lexie

Since I awared of the instrument cluster problem from this site, I started to set my parking light on ALL TIME (i.e. the first click) because at the first click the instrument light is a lot darker. My thought is : instrument cluster light bulb should last a lot longer if not set to the brightest setting. It just made sense a light bulb last a lot longer if it is dim all the time. I think

Any suggestion?

burghard

I have the same problem on my '94 LS400 with now 92,000 miles.
Whenever the ambient temp goes below 45-50°F the IP stays dark for a while. At 0°F it may take up to 30 minutes before it warms up sufficiently to light up. When I complained to the dealer a couple years ago, he quoted me something like $1,700 to replace the whole IP cluster, and he said "by the way I have another LS400 in the dealership with exactly the same problem".

So I talked to the Lexus customer care rep to find out if there was a general problem with that. He denied that naturally, but admitte that there was a lot of discussion on the internet with neon pointers going bad. After a couple days he politely informed me that he could not do anything for me on this problem.

Well, here we are. There seems to be a problem after all, at least for those of us who live in the cold climate.

I am also interested in finding a source for that circuit board or a repair facility. I have also toyed with the idea to file a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on their website, since it is a safety related item. (you cannot see how fast you are going). Though I am not sure how much good it will do.

Burghard, Michigan

Skulinex

Go ahead, we could all start sending emails to the NHTSA, because we are having a very similar problem also <sc400 ppl> and some of the older GS models as well, we might be able to produce a recall and fix that stuff for good

BkInBlk

We picked up a CPO 98 LS and were told that it had a bad instrument cluster. Same problems as noted on this thread. We were also told this was a problem with some early 98's. Obviously, it is a bigger problem than Lexus is willing to admit. The board was replaced under warranty, but the mileage was reset back to zero. They told me at the time they didn't know how to reprogram the mileage, but were working on it. If I wanted to wait a few months, they would have it figured out and replace the board at that time. I elected to just get the board with zero miles. As the car is leased, I plan on turning it back at the end of the lease just because I don't want a car with an incorrect odometer.

So it looks like they have had these problems for a while, but don't want to admit it.

facet4l

my 92 ls is starting to give me trouble with the needles going dark on me. I live in colorado and have this problem with the nearest dealer 4.5 hours away. is there a way of getting a new or refurbished cluster from somewhere though a group buy or something, because these things are very expensive. any help would be greatly apreciated for I would like to see how fast I'm going as well as u guys. Thanks in advance

Fonseca

THIS APPLIES TO LEXUS INSTRUMENT CLUSTER LIGHTING INTERMITTENT


I HAVE INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOU


send me an email

www.caraudiolabs.net

luckyguy

I have the same problem with the circuit board of the instrument cluster and I found several places that have either offered to look at it and a few that actually fix it. Listed below are their emails and what they had to say.

CarAudioLab@aol.com
i normally specialize on repairing Stereos and amplifiers to the component level.... ill be welcome to give your cluster a shot....i have repaired clusters from GM vehicles before.. i don't think this one would be much of a diffrence..

if i repair the unit i can charge you half of what they go for which would be $500 instead of paying $1000..... send me $ 30 deposit up front and i will get started on it that will cover the shipping and the diagnostics..... if i find the problem and repair it .. all you pay me is the diffrence of $470...

i accept Paypal and Money orders only... my PAYPAL id is: Rfonz21@aol.com

you can send unit to:

Car Audio Labs
7708 W. Hillsborough Ave.
Tampa, FL 33615
USA

if you have any questions you can call me at 813-290-9103


DMOTORCO@aol.com
I would have to know exactly what your symptoms are. If your lights are not lighting up at all or if they light up and then go off after it warms up, your problem is the circuit board itself. We can replace the circuit board with two options. One is to keep your origional milage. This would involve sending your circuit board out to be repaired which would take around a week. The cost of this is $615.00 and you would be with out guages untill we got the part back. the other way is to install a repaired circuit board which we keep in stock, your milage would be 0 or close to it and you would not be with out guages at all. The cost of this is $515.00. Let us know if we can help you in any way.

thanks
Daniel Davenport
972-612-3377
www.davenportmotorco.com

bonnema@legacypro.com
Send me the dash and I'll run
a diagnostic on it, and as long as your paying for the shipping both
ways, I'll do this at no charge. If it's fixable I'll let you know
right
away and how much, otherwise I can send it back too you.

It would be nice if you can give be a good weekend to check over the
board if possible.

How dose that sound?
-Justin Bonnema
-Lexus Dash

One other place I found was locally here in the San Francisco Bay Area. They normally only do the work for dealers and repair shops. The name of the place is Mikado Technology (888-962-5236) or mikadotechnology@yahoo.com. If you have your repair shop contact them, they can repair the circuit board.

I just had Mikado repair the circuit board and the climate control/clock LCD display. They did a great job, aand it is a lot cheaper than getting a new board.

dusLS400

I am new to the site. I hope this thread isn't dead. I bought my '94 LS400 in May of 2001 with 36,000 miles. No problems until October 2002...when my dash kept taking longer and longer to light up (and getting worse). I live in Wisconsin, so based on what I have read so far, I am blaming the problem on the cold and a defective circuit board. I just wanted to let you know that I have registered this defect with NHTSA (and I am not the first....and I hope I'm not the last). The rep I spoke to told me that if there is a trend and the defect is severe enough, NHTSA will try to initiate a recall. That is where we come in. Call 1-888-327-4236 and let's get this defect documented. I was also told that I could petition a recall.
Just send a letter to:
US Dept of Transportation
NHTSA
Att: Office of Defects Investigation - John White
400 7th Street SW
Room #5319
Washington DC, 20590

Document your experience, the dangers of this, etc.

I like my LS400 (it drives like a dream), but this is unacceptable to me and I don't feel it is fair, because I live in Wisconsin instead of Florida or California, to have to give up an 'arm' or 'leg' to get it fixed when it is obviously a design defect.

Thanks for letting me vent,
Driving in the dark in Wisconsin

luckyguy

Did the NHTSA say what recourse those of us who have alreaady repaired or relaced the cluster would have?

burghard

Hi, following is a response I left in another thread on this issue. I would think that a recall would imply reimbursement of expenses for those who already have spent the money to get their display fixed. Thanks for providing the NHTSA contact information. I will register my complaint.
--------------------------------

Instrument Cluster totally dark

Here is the scoop on the instrument cluster not lighting up: If your cluster is totally dark with the exception of the shifter position and headlight-on lights, your "power source unit" circuit board is shot. Mine started going on my '94 LS400 at low temperatures. Lexus denied that this is a common problem and refused to replace for free. Looking at all these threads it appears to be a common problem afterall.

Anyhow, after procrastinating for months, I finally fixed the problem. I purchased the circuit board part # 83247-5A050-RP with the correct mileage for $610 from Carson Toyota. This board is called the 83247 (No. 1) in the exploded parts list. They initially quoted me a board with 0 mileage for almost $200 less, but then they told me they could not sell it to me. (it was reserved for Nippondenso only, where they then program the mileage). The board is actually two boards connected with ribbon cables. It looks pretty complicated and has more than 10 connectors on it. (maybe that justifies the price to some degree)

Installation is not very difficult and pretty well described in the service manual. If anyone needs the instructions I can send a copy via e-mail. It took me 1.5 hours, working carefully. Now its perfect again!

2UX31 YM

I called and filed my complaint it took only 5 minutes. They will mail me my info, I will add my Vin number and mail it back. Its really simple and it is worth doing.

healerhand

I got a used cluster for $250 (the whole thing). Everything works great! Remember the cluster with Air Suspension is different from the standard suspension.

blange400

Mikado Engineering in San Fran.
1435 Huntington Ave
SF, CA 94080
650-615-9966

will repair flickering speedo needles alot cheaper than replacement. About $125 I think. 2 needles for $175

That and a speed sensor may be the fix for some folks.

Jim Walker

Add me to the list of people with Instrument Cluster Lights that won't. Mine is a '93 LS400 with about 95k miles. I just ordered a set of factory manuals and haven't received them yet but should by the end of the week. I'm not a mechanic, I'm an electronics engineer (I design security systems for a living, the circuit board and all). I plan to fix this problem myself and post the resulting fix to this board. However, my wife drives the Lexus and can't be without the insrument cluster (working or not). Can anyone send me their old instrument cluster that has the "blinking/dead cluster light- when-it's-cold" unit that I can troubleshoot? If I am sucessful repairing it, just pay me for the return shipping and you will get yours done free! That will allow me to figure out what the problem is without having my wife's car out of commission for any length of time. Also, I will extend my repair services to those of you on the list (for a small fee).

Please email me if you can provide me with a bad instrument cluster. I only want 1 as I said and it will be repaired for free if I can repair it.

Email me if you're interested at jimlwalker@sbcglobal.net
I live in Fresno, California

Jim

Herm

Does anyone know if Lexus improved the failing board - or - are we just replacing the bad board with the same design that will fail again in the future! In my opinion these type of electronic boards, when properly designed and built, should last indefinitely. Also, the price seems way out of line to me.