1999 Lexus LS400 problems
The 1999 Lexus LS400 has 27 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (48%) concerns cruise control. Next are electrical system (15%) and body & structure (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 27 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Cruise control 48% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 8 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 102 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 89,000 miles 15 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 1 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 2 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 1 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 8 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 1 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 15 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 89,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 8 complaints mention a crash; 102 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 94% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1999 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 7 model years of the Lexus LS400 with enough data (14 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
It was raining and I was entering highway, I had my left turn signal on and started to accelerate. The car started to fish tail and when into a 360 degree spin, maybe twice, at least 1 1/2 times. When I came out of spin I crashed into the cement median. At no time did the vsc (vehicle skid control) activate. It is something that you can't miss. A lound warning sound comes on and the dashboard lights up with a skid warning. It had happened once before in the snow.
Lexus ls 400 1999 model. Dangerous hesitation upon acceleration. Further after driving this car for two years, I have neck pains from the daily whiplash. Toyota is igrnoring this system wide. It is an outrage. Its damaging peoples necks all over the country. They will not fix it - they claim its normal. Other dealers are telling customers about it - - my wife refuses to drive my car - it's dangerous!
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 lexus ls400. The contact stated that while driving 15 MPH, he applied the brake due to traffic. However, the vehicle accelerated independently and crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The crash caused damage to both vehicles as well as an injured knee of the driver of the vehicle that was struck. The failure had recurred numerous times. The dealer was notified and he was informed the throttle body would probably need to be replaced.
I am reporting this because it might provide a clue to the toyota racing engine problem. On each of two days before I took my 1999 lexus 400 to the dealer for repairs, the engine would race at an estimated 4,000+ rpms and emitted a grinding sound as the car was started. After turning off the engine with the key, the car would restart without a problem. Strangely, the dealer did not record this particular complaint, but stated that diagnosis revealed that starter was failing.
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 lexus ls400. The contact stated that while working under the hood it started closing creating a safety hazard. The vehicle was repaired by a local mechanic. Toyota was not contacted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. The current mileage was 120,000.