1993 Lexus LS400 Owner Complaints

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

THE GAUGE CLUSTER LIGHTING ON MY 1993 LEXUS LS400 DOES NOT COME ON UNLESS IT IS ABOVE 75 DEGREES OR SO OUTSIDE OR IN THE PASSANGER COMPARTMENT. THE LIGHTING OF THE GAUGE CLUSTER IS NOT JUST NEEDED AT NIGHT. WITH THE GAUGES BEING ELECTRONICLY LIT YOU CAN'T SEE YOUR SPEED, REVS, ENGINE TEMP, OR FUEL LEVEL DAY OR NIGHT UNLESS THE CAR IS FULLY WARMED UP OR IT'S HOT OUTSIDE. NEEDLESS TO SAY THAT IN THE WINTER EVEN DURING THE DAY, THE LIGHTS ARE NO WHERE NEER WARM ENOUGH TO LIGHT UP. LEXUS HAS NO SUGGESTIONS OTHER THAN REPLACE THE UNIT WITH AN EXPENSIVE BRAND NEW ONE THAT WILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM IN A FEW YEARS. THEY HAVE NOT MADE ANY CHANGE TO THE CIRCUTRY OR LIGHTING IN ORDER TO ACCOMADATE FOR THEIR PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

10294337

Incident

Jan 15, 2007

1993 LEXUS LS400 CLUSTER LIGHT FAILURE RESULTING IN THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS BEING COMPLETELY UNREADABLE. UNABLE TO DETERMINE SPEED, GAS LEVEL OR ANY WARNING LIGHTS. READ IN THE LEXUS FORUMS THAT THIS IS VERY COMMON AND LEXUS REFUSES TO RECALL EVEN THOUGH DEATH OR INJURY COULD RESULT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10293738

Incident

Nov 26, 2009

Mileage

54,000 mi

SPEEDOMETER - INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LIGHTING FAILURE. BECAUSE OF SOME FAULTY CONDENSER SPILLAGE CLUSTER LIGHTING FAILS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10292109

Incident

Nov 1, 2009

Mileage

180,000 mi

1993 LEXUS LS 400 DASH LIGHTS DON'T WORK, INCLUDING SPEEDOMETER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10261543

Incident

Feb 24, 2009

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1993 LEXUS LS400. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILED TO DISPLAY READINGS FOR THE SPEEDOMETER, TACHOMETER, AND FUEL GAUGE. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS PRIOR TO THESE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ID

10260837

Incident

Feb 27, 2009

MY LEXUS 1993 LS400 INSTRUMENT PANEL DOES NOT LIGHT UP WHEN CAR IS STARTED. IT TAKES ABOUT 25 MINUTES OF THE CAR RUNNING UNTIL THE LIGHTS START TO FLICKER AND FINALLY COME ON. WHEN THEY AREN'T ON, WE CANNOT TELL HOW FAST WE GOING, HOW MUCH GAS WE HAVE AND ETC. I HAVE BEEN ON MANY SITES ABOUT THIS AND IT SEEMS TO BE A VERY BIG PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS. THE DEALERS WANT ABOUT 2-3 GRAND TO FIX. WHY HASN'T A RECALL BEEN DONE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THESE CARS ARE NOTORIOUS FOR THIS PROBLEM. WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT ITS COMPLETELY DARK IN THE CAR AND IF WE WERE TO GET PULLED OVER FOR NOT KNOWING HOW FAST WE ARE GOING, WE COULD GET A TICKET FOR THE DASH BOARD LIGHTS NOT WORKING. "UM, SIR, I AM NOT SURE HOW FAST I WAS GOING BECAUSE THE DASH LIGHTS DON'T WORK", THAT'S NOT A GOOD ANSWER!! LEXUS HAS FUMBLED THE BALL ON THIS ONE! THESE ARE EXPENSIVE CARS, THEY NEED TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR PUTTING CRAP PARTS IN THEM. PLEASE HELP. *TR

NHTSA ID

10251772

Incident

Dec 14, 2008

Mileage

130,000 mi

MY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LIGHTING DOES NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED, BUT SOMETIMES WILL COME ON AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES. THE PROBLEM HAS JUST RECENTLY STARTED, BUT SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE (TAKING LONGER FOR THE LIGHTS TO COME ON IF AT ALL). NO STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN YET TO REPAIR, BUT GIVEN THE SEVERITY OF THE IMPACT, SAFETY CONCERNS WILL PROBABLY FORCE ME TO PAY A SIGNIFICANT SERVICE BILL AT THE DEALER SOON. WHEN I DRIVE AT NIGHT, THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND CENTER CONSOLE IS DARK. EVEN DURING FULL DAYLIGHT, I CAN NOT TELL HOW FAST I AM GOING, THE FUEL LEVEL, ETC. THE LEXUS CLUB FORUM INDICATES THAT MANY OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM AND HAVE REGISTERED COMPLAINTS WITH BOTH LEXUS AND THIS SITE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10249935

Incident

Nov 1, 2008

Mileage

138,000 mi

'93 LEXUS LS400 INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DOES NOT ILLUMINATE UNTIL CAR IS WARM (30-60 MINUTES) UNABLE TO SEE HOW FAST I AM GOING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10221357

Incident

Mar 15, 2008

NO LIGHT IN INSTRUMENTAL CLUSTER. EMPTY FUEL TANK. OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE OFF. ODOMETER AND TRP OFF. *TR

NHTSA ID

10221077

Incident

Jan 13, 2008

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1993 LEXUS LS400. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WAS VIBRATING AND THE GAUGES DISPLAYED INACCURATE READINGS. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THAT IT WAS A SAFETY HAZARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE CLUSTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT REPLACED IT APPROXIMATELY FOUR YEARS AGO, BUT THE FAILURE STILL EXISTS. THE POWERTRAIN AND PURCHASE DATE WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 200,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 190,000.

NHTSA ID

10220887

Incident

Mar 18, 2007

Mileage

190,000 mi

1993 LEXUS LS400--FAILURE OF DASH LIGHTS--STARTED WITH FLICKING AND PROCEEDS TO NO LIGHTS AT ALL--NO WAY TO READ SPEED AND OTHER INFORMATION. CAR HAS LESS THEN 50,000 MILES AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED WELL. *CN

NHTSA ID

10213732

Incident

Aug 10, 2007

Mileage

41,000 mi

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FLICKERS OR GOES BLANK MAKEING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW HOW FAST OR SLOW YOU ARE GOING AND HOW MUCH GAS IS IN THE CAR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10208876

Incident

Jul 21, 2007

Mileage

111,800 mi

1993 LEXUS LS400 MALFUNCTIONING FRONT DISPLAY PANEL CUSTOMER IS ASKING FOR A RECALL TO BE DONE**CC THE DEFECTIVE PANEL AT TIMES LIGHTS UP INITIALLY AND IMMEDIATELY GOES OFF. THE CONSUMER IS UNABLE TO READ ODOMETER, FUEL LEVEL AND TEMPERATURE GAUGES. *JB

NHTSA ID

10199241

Incident

Jan 1, 1901

DASH LIGHTS DO NOT WORK WHEN COLD. *AK

NHTSA ID

10196393

Incident

Nov 1, 2005

THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ON MY '93 LS 400 IS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. SOMETIMES WHEN IT IS COLD IT WON'T LIGHT UP. IN ADDITION, THE SPEEDOMETER AND THE TACHOMETER ONLY WORK SPORADICALLY. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH LEXUS VEHICLES FOR YEARS AND I WANT TO LEND MY VOICE TO THE MANY WHO HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM. THIS HAS TO DO WITH A DESIGN FLAW IN THE MANUFACTURING OF THIS COMPONENT AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. THE DEALER WANTS ALMOST $2000 TO REPAIR A PROBLEM THAT SHOULD NEVER EXIST. THE WORST PART ABOUT THAT IS THAT THE NEW MODULE WILL HAVE THE SAME DESIGN FLAW THAT THE OLD ONE HAS. EVEN MY '58 CHEVY HAD A SPEEDOMETER THAT WORKED. I BELIEVE THAT LEXUS HAS TAKEN A HEAD IN THE SAND ATTITUDE TOWARD THIS PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE MADE ACCOUNTABLE.

NHTSA ID

10191753

Incident

May 25, 2007

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DOES NOT COME ON UNTIL THE CAR WARMS UP, SOMETIME IT TAKES 30 MINUTES. YOU CAN NOT SEE HOW FAST YOUR GOING,FUEL LEVEL OR ANYTHING RELATED TO DASH LIGHTS. *JB

NHTSA ID

10184448

Incident

Mar 7, 2007

Mileage

125,000 mi

DIGITAL DASHBOARD PROBLEMS THIS IS MY SECOND LEXUS LS , AND ON BOTH CARS THE DASH LIGHTS HAVE FAILED TO WORK . THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE YOU CAN NOT SEE HOW FAST YOUR ARE GOING , AND IF THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE SRS OR ANT LOCKING SYSTEM THE DRIVER HAS NO WAY OF KNOWING THERE IS A PROBLEM UNTIL IT IS TO LATE. *NM

NHTSA ID

10182880

Incident

Feb 15, 2007

Mileage

145,000 mi