Warning: Your Lexus Is Or GS Could Be Leaking Fuel In The Engine Bay

Do you drive an older Lexus IS or GS? If so, you might want to watch out, because there could be a fuel leak in the engine bay. Fortunately Lexus is addressing the issue in this latest recall campaign.

The problem comes down to the fuel pulsation dampers in the engine, which could harden and crack over time. If that happens, they could result in fuel leaking out – and in a hot engine bay, this could easily cause a fire.

To fix the affected vehicles, Lexus won’t just replace those fuel pulsation dampers but will install entirely new fuel delivery pipes that include improved dampers, which hopefully will last longer.

The issue involves certain models fitted with the 3.5-liter V6 engine. Specifically, the 2006-13 IS 350, 2010-14 IS 350C, and 2007-11 GS 350 and GS 450h. All told, that comes to 115,000 vehicles in the US, which coincidentally is about the number of passenger cars (excluding the more popular crossovers and SUVs) Lexus sells here each year.

Last year, the manufacturer sold over 26,000 IS sedans in America, down by about half from a high of over 50,000 just a few years ago when the slow-selling two-door hardtop convertible was still part of the lineup. The drop was even more glaring with the larger GS, of which it sold fewer than 8,000 – down by about two thirds from the 30,000+ it sold at its peak in 2005. Hence, we gather, the decision to scrap the GS and move the new ES into its place.

Lexus sold over 50,000 of those last year, from a high of over 80,000 a decade prior, but this can be attributed to consumers’ shift in crossovers and SUVs at the expense of traditional sedans, premium and mass market alike.