Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 10/01/2011 | 120000 | 1 | |
| When the vehicle is cold, the instrument panel does not light up. it takes about an hour of driving to warm up the dashboard and will eventually flicker. this happens constantly and seems to be an issue with all lexus ls400s. i am also having an issue with the power steering leaking. the leakage has caused my alternator to go bad. i have since replaced the alternator, steering pump and steering rack. the issue also seems to be for all lexus ls400s. *tr | |||
| 10/01/2011 | 120000 | ||
| When the vehicle is cold, the instrument panel does not light up. it takes about an hour of driving to warm up the dashboard and will eventually flicker. this happens constantly and seems to be an issue with all lexus ls400s. i am also having an issue with the power steering leaking. the leakage has caused my alternator to go bad. i have since replaced the alternator, steering pump and steering rack. the issue also seems to be for all lexus ls400s. | |||
| 02/01/2012 | |||
| Tl* the contact owns a 1994 lexus ls400. the contact stated that the instrument panel was defective and she was unable to see any of the gauges. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 122,000. | |||
| 02/01/2012 | |||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1994 lexus ls400. the contact stated that the instrument panel was defective and she was unable to see any of the gauges. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 122,000. sm. | |||
| 02/01/2012 | |||
| Tl - the contact owns a 1994 lexus ls400. the contact stated that the vehicle instrument panel was defective as a result she was able to see any of the gauges. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnosed the failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 122,000. pm | |||
| 12/01/2009 | |||
| 1994 lexus ls400..dash lights and instrument gauges work intermentantly when the outside temp is in the 60's or below..when the car warms, the lights and gauges will flicker on and off til the instrument cluster has warmed completely, usually 5-7mins..however, if the outside is 45degrees or below, the warm up time for the instrument cluster to be functional is greatly increased 2 as much as 20mins in my experience.. this can be extremely dangerous, as you are unable to see the gauges, more so @ night..i emailed lexus corp and they said they didn't know there was an issue w/this item because there weren't any complaints by the dealerships or consumers(that is not true obviously)..they instructed me that any of their dealers are capable of making the repair and instructed me to contact one..after speaking to service @my local lexus dealership,i found this is a $1,300 parts and labor repair and my car needed to be grounded immediately cause it is too dangerous to drive it like that and no loaner car would available as it was a repair item thats not covered to receive a loaner...estimated down time of vehicle, 2.5 weeks..i see and hear so many complaints of this particular items failure and want to know why isn't a mandatory recall put recall put forth? manfacturer won't obviously, it would cost them money, nevermind that can be a dangerous failure to anyone driving. | |||
| 10/01/2004 | |||
| The dash board lights just flicker awhile before coming on. i have tried to get lexus to fix this problemm and was told that it is not on warranty.they would fix it for 1400.00. it is now worse and do not litght up. | |||
| 10/12/2010 | 163000 | ||
| I have a 1994 lexus ls 400, on days when the temp is below 70 degrees the cluster lights do not come on. when the vehicle warms up, which the time varies, the cluster lights flicker for several minutes and then they go on. when its colder they dont go on at all. it is impossible at night to see any guages. not sure why nothing is being done with lexus on this. | |||
| 10/01/2007 | 70000 | 1 | |
| Our 1994 lexus ls400 has approximately 85,000 miles currently. about 2 years ago the instrument panel lights became erratic, frequently failing to come on during cold weather. this would require that we waited with the engine on until the car heated up before being drivable safely. the length of warm up time has gradually increased to an intolerable level, where i have had to drive the car without instrument lights due to my wife's emergent medical conditions. this is very hazardous, not knowing vehicle speed, fuel supply, charging status, possible engine overheating etc., any of which could cause vehicular failure or accident. we are retired and not able to pay for the expensive repairs which i have been led to believe are required. i believe this is a safety issue which should be addressed by the manufacturer. *tr | |||
| 05/14/2008 | 86341 | 1 | |
| 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 | |||
| 10/14/2004 | 10000 | 1 | |
| 1. time as in its inevitable, cold start, cold conditions. conditions of 50f and a cold start are nearly guaranteed to exhibit this issue. 2. the instrument cluster gauges, its illumination, the center console & shifter illumination fails every cold start below 70f and can occur below 85f. a cold start in very warm conditions of around 80f will tend to hide the symptoms and or have the symptoms shortly after the car has warmed up. when the instrument cluster does not function, it generally means the shifter and console fail to illuminate at night which makes choosing the correct gear and selecting the correct climate control at night a challenge and safety hazard. during a cold start, the instrument cluster does not function or has limited/selective functionality until it is warmed up and that usually occurs only when the cabin is brought to an inhospitable 80-90f. so until the instrument cluster has been heated up to around 70-80f, the tachometer, speedometer, fuel gauge, engine temperature and odometer are not illuminated and not functioning either. another way of looking at it is this: the odometer is not registering miles, one does not know how fast they're going and does not know how much fuel is available/left all before the instrument cluster has warmed up. there have been times where the instrument cluster never came on despite driving 25 miles for a total time of 20 minutes and the engine fully warmed up. 3. i have done nothing at this time to correct this error, but it has been suggested by the dealership which does acknowledge this is a widespread issue to replace the instrument cluster at a cost of $1000 for parts and $200 for labor. this is a very widespread issue as evidenced by the number of users who have voiced their concerns regarding this issue online. as a california resident, i can only imagine how much worse this problem can be for those who live in colder states. *tr | |||
| 07/15/2001 | 81000 | 1 | |
| Instrument cluster and climate control lcd failures. *tr | |||
| 09/09/2006 | 60000 | 1 | 08/26/2005 |
| I am complaining about a common problem with the instrument cluster on the lexus ls400. it seems to be more than just a random few, as i have read multiple complaints of this happening and being a known problem that lexus refuses to address. this needs to be recalled and fixed at the expense of lexus. *nm | |||
| 09/01/2006 | 45 | ||
| 1994 ls 400, dash will not come on for about the first 20-30 minutes of driving each morning then flickers for awhile then comes on. *nm | |||
| 04/05/2006 | 169000 | 1 | 07/01/1996 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the instrument cluster panel failed to illuminate. the vehicle was seen by a dealer for replacement of the instrument cluster panel. updated 05/03/06. *jb | |||
| 12/02/2002 | 1 | ||
| Instrument clustering lighting. the instrument was designed in a way in which it needed to be lighted day or night. the instrument lights in the consumer vehicle started to malfunction about a year ago. they would not come in cold weather until the vehicle has been driven for at least 10 minutes. the dealer informed the consumer it was a common problem and it would cost $1000.00 to fix it. the dealer stated if the consumer did not get it fixed, eventually the lights would go out permanently. *jb | |||
| 03/15/2003 | 1 | ||
| I have 1994 ls400. the whole dash will not light up when the weather is cold, causing driver not to see any of the warning lights, speed, or fuel level. i believe this leaves the car occupants in a very dangerous situation. the lexus dealer wants an absurb amount of money ($1200) to fix problem, which i believe is a factory design flaw and needs to be recalled. *ak | |||
| 08/25/2003 | 94000 | 1 | 11/01/1995 |
| Instrument panel doesn't work properly. speedometer/ gasoline/ oil pressure gauge not working at all. also there is no light at instrument panel. . dealer notified will cost to fix $950.oo.*ak *nlm | |||
| 1 | |||
| The speedometer and the dash lights were inoperative. *jb | |||
| 05/06/2003 | 100 | ||
| Instrument panel lights do not light on cold/cool mornings. they will come on after a period of time in warm months, they do not come on at all during cold weather. this seems to be an issue with the 1994 lexus ls400. possibly a defective unit. dealer wants 1200 to correct what i believe is a manufacturers defect. the incident date given is date of this submission. the incident has been ongoing for years. *jb | |||
| 10/01/2002 | 106000 | 9999 | 09/16/2000 |
| I owned a lexus 1994 ls400 car. i had a safety complaint against lexus for producing faulty instrument cockpit. when i start the car in the morning, the instrumentation cockpit is completely dark ie no illumination. i have to drive the car without any idea on speed, or mileage, or fuel tank level or whatever indicators. this is a known design defect and a lot of owners have reported this problem. *nlm | |||
| 11/15/2000 | 1 | 05/01/1996 | |
| 1994 lexus model ls400. instrument panel will not light up in cold weather. cannot see speedometer and gauges do not work. this defect did not manifest itself until i moved from calif to iowa where the weather is cold. this is a serious safety hazard and lexus will not admit they have a problem but say they can fix it for $2000+. i think these vehicles should be recalled to correct this problem. *jb | |||
| 06/02/2000 | |||
| Instrument cluster lights and needles indicators went bad. no speed displayed | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 01/02/2006 | 100 | 08/18/2001 | |
| Since 80,000 miles, the dashboard lights have displayed intermitent lighting. the problem is worst when the car is cold (below 60 | |||
| 10/29/2005 | 30 | 08/01/2005 | |
| 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 | |||
| 06/17/2004 | 89000 | 2 | |
| 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 | |||
| 03/15/2004 | 60400 | 4 | 03/13/2004 |
| 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 | |||
| 01/07/2004 | 90000 | 2 | |
| 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 | |||
| 01/15/2000 | 0 | 1 | 03/14/1998 |
| 1994 lexus ls400 with bad instrument panel. the panel fails to light up below 55-60 degrees. safety hazard. *la | |||
| 10/05/2002 | 1 | 11/09/2001 | |
| 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 | |||
| 05/01/2002 | |||
| Dash board lights do not work. before they would flicker and come on, now nothing | |||
| 02/18/2003 | 90000 | 1 | 11/15/2002 |
| 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. | |||
| 10/29/2002 | 10/28/2002 | ||
| 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. | |||
| 11/01/2002 | 150000 | 200 | 07/20/2000 |
| 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. | |||
| 10/01/2002 | |||
| 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 | |||
| 10/01/2002 | 44000 | 1 | 05/01/2001 |
| 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 | |||
| Instrument panel lights go out. can't see any guages on dash. took vehicle to dealer, and dealer indicated there was a problem. *ak | |||