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Lexus VIN decoder

Lexus is the luxury brand of Toyota Motor Corporation. It launched in 1989 with two sedans, the LS 400 and ES 250, and today sells both cars and a large range of SUVs. Lexus VINs are filed with NHTSA by Toyota and follow Toyota's VIN coding system.

Decode a Lexus VIN

Enter all 17 characters to see the build details NHTSA holds and the recalls for that model year.

  • 80 model pages
  • 116 recall campaigns
  • 11,482 owner complaints
  • model years 1995–2026
  • 8 WMI codes in vPIC
  • origin: Japan

Lexus at a glance

NHTSA data
Lexus: key facts from NHTSA data
Country of originJapan
RegionAsia
NHTSA recall and complaint dataYes, model years 1995–2026
WMI codes in NHTSA vPIC8
Model pages80
Other model names in NHTSA data7
Vehicle recall campaigns116
Owner complaints11,482
Complaints reporting a crash1,430 (12.5%)
Complaints reporting a fire151 (1.3%)
Complaints reporting an injury773 (6.7%)
Complaints reporting a death24 (0.2%)
Data updatedSeptember 25, 2026

About Lexus VINs

Lexus production has moved between Japan and North America over time. According to Lexus's own history, the RX 330, built in Cambridge, Ontario from 2003, was the first Lexus made in North America; ES 350 production started at Toyota's Georgetown, Kentucky plant in 2015; and the three-row TX has been built at Toyota's Princeton, Indiana plant since 2023. The Cambridge plant now builds the RX and NX. Toyota's VIN filings for the 2026 and 2027 ES list only Toyota Motor Kyushu's Miyata plant in Japan, so the current ES is imported.

Every Lexus carries a 17-character VIN, the standard in North America since model year 1981. For Lexus models built for the US and Canadian markets, NHTSA's vPIC database usually decodes the body, engine, series and plant. For the parent brand, see Toyota; for its former youth brand, see Scion.

NHTSA’s files hold 116 vehicle recall campaigns and 11,482 owner complaints for Lexus vehicles from model years 1995 to 2026, summarised here on 80 model pages. The ES 350 has the most complaints (1,451), followed by the RX (947) and the RX 350 (838). Of those complaints, 1,430 report a crash, 151 a fire, 773 at least one injury and 24 at least one death; the figures count complaints, not people.

Lexus WMI codes

Source: NHTSA vPIC · 8 codes

The World Manufacturer Identifier is the first three characters of the VIN. NHTSA’s vPIC database decodes 8 WMIs to Lexus; this is the complete list, with the manufacturer name, country and vehicle type vPIC records for each.

Lexus WMIs in NHTSA vPIC (8)
Lexus WMIs in NHTSA vPIC (8)
WMIManufacturer (vPIC)CountryVehicle typeAlso decoded as
2T2TOYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING CANADACanadaMultipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV)–
58ATOYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING, KENTUCKY, INC.United StatesPassenger Car–
5TDTOYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING, INDIANA, INC.United StatesMultipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV)Toyota
JT6TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATIONJapanMultipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV)–
JT8TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATIONJapanPassenger Car–
JTETOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATIONJapanMultipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV)Subaru, Toyota
JTHTOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATIONJapanPassenger Car–
JTJTOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATIONJapanMultipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV)–

Some codes are shared across a manufacturer’s brands; the last column names the other brands in our catalog that vPIC links to the same code. See the WMI code guide for how the codes are assigned.

Lexus models in NHTSA data

80 model pages · by complaints

Each model page lists NHTSA’s recall campaigns and owner complaints for that model name, by model year and component. Models are sorted by complaints; the data covers model years 1995–2026.

Lexus models with the most NHTSA complaints (30 of 80)
Lexus models with the most NHTSA complaints (30 of 80)
ModelModel yearsRecall campaignsComplaints
ES 3502007–2023111,451
RX1999–202610947
RX 3502004–202313838
RX 3001998–20032722
IS 2502006–20168719
ES1996–20254666
IS1999–20268595
ES 3001995–20134562
RX 3302004–20115526
ES 3302004–20102380
RX Hybrid2004–202614341
GS 3001995–20196320
NX2015–20268248
IS 3502006–202012217
LS 4602007–20174212
LS1995–20257211
GX 4702003–20093210
GX2003–20265171
GS 3502006–20199161
GS1995–20207156
LS 4302001–20052154
LS 4001995–20011152
CT2011–2016–146
IS 3002001–20222122
SC 4302002–20101110
GX 4602010–202210105
LX 4701998–2007496
TX2024–2026789
HS 250 Hybrid2010–2011479
HS2010370
Show 50 more Lexus models
Other Lexus models in NHTSA data, by complaints (50)
Other Lexus models in NHTSA data, by complaints (50)
ModelModel yearsRecall campaignsComplaints
LX1999–2026661
GS 4001998–2000156
ES Hybrid2013–2025644
LS 460L2007–2010339
NX 200t2015–2017133
CT Hybrid2011–2017127
GS 4302000–2007–27
NX 3002018–2020125
RZ2023–2026324
IS 350C2010–2015923
IS 250C2010–2015723
LX 5702008–2019522
IS F2008–2017821
GS 450h2007–2008120
SC 4001995–2001120
SC2002–2010517
GS Hybrid2007–2017216
IS 200t2016–2017216
RC 3502015–2020214
NX 2002015–2017114
RC2015–2025113
UX Hybrid2019–2025312
RC F2015–2022212
NX Hybrid2015–2025510
LS 5002018–202138
LC 5002018–202147
LC2018–202527
RC 200t2015–201726
LS Hybrid2018–202585
LS 600h L2008–201035
GS 4602008–201125
UX 2002019–202115
NX 450h+202232
RC 3002016–201922
GS 200t2016–201712
TX Hybrid2024–202651
NX 2502022–202431
NX 3502022–202431
LS 600h2008–201021
NX 350h202221
RX Plug-In Hybrid2024–202611
LC Hybrid2018–20254–
RX 350L2018–20202–
TX Plug-In Hybrid2024–20262–
GS F2016–20181–
LFA20121–
LX 60020221–
LX Hybrid20251–
NX Plug-In Hybrid20231–
RX 500h20231–

– means NHTSA has no records of that kind under the model name.

Other Lexus models in NHTSA data

NHTSA also lists these Lexus model names, but with no recall campaign and fewer than 25 complaints each, so they have no page of their own: ES 250, ES 300h, LX 450, RX 351, RX 450h, SC 300, UX.

How to read a Lexus VIN

VIN notes

Which WMI codes appear on Lexus VINs?

Lexus uses WMIs registered to Toyota's manufacturing companies. Japanese-built Lexus models use codes such as JTH (cars) and JTJ (SUVs); North American builds use 2T2 (Canada), 58A (Kentucky) and 5TD (Indiana). vPIC lists 5TD under both the Toyota and Lexus makes.

Common Lexus WMIs. Manufacturer, country and vehicle type as listed by NHTSA vPIC.
Common Lexus WMIs. Manufacturer, country and vehicle type as listed by NHTSA vPIC.
WMIManufacturer (NHTSA vPIC)CountryVehicle type
JTHTOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATIONJapanPassenger car
JT8TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATIONJapanPassenger car
JTJTOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATIONJapanMPV
2T2TOYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING CANADACanadaMPV
58ATOYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING, KENTUCKY, INC.United StatesPassenger car
5TDTOYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING, INDIANA, INC.United StatesMPV

How does Toyota code a Lexus VIN?

Toyota's filings treat positions 4 to 8 as a vehicle description code that covers body type, engine or hybrid system, restraint system, series and drive. Position 9 is the check digit, 10 the model year and 11 the plant. Two recent filings show how the plant code works:

Source: Toyota VIN coding system filings for the 2026 Lexus TX and the 2027 Lexus ES, NHTSA Manufacturer Information Database files ORG26318 and ORG26941.
Source: Toyota VIN coding system filings for the 2026 Lexus TX and the 2027 Lexus ES, NHTSA Manufacturer Information Database files ORG26318 and ORG26941.
ModelWMIPosition 11Plant
TX (2026)5TDSToyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana, Princeton, Indiana
ES (2027)JTH2Toyota Motor Kyushu, Miyata plant, Fukuoka, Japan

Because the ES has been built in both Kentucky and Japan, an older ES may carry the Kentucky WMI 58A while a new one carries JTH. Decode the full VIN rather than assuming the origin from the model name.

Lexus VIN questions

4 questions

Is my Lexus ES built in Japan or the US?

Check the WMI and position 11. Toyota's filings for the 2026 and 2027 ES use WMI JTH and plant code 2 for the Miyata plant in Japan. vPIC lists 58A, the WMI of Toyota's Kentucky plant, under the Lexus make, and ES production started there in 2015.

Why is my Lexus TX decoded with a Toyota WMI?

Because Toyota's Indiana plant builds it. The TX filing uses WMI 5TD, registered to Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana, and vPIC lists 5TD under both the Toyota and Lexus makes. Positions 4 to 8 and the decoded make identify it as a Lexus.

Can I check Lexus recalls with this decoder?

The decoder shows recalls NHTSA has issued for your Lexus's make, model and model year, using NHTSA's public data for US-market vehicles. For one VIN's open-recall status, use NHTSA's VIN search or a Lexus dealer. See recalls.

Does a Lexus VIN decode show accident or ownership history?

No. It shows factory data such as body, engine, series, model year and plant. Accident, title and ownership records come from state agencies and licensed history providers, which this site does not connect to.

(n) = model pages · (—) = no U.S. data

Brands mentioned in the notes above, then other Asian brands, each with its own VIN notes and WMI list.

  • Toyota (66) Japan · 375 recall campaigns
  • Scion (7) Japan · 28 recall campaigns
  • Acura (22) Japan · 117 recall campaigns
  • Genesis (12) South Korea · 34 recall campaigns
  • Honda (127) Japan · 363 recall campaigns
  • Hyundai (49) South Korea · 285 recall campaigns

All 59 brands »

Data: NHTSA recalls and complaints flat files and NHTSA vPIC, updated September 25, 2026.