Hello, my wife and I are looking to replace one of our Camrys - pretty much set on an ES, most likely a used 7th gen. Did look at the new Crown, but my wife didn't like it. We get Consumer Reports and I was looking at the 2026 auto issue that came out recently and I was surprised by some of the data on the 7th gen ES. For the hybrid, CR includes it as a best used car right through from 2016 to 2023 for used cars under $40k.

But for the regular ES, they don't include 2020 or 2021 models - 2016-2019, then 2022 - 2023 for best used cars under $40k. When I look at the year by year data, it looks like lower ratings in the "engine, major" category is bringing down the overall reliability, I guess far enough that they don't include those years in their best used car lists. It looks like all 7th gens have the same V6, the 2GR-FKS. We have been focusing more on hybrid vs. non-hybrid, colors, etc. thinking there wasn't much to consider reliability-wise since it is a Lexus, except maybe stay away from first year of a new generation, in this case 2019. Miles tend to higher than we are looking for with 2019s and 2020s, but 2021-2022 are about right for age/miles, although you can come across a low mileage 2019/2020.

Is there arything to the "engine, major" issue with the 2020s and 2021s? I believe all the used car data is owner provided, so CR must have got those reports from ES owners with some type of engine problem they consider "major."

Would like not to take any years out of the running - sedans are becoming hard to come by and take out a few exterior/interior color choices and the number of available cars can start to get slim. Thanks in advance for any feedback on this possible issue. Hoping to get into an ES soon!

 

I've been a member of this forum since 2012. I owned a 2013 and now a 2019 Ultra Lux. I don't recall reading one engine related complaint from any year Lexus ES starting in 2013 up to today. I'm not sure what CR is referring to but I don't believe that there is any substance to the reports. The V6 engine has been utilized at least since 2006 - 20 years - (maybe longer) and, IMO, is bulletproof.

GOOD LUCK with your search and keep in touch.

 

I rather ask clublexus members than a website for advice !!
deff not the car magazine cause all German cars are top of the list
just like radio stations playing the same songs making you think it’s the best song

 

Look here and start at post #39 and open the video on post #40.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...2gr-fks-3.html

I saw that CR discussion and commented and there is feedback. There are issues with CR and their data base. I am the 2nd owner of a 21 ES350 bought in Aug 2024 with 20k miles and all is well so far at 26k. The V6 is a great engine but do oil changes and if a lot of city stop and go they recommend cutting the 10k - 1 year by 1/2 which ever comes 1st. If you can find one look for low miles and check all functions and read a lot here that is more reliable than CR.

Good luck let us know what you get..

 

most Toyotas are Ubers
cause a million cars can’t be wrong

 

Thanks for all the info. That TSB seems to cover multiple engines going back to 2000, pretty broad. I assume the leak issue must be what is being reported to CR. With a small dataset, if a few owners had to get the repair done, that would be enough to drop the CR reliability #s for a given year.

We've had four Toyotas in the family since 2007 - 2007 Camry V6, 2008 Camry hybrid, 2012 Camry 4 cyl, and 2014 4Runner. The 2007 Camry was my Dad's, he put a ton of miles on the car pretty quick after he retired, but he never mentioned any oil leaks with the V6 and I never had to help him get anything repaired. No leak oil leaks with the 2008 hybrid , 2012, or T4R, all of which are now in the 150k-200k mile range.

My wife would like the ES hybrid if at all possible, so if we can find one with the exterior/interior color combo she likes, we'll probably get one. She drove a 250, I didn't go with her on that test drive, but she said it was noisy, so a 250 is out, although the awd would be nice here in the northeast. . She's ok with a 350 if we can't find a hybrid she likes.

This looks like the most popular Lexus forum, so it looks like the one I'll be using. Thanks again.

 

My understanding of the leak issue on the early years of the Gen 7 is that it coincided with the introduction of the 2GR-FKS engine and was related to the assembly procedure of that engine (which is weird since the -FKS had already been around for several years). After that procedure was fixed, the engine issues dropped off. You should be safe for anything newer than those two years listed in CR. In addition, if you have any concerns and the car has less than the 60,000/6 years, get it thoroughly inspected so you have time to put in a warrantee claim. (Something you should do anyway).

 

What I heard from AMD the CCN was the timing cover leak was due to the intersection of main engine components at a critical location where careful application of sealant was applied. If there was not a perfect clean area there it set the stage for a future leak. This was also an issue for the 2GR-FE Gen 6 and it migrated to the 2GR-FKS Gen 7. Hopefully more careful sealant application improved through the years

With your 2020 ES 350 no leak there at how many miles?

 

Leak occurred (or at least was diagnosed) at 110,000 km or 68,000 miles (Cdn warrantee numbers in km are different from US...I believe the U.S. uses 60,000 miles/6 yr? and Cdn is 110,000 km/6 yr). And, yes, anecdotal evidence from the internet appears to indicate there were leaks on the 2GR-FE and seems to have happened quite a bit on certain Toyota applications though..not sure why that would be except a much larger "population"?. Also can't think why the 2019 (first year for the -FKS on ES) escaped the dreaded C.R. "finger of doom" while the 2020 and 21 got caught unless some bright spark came up with what they thought might be a better assembly program for the robots. I still wouldn't be worried about it...far as I have seen I'm the only one who has had the problem amongst the membership in this Gen 7 forum which is why I didn't jump out when the O.P. first asked his question.

BTW, I have seen videos of people having had similar issues with North American brands as well...the issue with Toyota, especially sedans, is the front wheel drive, transverse engine layout that practically demands engine removal to fix.

 

Just making sure, you know the 300h has the 4 cylinder: A25A-FXS, which is the the hybrid version of the A25A-FKS from the ES 250.

 

Whatever you do, never buy the first 2 years of any new engine, even Toyotas.

I bought the first 2AR Rav4 when it came out and so far it's ok. I think the engine has more power than Toyota states but I hate the new oil canisters and they have been known for loud vvti gear rattles. My car rattles loud for 1 second and quiets down. I hear it's to get louder over the years until I have the gear replaced. Likely a $1,200 repair.

Back to the ES. If you want a hybrid it's a fantastic car. 300h is great. If you don't care about fuel economy the 350 is awesome. It's a sweet sweet engine that will last a long long time. Whatever you do, never follow Toyota's recommendation of oil changes every 10,000 miles. Do it every 5,000.

Get the last of the 7th gen. Just about every bug would have been sorted out.