1994 Lexus LS400

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

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

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

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

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

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