1993 LEXUS LS400 Electrical System Problems

THE FIRST TIME MY ECU FAILED WAS WHEN I WAS PARKED I WANT TO DRIVE AND THE ENGINE WOULD NOT GO ABOVE 1000RMPS. I GOT THE ECU REPLACED THIS WAS AROUND 2013. THE SECOND TIME WAS A MONTH AGO. I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK HAD A HUGE THUD IN THE ENGINE AND THE SAME THING MY CAR COULD NO LONGER GO ABOVE 1000RPMS AND COULDN'T GET THREW THE INTERSECTION. THE CAR BEHIND ME HAD TO SLAM ON THERE BREAKS BECAUSE MY CAR HAD LOST ALL POWER. I MADE IT HOME AND WAS ABLE TO GET A TOW TRUCK. BY THE TIME THE TOW TRUCK ARRIVED THE CAR WOULD START BUT THEN COMPLETELY DIE. TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC THEY HAD IT FOR A WEEK SAID IT FIXED ITSELF. ONE HOUR AFTER I GOT IT THE CAR STARTED TO ACT UP AGAIN. THE CAR IS BACK IN THE SHOP. THEY...

DASH FUNCTIONS DON'T WORK AT TIMES. SPEED, FUEL LEVEL,ETC ARE NOT INDICATED WHEN CAR IS AT REST OR MOVING. THIS HAS BEEN A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE RESULT THAT I FEAR DRIVING THE CAR AND WON'T SELL IT AS IT IS NOW. AT AROUND $1800 TO REPAIR WITH NO GUARANTEE THE REPLACEMENT IS NOT BUGGY, I FEEL BETRAYED AND DISMISSED BY TOYOTA.

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE AT NIGHT-TIME, THE LIGHTING ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WENT COMPLETELY DARK AND IT BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO READ ANY OF THE CARS INSTRUMENTATION SUCH AS VEHICLE SPEED AND WARNING INDICATORS. AT VARIOUS TIMES SINCE THEN THE GAUGES IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL HAVE ALSO BECOME UNRELIABLE, THESE INCLUDE THE FUEL LEVEL GAUGE, THE SPEEDOMETER, AND THE TACHOMETER. AT TIMES THEY WILL NOT MOVE FROM THEIR "0" SETTING, SUCH AS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS POWERED OFF, UNTIL THEY WARM-UP OR YOU BANG THE DASH WITH YOUR HAND AND AT OTHER TIMES THEY WILL NOT WORK AT ALL. THE LIGHTING PROBLEM STILL OCCURS ON THE INSTRUMENTS ALSO. THE DEALER SAID ALL THEY COULD DO WAS REPLACE THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND COMPONENTS IN THE DASH AT A COST OF OVER $2000 PLUS LABOR, SO OFTEN I JUST HAVE TO GUESS HOW FAST I AM DRIVING OR HOW MUCH FUEL IS...

RECENTLY THE CAR BEGAN TO STUMBLE UNDER ACCELERATION WHILE DRIVING UP A HILL OR MERGING INTO TRAFFIC OR MAINTAINING SPEED WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. I INITIALLY THOUGHT IT WAS A FUEL SUPPLY ISSUE SO I CHANGED OUT THE FUEL FILTER, WITHOUT ANY IMPROVEMENT IN THE PROBLEM. I WAS GOING TO CHANGE THE FUEL PUMP ALSO AND WHILE RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET I LEARNED OF A PROBLEM WITH BAD ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITORS INSIDE THE CAR'S ECU (ENGINE COMPUTER) WHICH CAN MIMIC A FUEL SUPPLY PROBLEM. I AM A TRAINED ELECTRONICS TECHNICIAN, SO I REMOVED AND DISASSEMBLED THE VEHICLE'S ECU AND REPLACED 2 CAPACITORS (COST, LESS THAN $1) THAT I COULD SEE WERE BAD (LEAKING ELECTROLYTE FLUID). I TEST DROVE THE CAR AND THE "FUEL SUPPLY PROBLEM" WAS GONE, IT DROVE NORMALLY AGAIN AND DID NOT STUMBLE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS PRESSED. I ORDERED THE OTHER 5 OR 6 ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITORS...

WHILE DRIVING OR WHEN FIRST STARTING THE VEHICLE THE WHOLE DASH WILL GO DARK AND NOT LIGHT BACK UP OR KEEP FLICKERING. YOU ARE UNABLE TO SEE HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING OR ANY WARNING LIGHTS AND THE GAS GAUGE DOES NOT WORK WHEN THE DASH LIGHTS GO OUT. DRIVING ALONE IS UNSAFE AND EVEN WITH OUR 2 CHILDREN MAKES IT VERY UNSAFE NOT KNOWING HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING AND FUEL GAUGE NOT WORKING SO YOU COULD RUN OUT OF FUEL AND LEFT STRANDED WITH KIDS ON THE ROAD. MANY COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN MADE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND LEXUS REFUSES ANY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THIS PROBLEM AND SOMETHING REALLY NEEDS TO BE DONE! *TR

MY 1993 LEXUS LS400 DASHLIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING FROM ATLANTA, GA TO MIAMI, FL ON JANUARY 8TH, 2011. I COULD NOT SEE THE SPEEDOMETER OR ANY GAUGES! I HAVE SENT THE CIRCUIT BOARDS TO A LICENSED ELECTRICAL ENGINEER TO GET IT FIXED. EVERYTHING IS GOOD NOW BUT ALMOST CRASHED AT NIGHT AND ALMOST GOT A TICKET BECAUSE I COULD NOT SEE THE GAUGES! *TR

ELECTRICAL PROBLEM: INSTRUMENT PANEL. *TR

THE GAUGE CLUSTER LIGHTING ON MY 1993 LEXUS LS400 DOES NOT COME ON UNLESS IT IS ABOVE 75 DEGREES OR SO OUTSIDE OR IN THE PASSANGER COMPARTMENT. THE LIGHTING OF THE GAUGE CLUSTER IS NOT JUST NEEDED AT NIGHT. WITH THE GAUGES BEING ELECTRONICLY LIT YOU CAN'T SEE YOUR SPEED, REVS, ENGINE TEMP, OR FUEL LEVEL DAY OR NIGHT UNLESS THE CAR IS FULLY WARMED UP OR IT'S HOT OUTSIDE. NEEDLESS TO SAY THAT IN THE WINTER EVEN DURING THE DAY, THE LIGHTS ARE NO WHERE NEER WARM ENOUGH TO LIGHT UP. LEXUS HAS NO SUGGESTIONS OTHER THAN REPLACE THE UNIT WITH AN EXPENSIVE BRAND NEW ONE THAT WILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM IN A FEW YEARS. THEY HAVE NOT MADE ANY CHANGE TO THE CIRCUTRY OR LIGHTING IN ORDER TO ACCOMADATE FOR THEIR PROBLEM.

1993 LEXUS LS400 CLUSTER LIGHT FAILURE RESULTING IN THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS BEING COMPLETELY UNREADABLE. UNABLE TO DETERMINE SPEED, GAS LEVEL OR ANY WARNING LIGHTS. READ IN THE LEXUS FORUMS THAT THIS IS VERY COMMON AND LEXUS REFUSES TO RECALL EVEN THOUGH DEATH OR INJURY COULD RESULT. *TR

SPEEDOMETER - INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LIGHTING FAILURE. BECAUSE OF SOME FAULTY CONDENSER SPILLAGE CLUSTER LIGHTING FAILS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1993 LEXUS LS400. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILED TO DISPLAY READINGS FOR THE SPEEDOMETER, TACHOMETER, AND FUEL GAUGE. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS PRIOR TO THESE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE UNKNOWN.

MY LEXUS 1993 LS400 INSTRUMENT PANEL DOES NOT LIGHT UP WHEN CAR IS STARTED. IT TAKES ABOUT 25 MINUTES OF THE CAR RUNNING UNTIL THE LIGHTS START TO FLICKER AND FINALLY COME ON. WHEN THEY AREN'T ON, WE CANNOT TELL HOW FAST WE GOING, HOW MUCH GAS WE HAVE AND ETC. I HAVE BEEN ON MANY SITES ABOUT THIS AND IT SEEMS TO BE A VERY BIG PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS. THE DEALERS WANT ABOUT 2-3 GRAND TO FIX. WHY HASN'T A RECALL BEEN DONE ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THESE CARS ARE NOTORIOUS FOR THIS PROBLEM. WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT ITS COMPLETELY DARK IN THE CAR AND IF WE WERE TO GET PULLED OVER FOR NOT KNOWING HOW FAST WE ARE GOING, WE COULD GET A TICKET FOR THE DASH BOARD LIGHTS NOT WORKING. "UM, SIR, I AM NOT SURE HOW FAST I WAS GOING BECAUSE THE DASH LIGHTS DON'T WORK",...

MY SPEEDOMETER AND TACH INTERMITTENTLY FAILS TO OPERATE. *NM

1993 LEXUS LS 400 INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILURE - SPEEDOMETER, TACHOMETER AND GAS GAUGE DO NOT WORK IN COLD WEATHER UNTIL VEHICLE WARMS UP. OCCASIONALLY THE ELECTROLUMINESCENT INSTRUMENT LIGHTING FAILS TOO. EITHER SITUATION RESULTS IN A SAFETY CONCERN RELATED TO VEHICLE OPERATION. DEALER EXPLAINED THAT THIS MODEL YEAR HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE CIRCUIT BOARD THAT CONTROLS THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. AS OTHER COMPLAINANTS HAVE STATED, THIS CLEARLY SEEMS TO BE A RECURRENT AND COMMON FAILURE IN THIS VEHICLE AND IMPEDES THE SAFE OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE. I WOULD ASK THE NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE AND DETERMINE IF A RECALL IS WARRANTED. *NM

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PANEL LIGHT FAILURE..UNABLE TO READ FUEL QUANTITY OR SPEED..PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT BECAUSE OF THE EXCESSIVE COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS PROBLEM I WILL HOLD THE NHTSA SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY AND ALL ACCIDENTS INCLUDING SPEEDING TICKETS PERTAINING TO THIS VEHICLE AS FROM TODAY 09/23/06. I WOULD STRONGLY ADVISE THAT YOU CONTACT THIS VEHICLE MANUFACTURE AND URGE AN IMMEDIATE RECALL REGARDING THIS MAJOR SAFETY ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE BACK LIGHTING FOR THE GAUGE CLUSTER DID NOT COME ON, UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS WARM. THE MILEAGE WAS NOT RECORDED PROPERLY. THE FUEL GAUGE MALFUNCTIONED,CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO RUN OUT OF GASOLINE. ALSO, THE HEADLIGHTS DID NO STAY LIGHTED IN THE DARKNESS, AND NOTHING ON THE DASHBOARD WAS WORKING CORRECTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION, AND THEY DETERMINED THE CIRCUIT BOARD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE.*AK UPDATED 01/23/06. *JB

HELLO, HAVE A 1993 LS400, WHICH HAS BAD INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. NO LIGHTS TURN ON IN COLD DAYS. THE FUEL GAUGE IS ALSO NOT WORKING, EVEN THE TRIP COMPUTER DOSE NOT RECORD WHILE THE LIGHTS ARE OFF. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND OUT HOW MUCN FUEL IS LEFT. THIS CAR IS MY WIFE'S CAR AND SHE IS REALLY FRUSTRATED ABOUT THE WHOLE SITTUATION BECAUSE THE GAS RAN OUT TWICE IN LAST MONTH AND SHE WAS STUCK ON THE ROAD. DEALER ARE ASKING 1200-1500 TO FIX THIS WHICH IS NOT FAIR BECAUSE THIS IS MANUFACTURE DEFECT THEY SHOULD DO A RECALL.*AK I BOUGHT LEXUS BECAUSE I THOUGHT THEY HERE IS THE COMPANY IN RELENTLESS PERSUIT OF PERFECTION, MAYBE NOT I WILL THINK TWICE BEFORE BUYING LEXUS AGAIN. THANKS JIGAR. *AK

THE INSTURMENT PANEL ON MY 93 LEXUS LS400 WORKS ONLY WHEN THE CAR IS WARM. IF THERE'S COLD ENOUGH WEATHER IT WILL NEVER LIGHT UP. I WORK ABOUT 10 MINUTES FROM HOME AND I NEVER CAN SEE HOW FAST I'M GOING, HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE, ETC. THE ONLY TIME IT EVER COMES ON IS IF IT'S VERY WARM OUT AND I DRIVE FOR 45 MINUTES OR MORE.*AK

WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED IN THE MORNINGS, THE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO READ THE INFORMATION ON THE DASHBOARD, AND THEN ALL OF THE LIGHTS STARTED TO FLASH. *AK *JB

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLES DASH LIGHTS STARTED TO FLICKER THEN ALL THE LIGHTS INSIDE VEHICLE WENT OUT. THE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO TELL HOW MUCH FUEL WAS IN THE VEHICLE. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE ENTIRE DASH NEEDED TO BE REPLACING. *NLM *SCC

DASH DISPLAY WONT COME ON ALONG WITH INTERIOR LIGHTING WHEN COLD. CANNOT SEE SPEED AND CANNOT READ MY GAS LEVEL. INSTRUMENT LIGHTS START TO COME ON AFTER A LONG WHILE. WHEN THE FINALLY COME ON THEY BLINK AND OBSTRUCTS DRIVING AT NIGHT. *NLM

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 ABSURD AMOUNT OF MONEY ($1500) TO FIX PROBLEM, WHICH I BELIEVE IS A FACTORY DESIGN FLAW AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. JUST OVER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM IN 1 DAY I HAVE FOUND ALMOST 50 PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM FROM THE SAME CAR.*JB

CONSUMER STATES THAT THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY BEGAN TO TURN OFF, THE DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AND IN ORDER TO FIND THE PROBLEM, THE DASHBOARD WOULD NEED TO BE REMOVED, POSSIBLE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. *SLC

CONSUMER STATES THAT THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS INTERMITTENTLY BEGAN TO TURN OFF, THE DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AND IN ORDER TO FIND THE PROBLEM, THE DASHBOARD WOULD NEED TO BE REMOVED, POSSIBLE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. *SLC