1994 Lexus LS400

I HAVE A 1994 LEXUS LS 400, ON DAYS WHEN THE TEMP IS BELOW 70 DEGREES THE CLUSTER LIGHTS DO NOT COME ON. WHEN THE VEHICLE WARMS UP, WHICH THE TIME VARIES, THE CLUSTER LIGHTS FLICKER FOR SEVERAL MINUTES AND THEN THEY GO ON. WHEN ITS COLDER THEY DON'T GO ON AT ALL. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE AT NIGHT TO SEE ANY GAUGES. NOT SURE WHY NOTHING IS BEING DONE WITH LEXUS ON THIS. *TR

1994 LEXUS LS400 INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS NOT WORKING WHEN COLD, AND NOW EVEN IN THE SUMMER IT TAKES LONGER FOR THE LIGHTS TO COME ON. IN COLDER WEATHER MY LIGHTS DON'T GO ON UNTIL THE CAR IS DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES. I CANNOT SEE HOW FAST I AM GOING, AND THE SAFETY OF ROAD CONSTRUCTION WORKERS IS A HUGE ISSUE AND I WANT TO MAINTAIN A SAFE THE SAFE LEGAL SPEED. THE ODOMETER DOESN'T REGISTER, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE,. THIS CONTINUES TO WORSEN AND MY FEAR IS THAT EVENTUALLY I WILL HAVE NO LIGHTS AT ALL. HAVE CHECKED INTO MANY WEB SITES AND SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE, VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR. *TR

1994 LEXUS LS400 INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS NOT WORKING WHEN COLD, AND NOW EVEN IN THE SUMMER IT TAKES LONGER FOR THE LIGHTS TO COME ON. IN COLDER WEATHER MY LIGHTS DON'T GO ON UNTIL THE CAR IS DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES. I CANNOT SEE HOW FAST I AM GOING, AND THE SAFETY OF ROAD CONSTRUCTION WORKERS IS A HUGE ISSUE AND I WANT TO MAINTAIN A SAFE THE SAFE LEGAL SPEED. THE ODOMETER DOESN'T REGISTER, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE, THE MILEAGE IS INCORRECT. THIS CONTINUES TO WORSEN AND MY FEAR IS THAT EVENTUALLY I WILL HAVE NO LIGHTS AT ALL. HAVE CHECKED INTO MANY WEB SITES AND SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE, VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR. *TR

OUR 1994 LEXUS LS400 HAS APPROXIMATELY 85,000 MILES CURRENTLY. ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS BECAME ERRATIC, FREQUENTLY FAILING TO COME ON DURING COLD WEATHER. THIS WOULD REQUIRE THAT WE WAITED WITH THE ENGINE ON UNTIL THE CAR HEATED UP BEFORE BEING DRIVABLE SAFELY. THE LENGTH OF WARM UP TIME HAS GRADUALLY INCREASED TO AN INTOLERABLE LEVEL, WHERE I HAVE HAD TO DRIVE THE CAR WITHOUT INSTRUMENT LIGHTS DUE TO MY WIFE'S EMERGENT MEDICAL CONDITIONS. THIS IS VERY HAZARDOUS, NOT KNOWING VEHICLE SPEED, FUEL SUPPLY, CHARGING STATUS, POSSIBLE ENGINE OVERHEATING ETC., ANY OF WHICH COULD CAUSE VEHICULAR FAILURE OR ACCIDENT. WE ARE RETIRED AND NOT ABLE TO PAY FOR THE EXPENSIVE REPAIRS WHICH I HAVE BEEN LED TO BELIEVE ARE REQUIRED. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE WHICH SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

LEXUS INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTING FAILURE RESULTS IN DRIVER'S INABILITY TO ACCURATELY DETERMINE VEHICLE SPEED. THE ISSUE HAS BEEN ONGOING IN MY 1994 LEXUS LS400 FOR SEVERAL YEARS. THE VEHICLE HAS APPROXIMATELY 123000 MILES AND STARTED AT APPROXIMATELY 90000. IN COLDER WEATHER ESPECIALLY, THE DASHBOARD READOUT IS INVISIBLE FOR APPROXIMATELY THIRTY MINUTES. WHEN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT IS SUFFICIENTLY WARM THEY DO FUNCTION PROPERLY. THIS IS A HAZARDOUS CONDITION. TOYOTA MOTOR COMPANY REFUSES TO RECOGNIZE THE DEFECTIVE NATURE OF THEIR PRODUCT AND WANTS APPROXIMATELY 1200.00 TO REPLACE THEIR DEFECTIVE PART. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF CONSUMERS WITH EXACTLY THE SAME ISSUE I'VE DESCRIBED ON VARIOUS LEXUS OWNERS WEBSITES. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE RECALL TO CORRECT THE MATTER. *TR

1. TIME AS IN ITS INEVITABLE, COLD START, COLD CONDITIONS. CONDITIONS OF 50F AND A COLD START ARE NEARLY GUARANTEED TO EXHIBIT THIS ISSUE. 2. THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER GAUGES, ITS ILLUMINATION, THE CENTER CONSOLE & SHIFTER ILLUMINATION FAILS EVERY COLD START BELOW 70F AND CAN OCCUR BELOW 85F. A COLD START IN VERY WARM CONDITIONS OF AROUND 80F WILL TEND TO HIDE THE SYMPTOMS AND OR HAVE THE SYMPTOMS SHORTLY AFTER THE CAR HAS WARMED UP. WHEN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DOES NOT FUNCTION, IT GENERALLY MEANS THE SHIFTER AND CONSOLE FAIL TO ILLUMINATE AT NIGHT WHICH MAKES CHOOSING THE CORRECT GEAR AND SELECTING THE CORRECT CLIMATE CONTROL AT NIGHT A CHALLENGE AND SAFETY HAZARD. DURING A COLD START, THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER DOES NOT FUNCTION OR HAS LIMITED/SELECTIVE FUNCTIONALITY UNTIL IT IS WARMED UP AND THAT USUALLY OCCURS ONLY WHEN THE CABIN IS BROUGHT TO AN INHOSPITABLE 80-90F. SO UNTIL THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER HAS BEEN HEATED UP TO AROUND 70-80F, THE TACHOMETER, SPEEDOMETER, FUEL GAUGE, ENGINE TEMPERATURE AND ODOMETER ARE NOT ILLUMINATED AND NOT FUNCTIONING EITHER. ANOTHER WAY OF LOOKING AT IT IS THIS: THE ODOMETER IS NOT REGISTERING MILES, ONE DOES NOT KNOW HOW FAST THEY'RE GOING AND DOES NOT KNOW HOW MUCH FUEL IS AVAILABLE/LEFT ALL BEFORE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER HAS WARMED UP. THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHERE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER NEVER CAME ON DESPITE DRIVING 25 MILES FOR A TOTAL TIME OF 20 MINUTES AND THE ENGINE FULLY WARMED UP. 3. I HAVE DONE NOTHING AT THIS TIME TO CORRECT THIS ERROR, BUT IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED BY THE DEALERSHIP WHICH DOES ACKNOWLEDGE THIS IS A WIDESPREAD ISSUE TO REPLACE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AT A COST OF $1000 FOR PARTS AND $200 FOR LABOR. THIS IS A VERY WIDESPREAD ISSUE AS EVIDENCED BY THE NUMBER OF USERS WHO HAVE VOICED THEIR CONCERNS REGARDING THIS ISSUE ONLINE. AS A CALIFORNIA RESIDENT, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW MUCH WORSE THIS PROBLEM CAN BE FOR THOSE WHO LIVE IN COLDER STATES. *TR