1998 Lexus Lx470: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 1998 Lexus Lx470
Only 5 defect reports have been filed with NHTSA about the 1998 Lexus Lx470, which is too few to compute mileage percentiles or a risk score. The reports reported ABS module or sensor failure.
When each failure gets reported
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A further 3 reports came in above that, which is why the line stops short of the top. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABS module or sensor failure | brakes | 3 | 2 | — | 240k | — | 0.3 | $500–$2,400 | High |
| Master cylinder or brake booster failure | brakes | 1 | 1 | — | 200k | — | 0.1 | $450–$2,200 | Critical |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
ABS module or sensor failure
Sudden complete ABS braking system failure. No brake at all. Vehicle can not stop while driving.very serious problem and dangerous. The dashboard ABS light and brake light ABS light and brake light on dash plus the annoying alarm out of the blue.
Safety issue: intermittent sudden complete ABS braking system failure. The vehicle have a sudden completely ABS braking system failure on april 06, 2018. The vehicle can not stop while driving on april 6, 2018. The dashboard ABS light and brake light plus the annoying alarm out of the blue on april 06, 2018. The vehicle was towed to butler lexus dealership for further investigation on april 06, 2018. Without any repaired done by butler lexus dealership on april 10, 2018, now the ABS braking system works again and dashboard ABS light and brake light plus annoying alarm out of the blue going away on april 10, 018 @ butler lexus dealership parking lot.
Master cylinder or brake booster failure
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 lexus lx470. The contact stated that an audible brake alarm begun to sound. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, who stated that they would replace the anti lock brake master cylinder system, which caused the alarm to sound. The vehicle was repaired. Approximately three months later, the failure recurred. The contact also stated that while driving at a low speed, the brakes were applied, but the vehicle did not stop until crashing into the rear of another vehicle. As a result, a third vehicle was involved in the crash. The police were notified and a report was available. The drivers of the two other vehicles were injured and transported to a hospital via ambulance. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the manufacturer was notified. An engineer, sent by the manufacturer, examined the vehicle and determined that there were no manufacturing defects. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 200,000.
Recalls on the 1998 model year
NHTSA has issued 1 recall campaign covering the 1998 Lexus Lx470, affecting an estimated 9,424 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover exterior lighting:headlights. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
75,395 vehicles 2004-09-08- Defect
- Certain sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." the daytime running lights do not meet luminous intensity standard.
- Consequence
- This condition could blind the driver of a vehicle driving in the opposite direction, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a resistor, which will decrease the luminous intensity of the drl. Owner notification began june june 10, 2005. Owners should contact lexus at 1-800-255-3987.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
Every year of the Lexus Lx470
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 1998-2003 generation, 2000 Lexus Lx470 scores best at 57 and 2003 Lexus Lx470 worst at 58.
What the reports on file say
The complaints recorded against the 1998 Lexus Lx470 are ABS module or sensor failure (3 reports, around 240k miles), master cylinder or brake booster failure (1 report, around 200k miles) and other visibility problem (1 report). With a sample this size these are anecdotes rather than a pattern, and they are shown because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see them than nothing.
Why this page is short
A model year needs about 8 reports before percentiles mean anything, and this one does not have them. Complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road, so a thin page usually means a rare car, a new car, or a car whose owners do not file.
Other years of the same model do have enough: 2000 and 2003. The mechanical parts are often shared across those years, so their pages are the better guide to what this one is likely to do, with the caveat that a shared part is not a shared production line.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed