The 1996 Lexus Sc400 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 47,525 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 4 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the tires. Last updated July 5, 2026.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO IMPROPER ASSEMBLY OF THE TERMINAL FOR THE STARTER MOTOR MAGNETIC SWITCH, AN ELECTRICAL SHORT CIRCUIT CAN OCCUR IF ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE LIQUID, SUCH AS ROAD SPLASH WITH DEICING SALT, ENTERS THIS AREA.
A STARTER MOTOR NO-START CONDITION OR AN UNDERHOOD FIRE CAN RESULT.
DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE MAGNETIC SWITCH.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“On two occasions just before coming to a complete stop at a signal, the car suddenly lurched forward for no reason, and I was unable to control this motion with the brakes, so I quickly put the transmission in neutral, and noticed that the engine was racing at 6,000 rpm. After this occurred the…”
“While the vehicle was parked both passenger and driver rear tires tread separated. Consumer took the tires to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the tires were worn out. *ak there was 3/32 tread remaining on the tire. The ply's separated on the inside of both tires. This…”
“While the vehicle was parked both passengers and driver rear tires tread separated. Consumer took the tires to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined the tires were worn out. *ak ply separation occured on the inside of both tires. The problem was found during the installation of new…”
“Passenger door lock assembly failed and would not allow door to be opened from the outside, only would open from the inside; causing a over $500 repair because a small piece of metal in the assembly broke. Lexus could/would not replace just the small metal piece, and the entire assembly had to be…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1996 Lexus Sc400 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.