Lexus GS400 Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 56 consumer complaints across the 3 model years of the Lexus GS400 (1998–2000) that have at least 5 complaints. 1998 has the most, with 31. Across all years, the part named most often is vehicle speed control (14 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All GS400 model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 8 | 100,834 | 0 | 31 | — | Not enough data |
| 1999 | 17 | 57,188 | 0 | 28 | — | Stable |
| 1998 | 31 | 81,500 | 1 | 27 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Vehicle speed control14 23%
- Brakes10 16%
- Air bags9 15%
- Suspension7 11%
- Electrical system7 11%
- Seat belts6 9.7%
- Engine cooling5 8.1%
- Tires4 6.5%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
1999: “May 9, 2017. At approximately 5:50 pm, I got in my car which was parked in a small outdoor parking lot. I started it and put it in reverse and the car took off. Even though I applied the brakes the car did not stop or slow down. It slammed into a parked 2016 mercedes with such force that the mercedes was left almost perpendicular with its space. Police were called and came to scene but because the parking lot is on private property, no report was filed. The owner of the other vehicle and I exchanged information.”
NHTSA complaint #10991761, filed 2017-05, 260,000 miles1998: “22 sets of tires worn out on the front. I had a head on collision with a building--the seat belt failed to restrain me be cause of slack and the deception/fraud of lexeus po005-1. You have to make a specific complaint about the belts or they are not covered by warranty. Po005-1 has beed with held from the public. Lexus is trying to find a way to coverup the tb. We have over 250,000 vehicles on the road with out the po005-1 not being .”
NHTSA complaint #10203351, filed 2007-09, 70,000 miles2000: “On july 2 ,2009, my wife struck another car broadside with our 2000 Lexus GS400. The point of impact on the Lexus was with the left front portion (headlight area) of the front. She was traveling approximately 35 MPH, and did not have time to brake. The impact, and seatbelt, cause a moderate sized bruise on her left breast area. Lexus indicates their airbags deploy on frontal or near frontal collisions at 8 to 14 MPH. Yet, in this case, what I think is a near frontal collision, the airbag did not deploy. …”
NHTSA complaint #10278180, filed 2009-07, 103,000 milesOther Lexus models
1,448 complaintsLexus RX
962 complaintsLexus RX350
833 complaintsLexus RX300
719 complaintsLexus IS 250
718 complaintsLexus ES300
677 complaintsLexus ES
658 complaintsLexus IS
579 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology