We're looking to get a car for the next 5-7 years, and want to avoid repairs. Having come from an aged Mini Cooper, the next time I have to crawl under a car will be too soon. I read really great reviews about these Lexus hybrids, and think they really make a superior. I really wanted to hear from some of the higher mileage owners out there about what issues you've experienced? How realistic is it to get 200k or even 300k miles out of these hybrids? My parents have two priuses, both with the same NiMH batteries as in the 300h, and they have over 300k on both cars. We can't quite afford a new 300h, so I'm wondering how long I can expect to drive one without issues if I buy one with some miles on the clock. I'm not afraid of battery replacement, but am rather concerned with the durability of the other components, like the PSD and electronic components.

 

All published reports mirror your parents experience, very reliable. Recall that for every
additional part to be concerned with (battery, controller, inverter) there are even more
traditionally troublesome pieces that are now absent (alternator, starter, accessory belt
and pulleys, power steering pump/hoses) A/C compressor is now electrical and runs at
the exactly the RPM it was designed for rather than subject to the wide range delivered
by the belted engine. Much more reliable. Brakes are now used rather differently than a
traditional car and last twice as long.

 

JD Power has Lexus number one in reliability for seven years in a row. They rank the ES number one in reliability in the premium mid-size category. We are on our second one with zero problems. We also have owned two hybrid RX's again with zero problems.
Just as important as the reliability is the maintenance. Every 10,000 miles the oil is changed with a tire rotation. Every 30,000 miles the brake fluid needs to be changed. At 110,000 miles the coolant needs to be changed. I do this all ala carte. I never go in an ask for a 30,000 mile or 45,000 etc. service. The air and cabin air filters take me five minutes to change both.

 

I have 14 es300h. The car has given me zero problem for the last 69,000 Miles. Only thing repaired was the driver seat coolers repaired under warranty.

 

lincolnshibuya at toyotanation has Camry Hybrid with 270 000 miles on it and everything original according to him. Even brake pads.

 

I hear the brakes last a lot longer as the battery recharging does a considerable amount of the braking. Everything I hear from you guys confirms what I've read elsewhere. I too am religious about maintenance, and do all my own work. I feel confident this will make a great car for us for a long time.

Do you know what goes wrong with those seat coolers? One of the cars we test drove had the drive's side cooler broken. Is it just the fan, or some relay somewhere?

 

Its nothing electrical. What happens is the cushion that channels the air from the fan collapses, which in-turn reduces the air coming out of the seat bottom reducing the cooling potential. Seat backs will be fine, There is TSB for it.

 

I have a 14 Esh. The only thing that I don't like is that the AC evaporator does not drain well and this caused a mold issue. Some people have had this problem and others have not had it.

 

I echo experience of others. I have 2013 300h with 74000 miles on it and no issues whatsoever. Regular maintenance. Still original brake pads and 12 volt battery.

 

I have driven a 2015 ESh since new. Other than some problems with the doors and trunklid not latching properly (once or twice) in cold winter weather, I have had absolutely no problems.

I follow the Canadian maintenance schedule, which seems to be more than required by the American schedule (e.g. oil changes every 8000 km / 5000 miles), and other than being a bit upset about high service prices compared to equivalent Toyota service prices, I have no complaints. The parallel electric drivetrain takes some of the load off the internal combustion engine drivetrain, which explains the reliability of the vehicle. The engine runs less time and the regenerative braking (when coasting and slowing down, energy that would otherwise be lost is used to turn the generator and charge the battery) saves wear on the mechanical brakes.

Just think and look at the increasingly high number of Toyota Hybrid vehicles (Prius and Camry Hybrid models, and even ESh models) used as taxis and airport limos. If a car can survive taxi use, it must be durable and reliable, and relatively cheap to run.

 

Good point, Taxis get the heaviest use, being mainly city-driven cars. So under the hood, the engine and drivetrain components are identical to the Camry, right?

 

Almost identical, I think the engine has slightly more power from a different ECU mapping. The IS300h and GS300h have similar drivetrains on the hybrid side but with 220hp total power from different cams.

Toyota has been making a ton of these 2.5 liter hybrids over the years. The traction battery can be an issue at over 100k miles but failures seem to be very rare.

 

Of course things can go wrong but If anyone has perfected reliable hybrids its Toyota.

130k miles and still on original break pads.

 

I have one that we use in our black car business. Bought it in 8/16 with 28k, now has 168k & is increasing @ 1,200~1,400 per week. Basic maintenance so far. I do full synthetic oil changes with a factory filter every 10k. Still on the original brake pads like others have mentioned. The only issue has been an occasional rattle/knock in certain types of cornering that we have managed to isolate to the roof section & is sunroof related. When the roof is tilted or open, no noise. Not intrusive enough to warrant dropping the headliner so I live with it. Great cars! Planning on 300-350k+ before she becomes a backup unit.

 

Has anybody checked how much is the traction battery for these things? I usually keep my car 15 years, and don't know if the traction battery will last that long..