NHTSA Complaint #10234894 — 1994 LEXUS LS400

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