IllustrationTHE SPEEDOMETER AND THE DASH LIGHTS WERE INOPERATIVE. *JB
1994 Lexus LS400
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1994 Lexus LS400 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 21.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all LS400 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
20–25K
225–50K
350–75K
1275–100K
4100–150K
10150K+
33 reports with mileage · 35 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 44 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Interior Lighting. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seat Belts. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
44 reports1994 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 D…
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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
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 D…
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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
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 …
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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
DASH BOARD LIGHTS DO NOT WORK. BEFORE THEY WOULD FLICKER AND COME ON, NOW NOTHING
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+…
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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
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 …
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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.
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LIGHTS AND NEEDLES INDICATORS WENT BAD. NO SPEED DISPLAYED
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.
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.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.