IllustrationTHE 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.
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
What owners actually said
68 reportsWHEN 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 RE…
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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.
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 CONSUME…
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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
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
CONSUMER NOTICE AFTER STARTING VEHICLE ALL INDICATION LIGHT WOULD NOT LIGHT DUE TO COLD WEATHER. DEALER AND MANUFACTURE HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. TS *DT
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
FAILED LIGHTING SYSTEM MAKES INSTRUMENTS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE DAY OR NIGHT. A COMMON LEXUS PROBLEM AND A SAFETY CONCERN. DEALERS QUOTED OVER $1000 TO REPAIR. DT
THE INSTRUMENT PANEL COMPUTER APPARENTLY GOES BAD AND REQUIRES ABOUT 10 MINUTES OF TIME AND IT WILL START WORKING AGAIN. THE DEALER TELLS ME THAT THIS IS A COMMON OCCURANCE ON THIS MODEL. THEY RECOMMEND REPLACING THE COMPUTER AT CUSTOMERS COST. I THINK THIS IS A DEFECTIVE PART THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED. DT
CONSUMER STATES THAT THE WHEEL RIMS SPLIT, LETTING THE AIR OUT, CAUSING THE TIRE TO GO FLAT, WITHOUT WARNING OR CAUSE. THIS IS A SILVER ANNIVERSARY RIM. MR
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
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.