIEW WINDOW. IT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE ANYTHING ALONG THE REAR "FLANKS" OF THE VEHICLE OUT OF THIS WINDOW WHILE DRIVING. MY SUGGESTION WOULD BE TO INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE VIEWING APERTURE, USE A "LOWER PROFILE" HEADREST IN THE BACK SEAT (LIKE THE ONE IN THE MIDDLE BETWEEN THE TWO REAR SEATS), OR A COMBINATI
LOUD THUMPING NOISE FROM REAR OF TRUNK, ON MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS WHEN SHIFTING BETWEEN 1ST, 2ND, AND 3RD.*AK
THE SUNROOF/MOONROOF CREAKS AND CRACKLES. THIS IS NOT THE NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. THE NOISE STARTED AFTER 5000 MILES ON THE CAR. LEXUS DEALERSHIP WHERE I WENT FOR SERVICE HAD DELAY THIS BACK AND BACK. THEY ONCE ATTEMPTED TO FIX IT BUT MADE IT WORSE. THERE ARE MANY USERS (WWW.IS300.NET) WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS. THIS IS SO ANNOYING THAT IT'S LIKE BUYING A TOYOTA COROLLA. THE SAME SOUND APPLIES TO THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE; I WONDER IF THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. *LA
TIRE WEAR AND ALIGNMENT PROBLEMS ON 2002 LEXUS IS300. *BF THE FRONT END MADE A LOUD SOUND OF ROLLING MARBLES. THE DEALER SUGGESTED THAT IT WAS A NORMAL SOUND AND THE FACT THAT THE BRAKES HAD SETTLED THE NOISE WOULD BE HEARD. *SC *JB
DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 LEXUS IS300. THE CONTACT STATES THE VEHICLE STALLS AND WILL NOT ACCELERATE, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL COME ON EITHER ON THE HIGHWAY OR ON OFF ROADS. THE VEHICLE WILL STALL AT DECELERATING OR ACCELERATING. THE ONLY WARNING PRIOR TO THIS FAILURE IS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON. THIS OCCURS AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE ENGINE WILL RESTART USUALLY IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FAILURE. IT HAPPENED ABOUT 100-150 TIMES. THE CAR HAS BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT 10 TIMES WITHIN THE
I HAVE HAD THREE SETS OF COOPER ZEON 2XS 215/45ZR17. THERE HAVE BEEN PROBLEMS WITH ALL THREE SETS. I WAS TRAVELING LONG DISTANCE WHEN MY REAR DRIVERS SIDE TIRE CAME APART AND ROLLED AWAY WHILE I WAS ON THE ON RAMP FOR I24 WHICH IS A VERY BUSY MAJOR HIGHWAY. I WAS PROBABLY GOING ABOUT 35 MPH AT THE TIME THIS OCCURRED. THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY $1250 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO MY CAR NOT INCLUDING REPLACING MY TIRE WHICH I WILL NEVER BUY THESE TYPE OF TIRES EVER AGAIN. ALSO, THIS DELAYED MY TRIP TO VISI
ON 8/28/06, AT APPROXIMATELY 8:50 AM I WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON A TWO LANE, LEVEL, STRAIGHT PAVED COUNTY ROAD. I WAS DRIVING MY 2002 LEXUS IS 300 THAT HAD JUST REACHED 26,000 MILES. (THIS CAR HAS RECEIVED ALL REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE SERVICES FROM LEXUS OF RENO AND HAS NOT HAD ANY PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE) THE ROAD WAS CLEAR AND DRY. I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH WHEN I ACCELERATED TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE. AS I PASSED, MY CAR KEPT ON ACCELERA
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 LEXUS IS 300. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, A GLARE APPEARED ON THE WINDSHIELD THAT AFFECTED THE CONTACT'S VISIBILITY. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE DASHBOARD WAS MELTING AND A STICKY RESIDUE COVERED ITS SURFACE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 144,500.
Showing the 15 most serious of 45 complaints filed with NHTSA.
