What breaks most · 1994 to 2000 model years
Lexus GS400 problems by year
Owners have filed 57 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Lexus GS400 across model years 1994 to 2000. Three years stand out: 1998 for air bags complaints, 1999 for speed control and throttle complaints and 2000 for speed control and throttle complaints.
- Years to check closely: 1998, 1999, 2000
- Complaints on file
- 571994 to 2000, all trims
- Worst year
- 199831 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 210 fires · 14 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 85kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 1Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 31 | 14 | 1 | Air bags (7) | |
| 17 | 6 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (6) | |
| 8 | 1 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (3) |
What fails on the 1998 Lexus GS400
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 23% |
7 | 7 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 16% |
5 | 3 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 1998 Lexus GS400 |
| Seat belts | 16% |
5 | 3 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 10% |
3 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 1998 Lexus GS400 |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 10% |
3 | 1 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1998 Lexus GS400 |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 10% |
3 | 1 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1998 Lexus GS400 |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 6% |
2 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 1998 Lexus GS400 |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 6% |
2 | 2 | Shop brakes parts for the 1998 Lexus GS400 |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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1998 lexus gs400 with ball joint failure. Consumer states that the vehicle was involved in a serious accident due to the ball joint failure. He sent the ball joint to lexus for inspection. *kb
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While backing out and shifting into drive vehicle surged forward. As a result, vehicle crashed into a building. Upon impact, dual airbags deployed upon impact. *ak *la
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When applying brakes consumer hit accelerator at the same time. There is not enough distance between brake pedal and accelerator. Contacted manufacturer, and gave a report, manufacturer will send it to engineer. *ak
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Lexus GS400 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1998, 1999, 2000 carry the most filings on the Lexus GS400. The 1998 alone has 31 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Lexus GS400 problem?
On the 1998 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 7 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Lexus GS400 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Lexus GS400 complaints that include mileage is about 85,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.