dicer

Just an update, the door handle is still working great no problems. I suppose I should go edit some of the posts above so they actually make some sense.

superavp

Broken Driver Door Handle on 99 LS400. I did a web search to find one and Toyota Camry handles kept popping up. Are they interchangeable? Also, is this a layperson fix, or better to have auto body shop do? Hate to go to dealer. Need a gold/beige handle.

Banshee365

Without looking I'm going to say the LS400 door handle is not interchangeable with any other car. The unit is made out of metal. I highly doubt the Camry's handles are metal. Even if you wanted to replace the door handle with a good used one it's still somewhat of a PITA to do. I can do them pretty quick but the first time took forever while being careful not to break anything.

dicer

And since this post was pulled up again. An update, my fixed door handle still working like a new one, it will never break in that area it is very strong now, just like lexus should have made it in the first place.

fsuguy

My '92 developed the same exact problem - crack in the door handle in the exact same place... and the JY door handles I found had the same exact crack, in the same exact corner! Even one I bought off the auction site had the crack (scoundrel sold it as being in perfect condition!). Anyway, the fact that so many of these door handles fail in the same place is sufficient evidence to support the claim of lack of engineering/poor research, if any... although I believe that based on my own direct personal experience, it is possible that research may have been done, but on a different demographic. These cars were designed as high-end, luxury vehicles, and new, cost over $40k. If I had paid that much for a car, I would not be yanking the door handle the way I actually used to, and often finding that it locked! Of course now that I have replaced the handle and given all the labor involved, I am more gentle with it

Thanks for posting your repair methods & pics, Dicer.

fsuguy

This is a bit dated, but although I respect a lot of what PureDrifter has to say usually, and value your contributions, I believe that Dicer is right in this case. The metal is waaay too thin in the area that takes a lot of stress, repeatedly, and that is exactly why it breaks in the same place. Also, getting a new handle from the dealer will not prevent it from breaking again, and I am pretty sure that the new one will not last the 15 years. The reasons for my conclusion are primarily because of the design flaw, and secondarily because of the demographic using these older models - I am usually in a hurry, as most of us working folk are, and very often I would yank on a locked handle...hard, expecting the door to open - not the best of things to do where the handle is made of aluminium, and the metal is so thin. If you haven't thought about how much force you exert into yanking the door handle, think about the last time you inadvertently walked into something and how much it hurt - that was accidental, but yanking on a car door handle is purposeful and repeated every day, usually!

Just my 2 cents

SW17LS

Nothing that lasts 15-20 years of constant use before it fails is a poor design lol. Nothing lasts forever.

deanshark

Very true. Especially after an ice storm and the door is frozen shut and ya try breaking the ice by lifting and pulling the door handle.
Mine broke on my 93 by doing that. I wouldn't call it a design flaw, just stupidity.

dicer

What makes it a design flaw is the lack of support in the area that cracks out, yes it is a design flaw, the load is not spread out enough on the very thin section. My epoxy job does that as well as the extra support to the arm that has the pivot, it stops the flexing of the material that supports the arm.

SW17LS

Yeah...it only lasts 20 years.

deanshark

Only 20?? My 93 lasted 22 years and my current 94 is at 23 years and still didn't break.
What about the millions and millions that haven't broke? It's just another part that might break after constant use.

SW17LS

These are facts that are just confusing his rant lol

dicer

Well according to the 20 plus year crowd, then if all the components in the engine or transmission failed at 20 years that would be acceptable then.
Then we wouldn't hear the million mile bragging. Con rods should be busting in half, main shafts the same, maybe the crankshafts all failing at the 24 year point etc. the stress cycles on those parts far exceed anything a door handle will ever see.
I like the thought process here. Its all cool if that door handle makes it 20 or so years.

SW17LS

Actually...I think any failure of any component after 20 years on a car is to be chocked up to "hey, its 20 years old". When a car is that old (old enough in my state to have "Historic" plates), all bets are off. Anything and everything can fail at any time. Longevity at that point is something to be impressed by.

For instance my old Ford Explorer, it was a 95, my first car. My mom kept it after I had moved on and actually just had it towed off last year (she gets attached to things), the drivers door latch would fail and the door would open, parked, when driving...etc. It would never occur to me to curse Ford for making an inferior door latch..."hey, its 21 years old". If I wanted to replace the door latch we could have, but why? The fact that you would say that was an inferior door latch is incredible to me LOL. Completely and totally unreasonable expectations. No machine could ever live up to them.

Your 90 LS is 27-28 years old...the fact that it still runs reliably is an incredibly impressive thing. The fact that you could take that car if its in good condition, daily drive it, and take it on a 400 mile road trip with a reasonable expectation that it would be reliable in that use is incredible, and something the vast majority of other competitive vehicles would be unable to do. Being frustrated over a broken door handle is like a 98 year old woman being frustrated her ***** sag, or saying the people who built the Pyramids did a crappy job because the outer surface has degraded lol

dicer

Its funny and ask Banshee, people that own air planes made in the 40's and 50's, don't seem to expect any part failing on them even though they are x amount of years old.
Its simply not acceptable to have a part failure in an aircraft. And that is mostly cured by proper engineering.