1994 Lexus LS400 Interior & seats Problems

1994 LEXUS LS400 INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS NOT WORKING WHEN COLD, AND NOW EVEN IN THE SUMMER IT TAKES LONGER FOR THE LIGHTS TO COME ON. IN COLDER WEATHER MY LIGHTS DON'T GO ON UNTIL THE CAR IS DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES. I CANNOT SEE HOW FAST I AM GOING, AND THE SAFETY OF ROAD CONSTRUCTION WORKERS IS A HUGE ISSUE AND I WANT TO MAINTAIN A SAFE THE SAFE LEGAL SPEED. THE ODOMETER DOESN'T REGISTER, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE,. THIS CONTINUES TO WORSEN AND MY FEAR IS THAT EVENTUALLY I WILL HAVE NO LIGHTS AT ALL. HAVE CHECKED INTO MANY WEB SITES AND SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE, VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10375389

Incident

Jan 10, 2009

Mileage

85,000 mi

1994 LEXUS LS400 INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS NOT WORKING WHEN COLD, AND NOW EVEN IN THE SUMMER IT TAKES LONGER FOR THE LIGHTS TO COME ON. IN COLDER WEATHER MY LIGHTS DON'T GO ON UNTIL THE CAR IS DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES. I CANNOT SEE HOW FAST I AM GOING, AND THE SAFETY OF ROAD CONSTRUCTION WORKERS IS A HUGE ISSUE AND I WANT TO MAINTAIN A SAFE THE SAFE LEGAL SPEED. THE ODOMETER DOESN'T REGISTER, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE, THE MILEAGE IS INCORRECT. THIS CONTINUES TO WORSEN AND MY FEAR IS THAT EVENTUALLY I WILL HAVE NO LIGHTS AT ALL. HAVE CHECKED INTO MANY WEB SITES AND SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE, VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10364115

Incident

Nov 5, 2010

Mileage

210,000 mi

LEXUS INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING FAILURE RESULTS IN DRIVER'S INABILITY TO ACCURATELY DETERMINE VEHICLE SPEED. THE ISSUE HAS BEEN ONGOING IN MY 1994 LEXUS LS400 FOR SEVERAL YEARS. THE VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY 123000 MILES AND STARTED AT APPROXIMATELY 90000. IN COLDER WEATHER ESPECIALLY, THE DASHBOARD READOUT IS INVISIBLE FOR APPROXIMATELY THIRTY MINUTES. WHEN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT IS SUFFICIENTLY WARM THEY DO FUNCTION PROPERLY. THIS IS A HAZARDOUS CONDITION. TOYOTA MOTOR COMPANY REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE THE DEFECTIVE NATURE OF THEIR PRODUCT AND WANTS APPROXIMATELY 1200.00 TO REPLACE THEIR DEFECTIVE PART. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF CONSUMERS WITH EXACTLY THE SAME ISSUE I'VE DESCRIBED ON VARIOUS LEXUS OWNERS WEBSITES. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE RECALL TO CORRECT THE MATTER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10285702

Incident

Nov 1, 2005

Mileage

90,000 mi

1994 LEXUS LS 400 DASH LIGHTS DO NOT COME ON. WHERE AS YOU CANNOT TELL HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING. ALSO THE GAUGES DO NOT WORK. IF THE ENGINE GETS OVER HEATED , THERE'S NO WAY TO KNOW. AS I AM 74 YEARS OLD WITH THE GAUGES NOT WORKING I HAVE RUN OUT MANY TIMES. I FEEL LEXUS SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM. THIS A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10276429

Incident

May 14, 2008

Mileage

86,341 mi

SINCE 80,000 MILES, THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS HAVE DISPLAYED INTERMITENT LIGHTING. THE PROBLEM IS WORST WHEN THE CAR IS COLD (BELOW 60F). WHEN YOU START IT UP, THE DASH IS DARK. THEN, AS THE CAR WARMS UP, THE NEEDLES WILL FLICKER AND COME ON ( IF YOU ARE LUCKY), FOLLOWED BY THE BACKGROUND FLICKERING AND THEN COMING ON. WHILE THIS HAS HAPPENED WHILE THE CAR WAS MOVING, GENERALLY IT IS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS COLD. NOW, WITH THE MILEAGE OVER 100,000 BLACKOUT IS NEARLY 100% OF THE TIME. LEXUS DOES NOT ADMIT THEY HAVE HEARD OF THIS ISSUE. THEY TELL YOU JUST REPLACE THE SPEEDOMETER FOR $1200-$1500. SORRY, I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY TO THROW AWAY. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND A RECALL IS WARRANTED. ONE DOES NOT KNOW IF THEY ARE: OVER THE SPEED LIMIT, LOW ON FUEL, OVERHEATING OR THE BATTERY IS WEAK. FOR OTHER LEXUS LS400 OWNERS, I AM SURE THEY HAVE THE SAME ISSUES AND NEEDS. *NM

NHTSA ID

10146699

Incident

Jan 2, 2006

I HAVE A 1994 LEXUS LS400. WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW 65F, THE ENTIRE DASHBOARD LIGHTS INCLUDING THE SPEEDOMETER, GAS GAUGE, AND ODOMETER GO DARK. AFTER 20-30 MINUTES OF DRIVING, THEY FINALLY COME ON. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE I AM NOT ABLE TO SEE THE SPEED AT WHICH I AM GOING. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE LS 400 FOR THIS YEAR AS WELL AS OTHERS. MY UNDERSTANDING THAT TO FIX THIS PROBLEM REQUIRES THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER TO BE REPLACED BY LEXUS AT A COST OF $1000+. SOME OTHER OWNERS HAVE REPORTED THAT THIS CAN BE FIXED BY ELECTRONIC TECHNICIANS FOR ABOUT $500.*JB

NHTSA ID

10141202

Incident

Oct 29, 2005

I HAD A 1994 LS400. EVERY MORNING, UPON A COLD START FIRST TIME, MY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DOES NOT LIGHT UP IMMEDIATELY. THE FOLLOWING INSTRUMENTS ARE COMPLETELY DARK:- TACHOMETER (NEEDLE IS MOVING) SPEEDOMETER (NEEDLE IS MOVING) OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE (DEAD) FUEL LEVEL INDICATOR (DEAD) ODOMETER (DEAD IE NO MILEAGE INCREMENTING) D, 2, L GEAR POSITION NOT SHOWING (P, R, N IS OK) CRUISE, POWER EC INDICATORS NOT SHOWING USUALLY AFTER 15 MINUTES OF CONTINUOUS DRIVING, THE LIGHTS WILL FLICKER FOR A MINUTE AND THEN COME ON FOR THE REST OF THE DRIVE. THE PROCESS IS REPEATABLE EVERY DAY. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN AS I HAVE NO IDEA AT WHAT SPEED I AM DRIVING AT OR THE AMOUNT OF GASOLINE THAT IS IN MY CAR. MY WIFE IS AFRAID TO DIRVE THE CAR WITH THIS PROBLEM AS SHE MAY BE STRANDED ANYTIME. *AK

NHTSA ID

10078473

Incident

Jun 17, 2004

Mileage

89,000 mi

I HAVE A '94 LEXUS LS400 THAT HAS INTERMITTENT DASH LIGHT PROBLEMS. FROM WHAT I'VE READ ON THE INTERNET, THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM. WHEN THE WEATHER IS COOL THERE ARE NO DASH LIGHTS MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO READ THE SPEEDOMETER, GAS GAUGE, ETC. THE DEALER TOLD ME IT WOULD COST $2,400. TO HAVE THIS REPAIRED. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND VERY COMMON TO SEVERAL YEARS AND MODELS OF LEXUS. THANKS FOR ANY HELP.*AK

NHTSA ID

10066273

Incident

Mar 15, 2004

Mileage

60,400 mi

ON COLD MORNINGS DASH CLUSTER WILL NOT LIGHT UP. AFTER A WHILE WHEN CAR WARMS UP LIGHTS WILL START TO FLICKER AND THEN WORK FOR REST OF DAY. WHEN CLUSTER DOES NOT LIGHT UP NOTHING IS VISIBLE ON DASHBOARD. APPARENTLY THIS IS COMMON ENOUGH THAT THERE ARE TWO ENGINEERS ON EBAY SELLING REPAIRS. LOOK ON EBAY UNDER LEXUS CLUSTER REPAIR.PARTIAL COPY OF AD IF YOU OWN A 1993 OR 1994 LEXUS LS400 YOU ARE PROBABLY HAVING TROUBLE WITH YOUR DASH LIGHTS OR SOON WILL HAVE. LEXUS IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT WON'T WARRANTY IT SINCE THESE CARS ARE NOW 10 YEARS OLD. THE LEXUS DEALER WILL CHARGE YOU FROM $1400 TO $2000 TO REPAIR YOUR INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LIGHTS. ACTUALLY, THEY REPLACE 2 CIRCUIT BOARDS LOCATED BEHIND THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. THEY THEN THROW YOUR OLD BOARDS AWAY, THEY DON'T REPAIR THEM. THE NEW BOARDS THAT YOU JUST PURCHASED FROM LEXUS HAVE THE SAME BUILT-IN DESIGN FLAW AS THE ORIGINALS AND ARE DOOMED TO FAIL AS WELL. I'M AN ELECTRONICS ENGINEER AND I HAVE REVERSE ENGINEERED THEIR BOARDS AND HAVE FOUND THIS DESIGN FLAW. I HAVE REPAIRED MY OWN AS WELL AS MANY OTHERS. I GUARANTEE MY WORK FOR AS LONG AS YOU OWN THE CAR.WHEN YOU FIRST START YOUR 1993 OR19 94 LS400 ESPECIALLY ON COLD MORNINGS, THE DASH LIGHTS WON'T COME ON AND THE FUEL GAUGE SHOWS EMPTY. THEN AS THE CAR WARMS UP, THE LIGHTS BEGIN TO FLICKER ON AND OFF RAPIDLY AND THE FUEL GAUGE SWINGS FROM EMPTY TO WHATEVER AMOUNT OF FUEL THAT YOU HAVE. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES, THEY WILL FINALLY COME ON AND STAY ON FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. THE FUEL GAUGE ALSO WORKS. AS MONTHS GO BY THE PROBLEM WILL ONLY GET WORSE UNTIL THE LIGHTS WILL REFUSE TO COME ON AT ALL. THE FUEL GAUGE WON'T WORK, AND YOU CAN'T SEE THE SPEEDOMETER OR THE ODOMETER, NOT TO MENTION THE TIME AND TEMP LCD ABOVE THE RADIO! THIS IS A DANGEROUS MALFUNCTION AND OBVIOUSLY IS NOT A HAPHAZARD EVENT. IT IS COMMON ENOUGH THAT REPAIR IS BEING OFFERED ON EBAY. THIS SHOULD WARRANT AN INVESTIGATION. *AK

NHTSA ID

10060135

Incident

Jan 7, 2004

Mileage

90,000 mi

1994 LEXUS LS400 WITH BAD INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE PANEL FAILS TO LIGHT UP BELOW 55-60 DEGREES. SAFETY HAZARD. *LA

NHTSA ID

10046968

Incident

Jan 15, 2000

1994 LS400 DASHLIGHT PROBLEM,WHEN THE VEHICLE IS COLD NONE OF THE DASHLIGHTS WORK...???? WHAT IS GOING ON? THIS OCCURS DAILY, AND IS GETTING WORSE. I HAVE CALLED LEXUS ON THIS PROBLEM (ALONG WITH THE PEELING PAINT) AND THEY REFUSE TO FIX THE PAINT (VEHICLE ALWAYS GARAGED) UNLESS I PAY THEM $8000.00, AND INFORMED ME THAT THE DASHLIGHT PROBLEM CAN BE FIXED FOR $3000.00. I THOUGHT I BOUGHT A LEXUS, NOT A CHEVROLET. VERY UNSATISFIED CUSTOMER.*AK

NHTSA ID

10025974

Incident

Oct 5, 2002

ELECTRONIC GUAGE CLUSTER FAILS WHEN STARTING UP IN THE MORNING. ONCE THE CAR (DASH) WARMS UP, THE NEEDLES AND LIGHTS FLICKER AND FINALLY TURN ON. UNABLE TO SEE FUEL GUAGE, MILEAGE AND TACH.SPEEDO FOR UP TO 20 MINUTES AFTER STARTUP.*AK

NHTSA ID

10025216

Incident

Jun 1, 2003

Mileage

180,000 mi

DASH BOARD LIGHTS DO NOT WORK. BEFORE THEY WOULD FLICKER AND COME ON, NOW NOTHING

NHTSA ID

10016780

Incident

May 1, 2002

INSTRUMENT PANEL WILL NOT LIGHT UP AT ALL. THE GUAGES WILL NOT ILLUMINATED, YOU CANNOT TELL HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING, HOW MUCH GAS YOU HAVE, OR IF THERE ARE HAVE BEEN ANY TYPE OF ENGINE FAILURES, BRAKE FAILURES, ETC. THIS CONTINUES FOR DAYS TO WEEKS AT A TIME. THIS IS WORSE AT NIGHT, YOUR COMPLETELY IN THE DARK, YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE WHAT GEAR YOUR IN - IT IS VERY DANGEROUS.

NHTSA ID

10007746

Incident

Feb 18, 2003

Mileage

90,000 mi

I HAVE A '94 LEXUS LS400 ON WHICH THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DISPLAY DOES NOT FUNCTION AT LOW TEMPERATURES. IT WILL TAKE UP TO AN HOUR OF DRIVING BEFORE THE INSTUMENT PANEL LIGHTS UP AND THE GAGES BECOME VISIBLE. ONE HAS TO NOTE THAT THIS IS A NEON-LIT INSTRUMENT PANEL WHICH WILL BE TOTALLY DARK DAY OR NIGHT WHEN THE LIGHTING DOES NOT WORK. THE USER WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEE ANY WARNING LIGHTS, VEHICLE SPEED AND FUEL LEVEL. THIS IS A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM WITH "90 TO '94 MODEL YEARS AND POSSIBLY LATER ONES ALSO ( I PERSONALLY KNOW OF AT LEAST 10 CASES). LEXUS IS QUOTING $1,200 TO $1,600 TO REPAIR THIS DEFECT. BASED ON THE PRICE TAG, MANY PEOPLE WILL BE RELUCTANT TO HAVE IT REPAIRED AND CONSEQUENTLY THERE WILL BE MOTORISTS ON THE ROAD WHO WILL NOT KNOW WHAT SPEED THEY ARE GOING OR WHETHER THEY WILL RUN OUT OF GAS. I BELIVE THAT THIS IS A SAFETY DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE CORRECTED BY THE MANUFACTURER THROUGH A RECALL.

NHTSA ID

10002808

Incident

Nov 1, 2000

Mileage

79,000 mi

I HAVE A 1994 LEXUS LS400 WITH DEFECTIVE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING AND IT IS A PROBLEM ON A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF LS400 AUTOMOBILES. THIS PROBLEM PRESENTS A SAFETY HAZARD WHEN DRIVING ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. LEXUS DOES NOT WANT TO ADMIT TO THIS DESIGN FLAW OVIOUSLY.

NHTSA ID

10002805

Incident

Oct 29, 2002

THE WHOLE DASH WILL NOT LIGHT UP WHEN THE WEATHER IS COLD, AND CAUSE DRIVER NOT TO SEE ANY OF THE WARNING LIGHTS, SPEED, OR FUEL LEVEL. THIS LEAVES THE CAR OCCUPANTS IN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. DEALER WANTS AN ABSURB AMOUNT OF MONEY ($1200) TO FIX PROBLEM, WHICH I BELIEVE IS A FACTORY DESIGN FLAW AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED.

NHTSA ID

10002769

Incident

Nov 1, 2002

Mileage

150,000 mi

WHEN STARTING VEHICLE AND ENGINE IS COLD, THE DASH GAUGES DO NOT OPERATE. AFTER VEHICLE ENGINE HAS WARMED, THE DASH GAUGES START TO FLICKER AND EVENTUALLY COME ON. WITHOUT THE DASH GAUGES, YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW FAST GOING, IF CRUISE IS ENGAGED, HOW MUCH GAS, THE TEMPERATURE OF ENGINE, ETC. TOOK TO DEALER AND THE PART THAT NEEDS REPLACING IS A METER ASSEMBLY CIRCUIT BOARD (PART # 83247-5A050-RP). AFTER RESEARCH, I FOUND THAT THE -RP OF THE PART NUMBER MEANS THE CIRCUIT BOARD HAS TO BE PROGRAMMED WITH MY CURRENT MILEAGE. FURTHER INVESTIGATION SHOWS THAT WHEN THE DASH IN NOT OPERATING, MY MILEAGE IS NOT BEING REGISTERED. I THINK IT IS POOR DESIGN TO STORE ODOMETER READING IN FLASH MEMORY (I HAVE VERIFIED THIS BY RECORDING ODOMETER READING WHEN DASH WAS OPERABLE. DROVE ABOUT 15 TO 20 MILES, WHEN DASH NOT OPERABLE, AND VERIFIED THAT THE ODOMETER HAD NOT REGISTERED THE MILEAGE). I HAVE GONE TO MANY LEXUS RELATED SITES (CLUBS, BULLETIN BOARDS, MESSAGE BOARDS) AND FOUND THIS TO BE QUITE PREVALENT.

NHTSA ID

10000850

Incident

Oct 1, 2002

Mileage

44,000 mi

WHEN STARTING VEHICLE AND ENGINE, AND THE ENGINE IS COLD, CONSUMER STATES THE HEADLIGHTS DO NOT OPERATE. AFTER VEHICLE ENGINE HAS WARMED CONSUMER STATES THE HEADLIGHTS START TO FLICKER. CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. PH

NHTSA ID

8023957

Incident

Oct 1, 2002

WHEN THE WEATHER WAS COLD DASH LIGHT WOULD NOT WORK PROPERLY. CONSUMER STATED AFTER VEHICLE WARMED UP, DAH LIGHT WOULD START TO FLICKER. TS THIS WOULD ALSO CAUSE THE DASH LIGHTS TO GO OUT COMPLETELY AND THE ODOMETER TO MALFUNCTION . METER ASSEMBLY CIRCUIT BOARD HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TT *JB. *AK

NHTSA ID

8023814

Incident

Oct 1, 2002

Mileage

44,000 mi

WHEN IT'S COLD OUTSIDE VEHICLE HAS NO DASH BOARD LIGHTS, MAKING DRIVER UNABLE TO READ SIGNAL. HE WOULDNT KNOW FAST HE IS GOING OR HOW MUCH GAS THEY HAVE LEFT, ETC,. *AK

NHTSA ID

8009554

Incident

Dec 9, 2001

INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS GO OUT. CAN'T SEE ANY GUAGES ON DASH. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND DEALER INDICATED THERE WAS A PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID

8007721

DASHBOARD LIGHTS ARE OUT. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ID

8004065

Incident

Jan 15, 2001

DASHBOARD LIGHTS DO NOT LIGHT UP, DRIVER CANNOT READ ANY GAUGES ON DASHBOARD, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY. *AK

NHTSA ID

857012