1993 Lexus LS400

THE FIRST TIME MY ECU FAILED WAS WHEN I WAS PARKED I WANT TO DRIVE AND THE ENGINE WOULD NOT GO ABOVE 1000RMPS. I GOT THE ECU REPLACED THIS WAS AROUND 2013. THE SECOND TIME WAS A MONTH AGO. I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK HAD A HUGE THUD IN THE ENGINE AND THE SAME THING MY CAR COULD NO LONGER GO ABOVE 1000RPMS AND COULDN'T GET THREW THE INTERSECTION. THE CAR BEHIND ME HAD TO SLAM ON THERE BREAKS BECAUSE MY CAR HAD LOST ALL POWER. I MADE IT HOME AND WAS ABLE TO GET A TOW TRUCK. BY THE TIME THE TOW TRUCK ARRIVED THE CAR WOULD START BUT THEN COMPLETELY DIE. TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC THEY HAD IT FOR A WEEK SAID IT FIXED ITSELF. ONE HOUR AFTER I GOT IT THE CAR STARTED TO ACT UP AGAIN. THE CAR IS BACK IN THE SHOP. THEY HAD TO SEND THE ECU OUT TO GET REPAIRED. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND APPARENTLY THE PARTS LEXUS USED ON THE ECU ARE FAULTY AND LEEK. CAUSING THE MOTHERBOARD TO SHORT. I STILL HAVE NOT GOTTEN MY CAR BACK AND DON'T KNOW IF THE CAR WILL BE FIXED ONCE THEY GET THE COMPUTER BACK. PLEASE RESEARCH MORE AS THIS IS NOT A CHEAP FIX AND FOR IT TO HAPPEN TWICE....WHICH I'M SURE YOU ALREADY KNOW IS NOT SOMETHING COMMON TO HAVE TO REPAIR ON A CAR LET ALONE TWICE. WILL SEND MORE DOCUMENTATION ONCE I GET MY CAR BACK. OR FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME.

NHTSA ID

10957724

Incident

Feb 7, 2017

Mileage

165,000 mi

DASH FUNCTIONS DON'T WORK AT TIMES. SPEED, FUEL LEVEL,ETC ARE NOT INDICATED WHEN CAR IS AT REST OR MOVING. THIS HAS BEEN A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE RESULT THAT I FEAR DRIVING THE CAR AND WON'T SELL IT AS IT IS NOW. AT AROUND $1800 TO REPAIR WITH NO GUARANTEE THE REPLACEMENT IS NOT BUGGY, I FEEL BETRAYED AND DISMISSED BY TOYOTA.

NHTSA ID

10934343

Incident

Dec 10, 2016

Mileage

160,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 1993 LEXUS LS400. WHILE DRIVING AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE DROVE OVER A CURB AND CRASHED UP A SLOPE NEAR A WOODED AREA. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. IN ADDITION, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL NOISE HEARD NEAR THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE AS THE VEHICLE SURGED AT AN EXTREMELY HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE FAILURE WAS REPORTED TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY AND THE MANUFACTURER. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER. THE CONTACT WAS WAITING ON A RESPONSE FROM THE MANUFACTURER REGARDING THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 201,600.

NHTSA ID

10906939

Incident

Sep 11, 2016

Mileage

201,600 mi

RECENTLY THE CAR BEGAN TO STUMBLE UNDER ACCELERATION WHILE DRIVING UP A HILL OR MERGING INTO TRAFFIC OR MAINTAINING SPEED WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. I INITIALLY THOUGHT IT WAS A FUEL SUPPLY ISSUE SO I CHANGED OUT THE FUEL FILTER, WITHOUT ANY IMPROVEMENT IN THE PROBLEM. I WAS GOING TO CHANGE THE FUEL PUMP ALSO AND WHILE RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET I LEARNED OF A PROBLEM WITH BAD ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITORS INSIDE THE CAR'S ECU (ENGINE COMPUTER) WHICH CAN MIMIC A FUEL SUPPLY PROBLEM. I AM A TRAINED ELECTRONICS TECHNICIAN, SO I REMOVED AND DISASSEMBLED THE VEHICLE'S ECU AND REPLACED 2 CAPACITORS (COST, LESS THAN $1) THAT I COULD SEE WERE BAD (LEAKING ELECTROLYTE FLUID). I TEST DROVE THE CAR AND THE "FUEL SUPPLY PROBLEM" WAS GONE, IT DROVE NORMALLY AGAIN AND DID NOT STUMBLE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS PRESSED. I ORDERED THE OTHER 5 OR 6 ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITORS IN THE ECU (FROM AN OUTSIDE SOURCE, THE DEALER WILL ONLY SELL A COMPLETE ECU FOR $2000 PLUS) TO HOPEFULLY PREVENT FUTURE OCCURRENCES. IN CONCLUSION, IT APPEARS THE BAD CAPACITORS ARE THE RESULT OF A "LARGE-SCALE INDUSTRIAL ESPIONAGE FOUL-UP". NOT A JOKE! THIS RESULTED IN DEFECTIVE CAPACITORS BEING USED IN MANY ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLIES (CONSUMER ELECTRONICS, AUTOMOTIVE, HOUSEHOLD, ETC.) UNTIL THE ISSUE WAS DISCOVERED, SEE WWW.BADCAPS.NET FOR THE STORY. I FORGET WHERE I LEARNED OF THE CAPACITOR PROBLEM ON THE LS400, BUT IT WAS JUST BY SEARCHING ONLINE. SO BASICALLY, LEXUS IS CHARGING CUSTOMERS OVER $2000 TO REPAIR A SAFETY ISSUE (THAT IS CAUSED BY LESS THAN $5 WORTH OF PARTS (RETAIL COST) AND A LITTLE SOLDERING SKILLS/LABOR) THAT WAS THE RESULT OF IMPROPERLY DESIGNED/MANUFACTURED ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS FROM THEIR SUPPLIER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10583578

Incident

Apr 1, 2014

Mileage

155,000 mi

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE AT NIGHT-TIME, THE LIGHTING ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WENT COMPLETELY DARK AND IT BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO READ ANY OF THE CARS INSTRUMENTATION SUCH AS VEHICLE SPEED AND WARNING INDICATORS. AT VARIOUS TIMES SINCE THEN THE GAUGES IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL HAVE ALSO BECOME UNRELIABLE, THESE INCLUDE THE FUEL LEVEL GAUGE, THE SPEEDOMETER, AND THE TACHOMETER. AT TIMES THEY WILL NOT MOVE FROM THEIR "0" SETTING, SUCH AS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS POWERED OFF, UNTIL THEY WARM-UP OR YOU BANG THE DASH WITH YOUR HAND AND AT OTHER TIMES THEY WILL NOT WORK AT ALL. THE LIGHTING PROBLEM STILL OCCURS ON THE INSTRUMENTS ALSO. THE DEALER SAID ALL THEY COULD DO WAS REPLACE THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND COMPONENTS IN THE DASH AT A COST OF OVER $2000 PLUS LABOR, SO OFTEN I JUST HAVE TO GUESS HOW FAST I AM DRIVING OR HOW MUCH FUEL IS IN THE CAR AS THE REPAIR WOULD BE ALMOST AS MUCH AS I PAID FOR THE CAR (THE INSTRUMENTS WERE WORKING WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR). *TR

NHTSA ID

10583571

Incident

Apr 15, 2013

Mileage

150,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING OR WHEN FIRST STARTING THE VEHICLE THE WHOLE DASH WILL GO DARK AND NOT LIGHT BACK UP OR KEEP FLICKERING. YOU ARE UNABLE TO SEE HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING OR ANY WARNING LIGHTS AND THE GAS GAUGE DOES NOT WORK WHEN THE DASH LIGHTS GO OUT. DRIVING ALONE IS UNSAFE AND EVEN WITH OUR 2 CHILDREN MAKES IT VERY UNSAFE NOT KNOWING HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING AND FUEL GAUGE NOT WORKING SO YOU COULD RUN OUT OF FUEL AND LEFT STRANDED WITH KIDS ON THE ROAD. MANY COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN MADE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND LEXUS REFUSES ANY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THIS PROBLEM AND SOMETHING REALLY NEEDS TO BE DONE! *TR

NHTSA ID

10548987

Incident

Oct 22, 2013

Mileage

115,000 mi

MY 1993 LEXUS LS400 DASHLIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING FROM ATLANTA, GA TO MIAMI, FL ON JANUARY 8TH, 2011. I COULD NOT SEE THE SPEEDOMETER OR ANY GAUGES! I HAVE SENT THE CIRCUIT BOARDS TO A LICENSED ELECTRICAL ENGINEER TO GET IT FIXED. EVERYTHING IS GOOD NOW BUT ALMOST CRASHED AT NIGHT AND ALMOST GOT A TICKET BECAUSE I COULD NOT SEE THE GAUGES! *TR

NHTSA ID

10377111

Incident

Jan 8, 2011

Mileage

221,000 mi

ELECTRICAL PROBLEM: INSTRUMENT PANEL. *TR

NHTSA ID

10313849

Incident

Jun 12, 2004

Mileage

112,000 mi

Lexus Safety Recall and Service Campaign - Technician Certification Requirements 4.13.2022

POL: This consolidated Tire Warranty Guide contains the complete warranty terms for all brands of ground and spare tires currently in use by Lexus. This information must be kept near the point of vehicle sale and be available to any customer that requests it. Customers can find this information on the Owner?s section of Lexus.com. Dealers can locate a copy of this guide on the Claims Processing & Resource Center in Dealer Daily as well.

Safety Recall and Service Campaign - Technician Certification Requirements

TSB: SUPERSESSION NOTICE The information contained in this bulletin supersedes Service Bulletin Nos. L-SB-0048-08, PG007-07, PG016-01, PG015-01, PG004-97, PG003-97, PG003-93, PG002-90, L-SB-0048-08, PG007-07, PG016-01, PG015-01, PG004-97, PG003-97, PG003 93, and PG002-90. The aforementioned bulletins are obsolete, and any printed versions should be discarded. Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1990 ? 2020 model year vehicles may be available provided the requests meet the criteria listed in this Service Bulletin.

TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE April 06, 2020: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see L-SB-0008-20. Replacement Certification Labels and VIN Plates

TSB: Replacement Certification Labels. OBSOLETE NOTICE November 28, 2017: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see L-SB-0179-17.