Lexus LS: common faults & what to check

Which Lexus LS are you looking at?

5 generation variants documented. Pick the shape you recognise: the faults, the servicing and the timeline below all narrow to it. Free, no account needed.

Petrol

2 variants documented

2000–2007UCF302000–2007UCF304.3 V8 petrolPetrolDocumented issues5 knownSee faults & what to checkPhoto: Vauxford via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

2006–2018USF402006–2018USF404.6 V8 petrolPetrolDocumented issues5 knownSee faults & what to checkPhoto: Altair78 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Hybrid

2 variants documented

2006–2018USF402006–2018USF405.0 V8 hybridHybridDocumented issues4 knownSee faults & what to checkPhoto: Altair78 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

2017–nowVXFA502017–nowVXFA503.5 hybridHybridDocumented issues2 knownSee faults & what to checkPhoto: Kevauto via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Fuel not stated

1 variant documented

2017–nowVXFA502017–nowVXFA503.4 twin-turbo V6Fuel not statedDocumented issues1 knownSee faults & what to checkPhoto: Kevauto via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Now narrow it to the engine

A 1.8 and a 2.4 of the same car do not fail the same way, so the faults below narrow to the engine as well as the year. Free, no account needed.

Start your free check on this Lexus LS

No plate needed. You get the risk score, the buyer's checklist and the guided inspection for the exact car you picked above — not the whole nameplate.

The checks worth doing on a Lexus LS before you hand over any money. Every documented fault is listed below, each with its own page.

• Serious issue

  Ask for the timing belt invoice and read the date before the kilometres — seven years is the limit whatever the odometer says.

  See why

  1UZ-FE / 3UZ-FE timing belt — a belt, not a chain, and it is due on age

  Lexus used a rubber timing belt on the V8 in these cars rather than a chain, because it was quieter, and plenty of owners assume a Lexus V8 must be chain-driven and never look. The interval is roughly 150,000 km or seven years, whichever comes first, and on a car this old it is always the years that expire first. The two idler bearings and the water pump are replaced with it by anyone doing the job properly. The cam and crank seals sit behind the same cover and commonly weep by this age — oil on a belt shortens its life, so a leak there is part of the same job. This is the single most important piece of paperwork on any LS.

  What you would notice

  • No timing belt invoice anywhere in the history
  • Owner believes the car has a timing chain
  • Oil weeping from behind the timing cover at the front of the engine
  • Whirr or rumble from the front of the engine at idle

  Typically $1,200–$2,600 to put right.

• Costly issue

  Observe vehicle ride height at all four corners before and after test drive.

  See why

  Front Air Suspension Strut Failure (LS460 and LS500)

  Both the USF40 LS460 and VXFA50 LS500 use electronically controlled air suspension. The front air struts develop bladder leaks, causing the vehicle to sag at the front overnight or to trigger height-sensor warnings. Replacement struts are expensive OEM items; aftermarket coilover conversion kits are an alternative that sacrifices ride height adjustment. Failure rate increases significantly with age and in NZ's damp climate.

  What you would notice

  • Vehicle sitting noticeably lower at one or both front corners after sitting overnight
  • Air suspension warning light on dash
  • Compressor audible running frequently or continuously
  • Harsh ride or abnormal body roll if suspension defaults to limp mode

  Typically $1,500–$4,500 to put right.

• Costly issue

  The decisive test costs nothing but patience: see the car after it has stood overnight, before anyone starts it.

  See why

  Air suspension leaks, height-sensor faults and a car that sits down overnight

  The higher-specification LS400 and LS430 were sold with air suspension, and it is the fault that turns a cheap luxury car into an expensive one. The rubber air springs perish, the compressor wears out trying to keep up, and the ride-height sensors and control valves drift. The classic sign is a car that is level when driven and sitting on its bump stops the next morning. On the LS430 an air strut can also let go suddenly with a bang and drop that corner. Replacement struts are around a thousand dollars each and are replaced in pairs, which is why so many owners convert to conventional coil springs instead — seeing that conversion already done is a fact to price in, not necessarily a fault.

  What you would notice

  • Car sits low, or lopsided, after being parked overnight
  • Compressor running for a long time after start-up, or constantly
  • Suspension warning light, or a height that will not adjust
  • A bang from one corner followed by that side dropping
  • Coil springs already fitted where air struts should be

  Typically $1,500–$6,000 to put right.

• Costly issue

  Cold start only — rattle is absent once oil pressure builds.

  See why

  1UR-FSE 4.6 V8 Secondary Timing Chain Tensioner Rattle (LS460 USF40)

  The 1UR-FSE 4.6L V8 in the LS460 uses secondary timing chains to drive each bank's VVTI sprockets. The plastic tensioner ratchet pawls wear and the hydraulic tensioners lose hold after cold soaks, causing a characteristic cold-start rattle lasting 5–30 seconds. The pattern is well-documented on the LS460 platform and mirrors the same issue on Crown URS, GS460, and IS-F with related engines. Full secondary chain replacement is labour-intensive on this RWD V8.

  What you would notice

  • Metallic rattle from engine top on cold start, clearing within 10–30 seconds
  • Worse in cold ambient temperatures
  • VVTI fault codes P1349/P1354 in some cases
  • Oil consumption increase accompanying chain wear

  Typically $2,800–$5,500 to put right.

• Costly issue

  Get a genuinely cold first start and note whether it catches promptly or labours.

  See why

  Leaking ECU capacitors on early cars — hard starting and a cascade of unrelated faults

  The engine computers in the earliest of these cars use electrolytic capacitors that leak as they age, and the escaping electrolyte corrodes the circuit board underneath. What the owner sees is not one clean fault but a scatter of them: hard starting, rough running, warning lights and odd electrical behaviour that no single component explains. Because the symptoms look like everything else, cars get sensors, coils and fuel pumps fitted one after another with no lasting improvement. Re-capping the board is a known, affordable repair and the faults typically vanish with it — but a car still carrying the original board is a car whose electrical history should be read carefully before you buy it.

  What you would notice

  • Hard starting or long cranking that has crept in over time
  • Rough running with no consistent pattern
  • Several unrelated electrical complaints at once
  • Warning lights that come and go
  • A history of parts fitted that did not fix it

  Typically $300–$1,200 to put right.

• Costly issue

  Insist on a cold start — do not allow engine to be warmed before inspection.

  See why

  V35A-FTS 3.5 Twin-Turbo Cold-Start Timing Chain Tensioner Rattle (LS500)

  The V35A-FTS 3.5L twin-turbocharged V6 shared with Land Cruiser 300 and Crown Sedan exhibits a documented cold-start timing chain rattle on some units. Hydraulic tensioners do not retain full oil pressure during extended cold soaks, allowing chain slack for several seconds until the oil system pressurises. The pattern has been reported on LS500 and cross-platform on the V35A family. Extended oil drain intervals and use of incorrect viscosity oil worsen frequency.

  What you would notice

  • Cold-start timing chain rattle from engine front, lasting 3–15 seconds
  • Worse after overnight soak in cold conditions
  • VVTI or camshaft correlation codes in some cases
  • No symptoms once fully warmed up

  Typically $2,800–$6,000 to put right.

What these repairs cost on other cars

Some of the Lexus LS’s documented faults are repairs other models share. Each page lists the documented NZ cost for every model it affects.

• Cambelt Replacement Cost
• Timing Chain Replacement Cost

Other Lexus models