AI Damage1998 Lexus GS400: common problems
Owners of the 1998 Lexus GS400 filed 31 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 31
- involving a crash
- 14
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 23% of all complaints
- 2 Seat belts 16% of all complaints
- 3 Service brakes 16% of all complaints
- 4 Vehicle speed control 16% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 10% of all complaints
- 6 Structure 10% of all complaints
- 7 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
- 8 Steering 6% of all complaints
- Air bags: 7 complaints (23% of all), 7 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 5 complaints (16% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 5 complaints (16% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 5 complaints (16% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 3 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 31 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 lexus gs400. The contact stated that while the engine was on and the vehicle stopped, the driver lifted off the brake pedal and the vehicle suddenly accelerated at a high rate of speed causing the driver to loose control and crash into a tree.
I was driving down the street, a rather busy street trying to stop. The lexus would not stop, due to the struts and mounts are broken. Which I learned from sears automotive. The defects interfere with car overall ability to stop properly, it also sways over into the opposite lanes.
Sudden acceleration of 1998 lexus gs400 once on jan. 16,1999 with no damage. I was parking the vehicle. A second time on jan. 1, 2001. I was pulling up to a gas pump and the car suddenly accelerated into the curb at the pump and also hit the pump. Both incidents reported to dealer, but were treated as driver error.
The seat belt never locked and caused the contacts chest to slam into the steering wheel and then into the seat. The engine size and number of cylinders was unavailable. The failure mileage was 96,000. The current mileage was 126,000. Pictures are available. The vin was confirmed but is listed as invalid.
I had a head on collision with a building--the seat belt failed to restrain me be cause of slack and the deception/fraud of lexeus po005-1. You have to make a "specific complaint about the belts" or they are not covered by warranty. Po005-1 has beed with held from the public.
Upon impact, both frontal air bags failed to deploy, and driver's seat belt failed to lock. As a result, driver sustained minor injuries, and was transported to a hospital. Vehicle was towed to a garage for inspection.
While driving at 40mph, had a front collision and neither of the air bag deployed, no air bag light warning prior to the crash. Driver was wearing the seat belt. Please provide further information.
The air bag failed to deploy and the I was thrown with full force against the steering wheel which hit me directly in the sternum causing blunt contusion to the rib cage and sternum. The pain cause is greater than a kidney stone and it has been two weeks a go.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 6,740 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 18% most complained about).
On average one model year of the GS400 has 12 complaints (5 years in the data). This year has 31, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Lexus GS400?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, seat belts, service brakes. Total complaints: 31. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (19%), airbags did not deploy (16%), unintended acceleration (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1998 Lexus GS400?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1998 Lexus GS400 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1998 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.