AI Damage1992 Lexus LS400: common problems
Owners of the 1992 Lexus LS400 filed 8 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 8
- involving a crash
- 2
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 25% of all complaints
- 2 Seat belts 25% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 13% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 13% of all complaints
- 5 Exterior lighting 13% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 13% of all complaints
- 7 Service brakes 13% of all complaints
- 8 Vehicle speed control 13% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 2 complaints (25% of all).
- Seat belts: 2 complaints (25% of all).
- Air bags: 1 complaints (13% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (13% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (13% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 8 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 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 1 | 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 frontal air bag didn't deploy. The vehicle was towed to a towing yard. The manufacturer will be contacted. The failure and current mileages were 168,000.
The vehicle accelerated on its own into traffic before crashing into a hedge. The vehicle continued to accelerate after the vehicle was in the park position. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. There were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 75000.
The digital instrument cluster lights flicker and goe completely blank. This only occurs upon cold start. The lights come back on when vehicle warms up. Dealership cannot locate the cause of the failure so they are replacing the entire instrument cluster.
I am blinded by the headlights of suvs and small pick-up trucks. Can't the lights be lowered?
When vehicle was started smoke came out from starter motor. Smoke would disappear once vehicle was moving for some time. Had contacted dealer, and mechanic informed consumer that the problem was in wiring harness.
The seat belts failed during vehicle accident resulting in injury to the consumer (attorney for the consumer).
Vehicle experiences ongoing problem with the noisy front wheel bearing, 2 repairs have been completed, the second repair consumer paid for. Consumer smelled heavy fumes from exhaust on acceleration, dealer found no problems.
Seat belt buckle releases by itself and will not retract. Manufacturer will be notified.
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 11,896 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 32% most complained about).
On average one model year of the LS400 has 28 complaints (12 years in the data). This year has 8, below average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1992 Lexus LS400?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, seat belts, air bags. Total complaints: 8. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: headlights and tail lights (25%), seat belts (25%), airbags did not deploy (13%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1992 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 1992 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 1992 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.