AI Damage1990 Lexus LS400: common problems
Owners of the 1990 Lexus LS400 filed 24 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 24
- involving a crash
- 6
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 25% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 21% of all complaints
- 3 Latches, locks, linkages 13% of all complaints
- 4 Seat belts 13% of all complaints
- 5 Structure 13% of all complaints
- 6 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
- 7 Steering 8% of all complaints
- 8 Vehicle speed control 8% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 6 complaints (25% of all).
- Air bags: 5 complaints (21% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Latches, locks, linkages: 3 complaints (13% of all).
- Seat belts: 3 complaints (13% of all).
- Structure: 3 complaints (13% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 24 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 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.
The driver side airbag did not deployed. The passengers neck and back was injured as a result. Passengers were wearing seat belts.
While driving 30mph another vehicle pulled in front of consumer, and consumer rearended vehicle. Consumer's airbag didnot deploy.
Engine raced and car surged forward into car ah ead, pushing the car ahead forward. Braking was very difficult. The air bag did not deploy. My mechanic inspected the car and found that the transmission mount bracket was sheared in two which caused the transmission to shift forward accelerating the car.
When driver swerved to avoid hitting a animal in the road, the vehicle crashed into a telephone pole head-on, and the driver's side air bag did not deploy. The vehicle is being repaired.
The consumer stated she was afraid to drive the vehicle more than 10 miles, because it would smoke and leak fluid. The starter was replaced, the door would not close completely, the hood would not shut completely, the fuel gauge did not work, despite having a full tank of gas, the defroster did not work.
My car, made by toyota, has all the same problems, faulty parts, as the cars that were recalled for sudden acceleration. I have had the sudden acceleration problem happen twice and I am currently unable to drive the car because of a faulty resistor that controls the fuel feed tot the fuel pump keeps causing the car to…
In approximately 1995, I experienced the "sudden acceleration" problem twice with my lexus ls. At the time, no one had ever heard of it and the dealer said he could not reproduce it and could do nothing. After that I was more careful with the floor mats and thought I had solved the problem.
Bends after driving on a crown road......3x.....bcp in smyrna de will not give me another changed left and right tie rod ends twiice and still cannot keep the vehicle on the road.
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 7,585 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 21% most complained about).
On average one model year of the LS400 has 28 complaints (12 years in the data). This year has 24, about average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Latches, locks, linkages. Door, hood and tailgate latches, especially near the impact.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1990 Lexus LS400?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, air bags, latches, locks, linkages. Total complaints: 24. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbags did not deploy (13%), seat belts (13%), unintended acceleration (13%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1990 Lexus LS400?
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 1990 Lexus LS400 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 1990 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.