Lotus: recalls by model and year

Name: Lotus recall campaigns
Creator: Recall Register
License: https://www.usa.gov/government-works

NHTSA lists 16 vehicle recall campaigns for Lotus. The register has 4 model lines of the make, model years 1978 to 2018. NHTSA has 26 complaints on file for these model lines. NHTSA also lists 1 child seat, tire or equipment campaign for the make. The equipment pages show it.

Select a model line NHTSA VIN lookup

Follow by RSS:Vehicle recalls

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

Model lines

4 model lines, in the order of the number of complaints.

Lotus: recall campaigns and complaints for each model line
Model line	Model years	Campaigns	Complaints	Complaints for each model year	Component with the most mentions
Elise	7	6	22	3.1	Engine and Engine Cooling
Esprit	11	5	3	0.3	Fuel System, Gasoline
Exige	7	4	1	0.1	Visibility
Evora	4	6	0	0.0

This table compares the model lines of Lotus only. The NHTSA files have no sales figures. A model line with more vehicles on the road gets more complaints. This site does not compare one make with a different make.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Newest recall campaigns

The newest 5 of 16.

19V263000Received 2 Apr 2019. 424 units.
Structure
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Lotus Cars USA, Inc. (Lotus) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Evora vehicles. The toe board in the passenger footwell lacks stiffness, allowing the knee of an unbelted occupant to contact the rigid structure of the vehicle, in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
In the event of a crash, if the occupant's knee contacts the rigid structure, there may be an increased risk of injury.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Lotus will notify owners, and dealers will replace the toe board with a new design to provide the appropriate stiffness, free of charge. The recall began May 27, 2019. Owners may contact Lotus customer service at 1-800-245-6887. Lotus' number for this recall is 2019/01R.
Report filed by Lotus Cars Limited. Manufacturer campaign number 2019/01R. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 27 May 2019. The campaign has 2 make, model and year entries.
18V781000Received 6 Nov 2018. 36 units.
Steering
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Lotus Cars Limited (Lotus) is recalling certain 2018 Lotus Evora vehicles. Due to an assembly error, in the event of a frontal collision, the steering column may not properly collapse to absorb some of the impact energy.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
If the steering column does not collapse as intended in a crash, it can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Lotus will notify owners, and dealers will correct the steering column assembly, free of charge. The recall began December 4, 2018. Owners may contact Lotus customer service at 1-800-245-6887. Lotus' number for this recall is 2018/01R.
Report filed by Lotus Cars Limited. Manufacturer campaign number 2018/01R. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 4 Dec 2018. The campaign has 1 make, model and year entry.
14V280000Received 27 May 2014. 860 units.
Engine and Engine Cooling / Engine
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Lotus Cars USA, Inc. (Lotus) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Elise and Exige vehicles manufactured from November 2007 to July 2011, and 2011 Evora vehicles manufactured September 2010 through September 2011. The oil cooler hose may detach from its fitting.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
A detached oil hose could spray oil on a tire, increasing the risk of a crash, or it could spray oil throughout the engine compartment, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Lotus will notify owners, and dealers will replace the oil cooler hose fittings on the Elise and Exige vehicles and will replace the oil cooler hose assemblies on the Evora vehicles, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Lotus at 1-800-245-6887. Lotus' number for this recall is 201401R (Elise/Exige), and 2014/02R (Evora). Note: This recall is an expansion of recalls 11V-510 and 13V-041.
Report filed by Lotus Cars USA, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number 2014/01R, 2014/02R. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 30 Sep 2014. The campaign has 9 make, model and year entries.
13V314000Received 16 Jul 2013. 80 units.
Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System / Hoses/Lines/Piping/Fittings
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Lotus Cars USA, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2011 Evora supercharged vehicles equipped with a manual transmission and manufactured September 2010 through September 2011. The engine oil cooler hose may chafe and rupture resulting in oil loss.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Engine oil may be ejected onto the road or rear wheels which could cause a reduction in vehicle control and potential engine failure, increasing the risk of a crash. Engine oil sprayed onto a heat source may also lead to a vehicle fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Lotus will notify owners and dealers will repair the vehicles free of charge. The recall began on December 11, 2013. Owners may contact Lotus at 1-770-476-6564. Lotus' campaign number is 2013/03R.
Report filed by Lotus Cars USA, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number 2013/03R. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 11 Dec 2013. The campaign has 1 make, model and year entry.
13V216000Received 21 May 2013. 28 units.
Equipment / Other / Labels
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Lotus Cars is recalling certain model year 2013 Evora vehicles manufactured September 2012 through November 2012. These vehicles have been granted a temporary exemption from the requirement to conform to the latest passenger side advanced air bag requirements covered by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection," but the affected vehicles do not a contain temporary exemption label in accordance with 49 CFR 555.9. Additionally, the affected vehicles have the incorrect date of manufacture on the Federal Certification Label.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
An incorrect certification label may prevent the owner from determining recall applicability, potentially increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Lotus Cars will notify the owners instructing them to take their vehicle to a Lotus dealer. The federal compliance label will be replaced and an exemption label will be applied, free of charge. The recall began on May 28, 2013. Owners may contact Lotus at 1-770-476-6564. Lotus Cars' recall number is 2013/02R.
Report filed by Lotus Cars USA, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number 2013/02R. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 28 May 2013. The campaign has 1 make, model and year entry.

The list shows the newest 5 of 16 campaigns.

Download all 16 campaigns of Lotus (CSV)

Counts by year

Recall campaigns that name Lotus vehicles, by the year NHTSA received the report. The largest year is 2013, with 3 campaigns.

Complaints about Lotus vehicles, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2010, with 10 complaints.

Components in the complaints

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

Lotus: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	Per 1,000	Mentions
Engine and Engine Cooling	357.1	10
Visibility	178.6	5
Electrical System	142.9	4
Power Train	107.1	3
Suspension	71.4	2
Fuel System, Gasoline	71.4	2
Latches/Locks/Linkages	35.7	1
Steering	35.7	1

Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.

Cite this page

Recall Register. Lotus: recalls by model and year. https://recallregister.com/make/lotus/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
Investigations that name the make: 1
Units in the campaigns: 10,122

Manufacturers in the recall file: LOTUS CARS LTD; LOTUS CARS OF AMERICA INC.

The make name is the name in the NHTSA files. The units of a campaign that names 2 makes are in the figure of each make. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

Which Lotus model line has the most recall campaigns?: The Elise: 6 campaigns for 7 model years. A line with more model years has more campaigns.
Which Lotus model line has the most complaints?: The Elise: 22 complaints for 7 model years. A line with more vehicles on the road gets more complaints.
Which components do the complaints about Lotus vehicles name?: Engine and Engine Cooling: 10 component mentions. Visibility: 5 component mentions. Electrical System: 4 component mentions.
How many units are in the recall campaigns for Lotus?: 10,122 units in 16 campaigns. The units of a campaign that names 2 makes are in the figure of each make.