Used 2019 Lexus ES 350 Luxury 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 8A) Consumer Reviews
Used ES 350 for sale
Beware of Stereo (even the upgraded one)
VeryUnhappyCustomer, Kansas City, MO, 12/27/2018
Lexus ES 350 Luxury 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
162 of 174 people found this review helpful
We purchased this car without having had an opportunity to listen to the stereo (long story). Unfortunately, even with the upgraded stereo it is absolutely un-listenable at low or normal conversational volume levels. There is no sound coming from the back speakers - everything sounds like it is coming from the center dash speaker only. Now you may be thinking: "you need to adjust the fader and balance". No go. Even adjusting the fader all the way to the back and the right, the sounds will still sound to the driver like it is coming directly from the front center speaker and is terribly disorienting. There are multiple threads online of people with similar problems. It isn't clear to me if this is a hit and miss issue on these cars, or if it impacts them all. But what is clear, is that our Lexus dealer was unwilling to do anything about it, despite having come back with the car within the first few business hours of driving it off the lot. Here is just one of the several forums where people are discussing the issue: https://lexusenthusiast.com/forums/threads/issues-with-2019-lexus-es-350-stock-audio-system.4819/
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unhappy buyer
Future Buyers beware!, Lancaster, CA, 03/10/2019
Lexus ES 350 Luxury 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
256 of 277 people found this review helpful
I was one of the first to buy the new 2019 Lexus ES 350 with the 10 speaker premium sound system. Like many others the ES 350 and other models always had a decent sound system so I concentrated on the rest of the car. During delivery I said the sound system does not sound right, it was very late at night so we went home with the car with the sales manager saying bring it back if you need help and we'll make it right. That statement was so far off but I don't think they even knew or could fathom that Lexus would have such a crappy sounding no surround surround system that just has no fade capability at all! We already have a hybrid car so this would be used for comfortable trips etc... so it sat for a couple weeks in the garage unused due to bad weather so it took this long for me to be able to pull it out of the garage and really discover what a really crappy sound system this was. I tried everything and even took it to work and let everyone else play with the adjustments. It still sucked! I took it back to the dealer and started getting the same run around everyone else is and has been getting, they don't have a fix and all the remaining 2019 Lexus ES 350's on the lot sound as crappy so they say it must be normal. A TSB was submitted and they said they have heard this problem before. Since this was totally unacceptable to me paying this kink of money for a no surround surround system I contacted the customer satisfaction department and said I wanted Lexus to buy this car back. That went to Corporate where some moron could only say it is performing to specifications. I asked him to take the time, get in one and tell me he would be happy but he just kept reading off of his 3 X 5 card what he was probably only allowed to say, it is performing to specifications, what do you want me to do. I asked again for Lexus to buy back the car which took another 3 weeks to get what was required for the package. I submitted it immediately but it sat over two weeks due to XMas and New Years. Now from Headquarters I was told 4 to 6 weeks to get and answer. 6 weeks came by and nothing with many e-mails and voice mails from me starting at the 4 week period from the time they received the buy back package, I started getting next week maybe again and again. I has now been 9 weeks when I called in and said this has gone on long enough when I was told the case was closed. Never one bit of communication from Lexus, only someone who sits at a desk deciding that the $50k I spent on what I planned to have for a retirement car was a waste to me and the worst experience from a car purchase ever. I have had other Lexus models, my family has had several. All with great sounding audio systems . I traded in a 2016 IS 200T that I would kill to get back! Lexus has sacrificed one of their most popular models and so far stood behind this crappy system. Lexus customer satisfaction moto has been completely thrown out the window. My entire experience with this model has been horrible. I dislike it so much it sits in the garage unused and I have yet to get the official response in the mail of how Lexus refused to buy this back. I have had it since the 4th on November 2018, it only has 1600 miles. Yes I am that disgusted. The only satisfaction I get is knowing that I posted reviews on most major car review sites and see the numbers of people who read it and I'm sure didn't buy one. These were all probably first time Lexus buyers. The rest of us who have been Lexus loyal and counted on their quality and customer satisfaction policy have been severely cheated. I can only hope that more people read all existing reviews and not buy this model and deal with the frustration everyone else has had to deal with.
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Worst stereo I have ever owned in a car.
NY Rick, Sarasota, FL, 03/16/2019
updated 03/25/2021
Lexus ES 350 Luxury 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
85 of 91 people found this review helpful
As others have noted, there is no way to adjust the rear speakers to provide decent sound. The fade option is a joke. You essentially get the sound from the front speakers - just like I did on my 1960 Plymouth. Never dawned on me to "test drive" the speakers. Had I done so, I would never have bought this car. It would have been a deal breaker. I should also mention that the touchpad on the info system is a disaster waiting to happen. It is impossible to use the damned thing without taking your eyes off the road for far too long a period. I hope Lexus has adequate insurance so that when owners start causing accidents due to not paying attention to the road, it can pay off the inevitable claims. I am surprised that the US government allows this car to be sold with that system. Otherwise, the 2019 model is a huge improvement over my 2014 model. Quieter, more comfortable, sportier to drive, faster and just plain better in every way, other than the 2 major concerns I have mentioned. When I reported the radio issue to Lexus the week after I bought it, I was told that the system was designed to work exactly as mine does. How Lexus thought this was the way to go is a puzzlement. Update after owning car for 14 months - nothing has changed my initial evaluation. Car handles exactly like a Lexus would be expected to perform. Very quite, Very comfortable, but unexciting. However my issues with the sound from the entertainment system and the dangerously distracting touch pad not only remain, but have become even more infuriating the longer I drive this car. I detest (is that a strong enough word for you?) the speakers. I listen to music whenever I am in the car and the awful sound is a daily reminder how much I hate this car. I was seriously considering dumping it and taking a loss, but in light of the financial collapse due to Covid, that is no longer an option. And I continue to hope that others who own this model do as I do and simply stop using the built in distraction device called the touchpad, because I fear that someone in a similar model is going to cross a double line and kill my family. Most states have laws against “distracted driving”, but no one seems to address the fact that looking down to use the touchpad is not much different from texting while driving,
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Stereo and Bluetooth Issues
UnhappyNewESOwner, Overland Park, KS, 12/28/2018
Lexus ES 350 Luxury 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
126 of 138 people found this review helpful
The stereo system in this car (in my case, the upgraded Mark Levinson), is literally unlistenable due to balance/fader issues, as is the Bluetooth. All of the sound comes directly from the center dash speaker, and no amount of changing the fader and equalizer settings changes that’s unfortunately. There are multiple threads on onl8ne forums of people describing the same problem. Lexus has been made aware, but says this is how the system is designed. I would strongly urge anyone thinking of purchasing to listen to the stereo beforehand. The issue is especially prevalent at lower (I.e. normal conversational) volumes. This issue is especially upsetting, giving that the car in general is fantastic. But for this price point, we should be able to turn in the stereo and use the Bluetooth.
Premium Sound, I think not!
Unhappy buyer, Lancaster, CA, 12/11/2018
updated 12/13/2019
Lexus ES 350 Luxury 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 8A)
65 of 71 people found this review helpful
The re-design is great. I like everything except the 10 speaker premium sound system. The sound from the rear speakers is almost non-existent. When you fade it to the rear to balance the sound out from front to rear you cannot hear the rear speakers. I have taken it to the dealer, it was compered to another new 2019 ES 350 which performed at the same poor quality so I was told it was normal. The dealer did submit a TSB and did tell me there were other complaints but Lexus says this poor quality sound from the rear is normal, I cannot accept this answer. I hope future buyers know that the 10 speaker premium sound system is sub-standard. I hated the sound so much I already traded it in for a 2019 GS350 with the Mark Levison sound system that works great (not redesigned yet) and took a huge loss. The Lexus service department said a lot of ES 350's cars are brought in with this sound system complaint. Before trading it in I tried for months to have Lexus or the dealer buy it back. The dealer said as soon as you sign the paper work it is a Lexus problem. I can only hope more people read these reviews and not buy on until they fix the crappy sound system.
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