Hi. I'm new to the club and not very savvy re. cars I am getting clunk noises in steering column after having all 4 struts changed, plus front strut bars and bushings, as well as lower control arm bushings (correction: sway bar bushings; lca bushings not changed) to address similar clunk noises, which have now been silenced. My mechanic, whom I trust, says I now need to take car to Lexus dealer for diagnosis and repair for steering column noises. I'm uncertain about how to proceed. Truth be told, I have had bad experiences with Lexus dealers (2 in my area). I really need help; I never thought I would have a problem like this with a Lexus. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. Thanks. From what I've been reading on this site, it seems like a great place for help.

When does the clunk happen? All speeds? Only when you turn? Hit pot holes?

Thanks for your interest. It happens at any speed and only over certain bumps an dips. Less noises since having some bushings changed, but still the noise in the steering column. Strange as it may seem, it will make the clunking noise over one bump and then not do it going over the same bump. On turns, it only happens over certain bumps and dips (sometimes when turning slowly into a driveway). It can happen when either front wheel goes over a bump or dip, and not as frequently since some of the aforementioned bushings were changed. Thanks again.

There were at least a couple of TSIBs on the steering column but I don't remember any regarding a "clunk". I posted the TSIBs I know about here: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...p;hl=tilt++TSIB

The steering column TSIBs are about the tilt/telescope feature including a groan when the telescope function is used -- but no "clunks".

Curious, how many miles are on your 2000 LS400? If the noise occurs in the situations you described, I'd be more inclined to think it was a caused by a defective suspension component ... maybe even an improperly installed replacement suspension component.

Although I don't use dealer shops very often, a Lexus dealer can be a good place to diagnose a suspension problem. The alignment guy at my local Lexus dealer diagnosed a suspension problem (worn strut rod bushings) on my 2000 LS400 that my trusted indie former Lexus dealer mechanic missed.

Thanks for the steering column TSIB information. My car has 54,000 miles. Both my Lexus dealer and my indie mechanic diagnosed strut rod bushing problems; the strut rods and bushings have been replaced by my indie. He, his crew and I looked at all the visible suspension parts and they all seem to be fine. Since the struts, strut rods and bushings and lower control arm bushings have been replaced, the number and frequency of the original clunk/rattle sounds have been reduced by my guess about 80%. I'm just left with the clunk/rattle coming from the steering column--or so it sounds like--20% of the time when I'm driving. Your thoughts much appreciated.

What? Only 54,000 miles? I find it hard to believe that ANY front suspension component could be worn out by that mileage. Certainly none of the suspension components on my 2000 LS400 were even close to being worn out by that mileage. Even the strut bar bushings -- almost alway the first suspension component to fail on a 98-00 LS400 -- usually last to at least 75,000 miles. The struts/shock absorbers should have been good for 200,000+ miles. My 2000 LS400 is now at 113,000 miles and the strut bar bushings have been the only front suspension component to wear out.

Unless your car has been driven in the Baja 1000, I suspect you have been taken for a ride.

Yes, have the Lexus dealer take a look at your car. The clown working on it now isn't doing you any favors.

Sheesh, just when I think I've heard everything ...

You're probably right. Only trouble is, both the Lexus dealer and indie mechanic said the strut rods and bushings needed replacement. Replacing them, the struts, and the sway bar bushings cut out 80% of the clunk noises. What's left is the clunk noise coming up through the steering column, which I can feel when the noise occurs, which is far less than before the other work was done.

Indie mechanic says I need to check with Lexus about any kind of joint in the steering column which could be making the noise--a joint, perhaps, between rack and pinion and tie rod assembly, and up through the steering column.

Do you know of anything like that?

Oh, do you think the rack and pinion and tie rod assembly bushings might be contributing to the now occasional clunk noises? My mechanic's assistant says that is probably the last suspension, nonsteering, component that could be a cause.

Thanks.

Wow, this is very interesting. If you haven't owned this car since new do you know its history, if the odometer is accurate and if the car has been in a significant front end crash. I know quite a few people with 98-00 LS400s and worked closely with two and I've never heard of such a low mileage example blowing through suspension components at such a low mileage.

If you look in the second TSIB in the link I posted previously in this thread, you will see that it involves replacing a flexible cable with a u-joint to eliminate a steering column noise. I've never heard the noise described as a "clunk" but maybe a Lexus dealer can tell you. The problem also affected the LS430 through the 2004 model year if that informatoin helps the Lexus dealer remember. I didn't have the repair described in the TSIB performed when my 00 LS was under warranty and my car never developed the problem.

If the problem is the one addressed by this TSIB you could try to get Lexus to participate in the cost of the repair. TSIB repairs are normally done for free only while the car is under the applicable warranty 4 years / 50K miles for a non-drive train TSIB issue or 6 years / 70K miles for a drive train TSIB issue. Getting TSIB work done for free at the 9 to 10 year mark is a real stretch but its worth a try.

Thanks again for replying. I'm not used to web-based communication, having been cautioned about the possible crazies on the internet, but I'm feeling desperate--however. I'm grateful for your interest and your long-time relationship with the site and your apparent experience with the LS.

I am the original owner of this LS400 Platinum edition. My indie mechanic and his assistant did research on the TSIB steering column issue, which didn't seem to be the proximate cause (I still have the original cable mechanism in the steering column, which got stuck a few times, and got unstuck a few days after each time, the last being a year and a half ago, and which got unstuck as the Lexus service person came out to see it, ironically--hasn't stuck since).

Long story short, I'm thinking I'm left with two diagnostic approaches (don't know if you watch "House," but this car issue feels like a "House" episode): lower control arm bushings, or finding out if, as my mechanic thinks but won't/can't do, there's a joint/part in the steering column mechanism that can make a clunk sound and needs attention.

What do you think? (I'm leery of Lexus service departments. I've tried two of the closest to where I live over the 9.5 years I've owned my LS 400. 90% bad experiences. One even left my engine compartment with hard-to-remove grease stains on a very clean under-the-hood area, which I wipe down every time I wash the car, given that I'm an OCD when it comes to cars and my house.)

What do I think? Well ... I'm not certainly not much of a fan of my local Lexus dealer service department after the string of bad experiences I had with them, including minor damage, on my first LS400 that I purchased new in early 1990. I got the hell out of there as soon as one of the their service writers started his own Lexus repair shop literally within sight of the Lexus dealership and took the best mechanics with him.

I don't think I used the Lexus dealer more than once or twice between the day the 4 yr/50K basic warranty expired on my 90 LS in 1994 and the day I bought a used 2000 LS400 Platinum at the 3 yr/38K mark in 2003. Having the 2000 LS with one year left on the basic warranty meant I had to use the Lexus dealer service department several times to get a few minor issues fixed before the basic warranty expired. The warranty work the dealer did was not always done particularly well but at least the experiences were not the complete disasters they were in the early 1990s. I wouldn't have taken the 00 LS to the dealer in around 2006(?) when they found the strut rod issue if my indie shop's alignment equipment had been working and I wasn't about to take an unusually long driving trip.

So, as you can see, I've avoided the Lexus dealer's service department for most of the past 19 years, 4 months of driving Lexus LS cars.

Nope, I've never seen a single episode of "House" and watch almost no commercial television -- the Internet is my main electronic vice.

You've replaced darned near everything else so why stop now. Sure, replace the lower control arm bushings if your mechanic thinks they are bad. I think I had every normally replaceable front suspension component except the struts replaced, including upper and lower ball joints, on my first LS400 by the time I finally sold it after driving it 13 1/2 years and 183K miles -- I don't remember the cost of all the replacements being all that high. I think the 90 LS is still on its original front stuts with its current owner at over 275,000 miles.

My wife just wandered into the room to ask why I was still up typing away. I told her about all the front end suspension work you have done by 54,000 miles and her only comment was ... "WHAT?". Funny.

I don't know what to tell you. Maybe a "second set of eyes" on the problem by a dealer mechanic could help. Or give Tom and Ray Magliozzi (NPR's Car Talk Radio show) a call and ask them: http://www.cartalk.com/menus/show.html
You've been through a lot so you might as well have them give you some grief on a national radio show!

Thanks for the feedback. I, too, was thinking about cartalk and will contact them once I replace the lca bushings and that doesn't work. Please tell your wife that I've been saying "WHAT?!!" for weeks now. I told my mechanic I thought I had a late-blooming lemon; he said he thought it was the age of the car, regardless of the miles. And so it goes. Thanks again.

I think I have a similar issue. It is a very intermittent clunking noise that I can feel in the steering wheel. The same noise seems to happen very occasionally when I am turning and hit a bump and seems to come from the passenger side.

I am thinking it could be my ball joints. I have replaced my upper strut mounts, my strut rod bushings and my front sway bar bushings.

Please let me/us know if you find a fix.

Also, has anyone ever said anything about a joint or part in the steering column that might make the clunking noise when car goes over some bumps?

I too have a 2000 LS400 (with about 150,000 km's on it) that suffers from the same clunking noise over small bumbs, railroad tracks, driveway curbs, etc. After having this diagnosed by a number of shops (including a dealer) it appears to be wear in the intermediate steering shaft. The shaft alone is about $350 + 2 hours of labour. I'm told it's not a safety issue although there is a half inch of play in the steering wheel that can only be the result of the shaft wear since all other front end parts have been checked out. If and when I cave and spend serious money on what is just an irritation I will post the results.

Hi. I've been away for awhile and am just now catching up with posts; yours sounds intriguing.

Does the intermediate steering shaft quote of $350 come from a Lexus dealer? Thanks.

OK, here is another idea based on how I have resolved a few "mystery rattles" over the years.

Remove every single non-standard item from your glove box, the spaces above and to the left of the CD changer, under the seats, from the trunk -- EVERYTHING. Remove flashlights, loose CD's in cases, cassette tapes, etc. Have the car as empty as it was when you drove away from the dealership when it was new. Does the "clunk" happen with everything removed?

Noise has a way of coming from places you would never suspect. I've looked all over for the sources of rattles and have sometimes found the noises coming from loose items in the glove box. Just after buying my first LS in 1990, I noticed a particularly irritating buzz coming from somewhere in the interior. I hunted all over for the source of the noise and finally found it by using a cheap automotive stethoscope. It turned out to be a loose setting in a ring on my right hand -- something I never noticed while driving my previous noisy Mercedes Diesel daily driver.

Do you have a particularly rough road nearby where the "clunk" happens continuously? Maybe have someone probe the interior with a stethoscope while you drive the road to verify that the noise is coming from the steering column -- or you could probably do it yourself if you are careful.

My 2000 LS400 Platinum just passed 115,000 miles two days ago -- no "clunks" or suspension noises of any kind and the only front end work that has been done has been a front brake job and replacing the strut rods.

Hi. Thanks for your response and thinking through the clunk issue. Yes, I've caught a few rattles from your approach over the years. My mechanic also did the stethoscope ride with me. See conclusions next paragraph.

Re. the front end clunk: 80% of them are gone after replacing front strut rods and bushings, plus sway bar bushings. Now I'm thinking about lower and upper control arm bushings, as well as thinking about the response from vfr about intermediate shaft in steering column. My mechanic doesn't think it's a bushing problem anymore; he thought it was a steering column noise before vfr's response.

Do you have any thoughts about vfr's comments?

Thanks again for thoughts. franck

I couldn't identify an "intermediate steering shaft" if one bit me in the arse! In the years I've been using these forums, nearly 20 years of Lexus LS ownership and personally knowing quite a few LS400 owners., I don't think I've ever heard anyone mention replacing something they called an intermediate steering shaft. Also, there are no TSIBs on issues with something called an intermediate steering shaft. It seems quite a stretch that both your and vfr's 00 LS are having the same problem. I'd be more inclined to think that the problem has been misdiagnosed on vfr's car.

The only steering column issue I remember offhand where a TSIB has been issued -- except for the tilt/telescope motor problems -- is the "groan" issue in which the flexible cable at the bottom of the steering column is replaced with a U-joint.

I'm still hung up on the concept that a 00 LS with your car's low mileage is having these issues at all.

Me, too.

I am also greatly disappointed that this part could be a problem at all.

$350 is the Canadian price - a US dealer in Buffalo quoted me approx. $250 for a part that dealers know as the "intermediate steering shaft". By the way, this problem has been steadily getting worse and is fast approaching my pain threshold. Franck, has anyone diagnosed this part as the culprit for your car?

vfr: my dealer just quoted $1,075 to replace the intermediate steering column shaft, but first wants to assess if that's the problem causing the clunking sound through the steering column. My independent repair person, who has replaced several kinds of frontend bushings--which have about 80% of the clunking noises--believes the remaining clunking noise/rattle is coming from the steering column; but he doesn't do steering column repairs and doesn't know anyone he can recommend in the SF/East Bay area. He advised going to dealer. I'm checking cost options with another dealer. Hope this helps. I've been going nuts with the clunking noises for a year. 1990LS400 has a point about these noises being unusual, especially given my low mileage, although my independent mechanic thinks that the age of the car, plus the 50,000+ miles, plus the weight of the car, could be causes for the bushings being worn. The proof on his part so far has been the noise reduction and the better handling since he changed out the several bushings (this after he started with changing the 4 struts). My family and I have trusted this mechanic for over 25 years. Best of luck to you. Please let me know how things go for you. I'll be in touch as this problem gets more unwound,

Followup reply to this morning's comments: I just found another Lexus dealer in my area who will replace the intermediate steering column shaft for $585 (part and labor), as opposed to the other Lexus dealer, who wants $1,075. I think there's a lesson to be learned in here somewhere about Lexus dealers, besides their typical gouging quotations. I'll keep you posted; we'll both know after Monday next if this part really does contribute to clunk noises.

Hi amcdonal86, Have you had any luck getting rid of the intermittent clunking noise felt in the steering wheel? And, have you been following my attempts to get this issue addressed? Would like very much to hear how you're doing with the noise problem; I'll post after next Monday, once I get the steering column part changed. (As I posted before, 80% of the clunking noises have disappeared after having the struts changed, along with several pairs of frontend bushings.) Best, franck

franck,
Best of luck to you too and I hope you're able to resolve this problem once and for all. I intend to have mine done at some point over the next month or so. By the way, I would really appreciate it if you would post some information on the bushings you've replaced and whether you went with OEM parts or aftermarket (which I understand are stiffer/harder). I am also considering replacing the strut mounts as the initial impact of some bumps seems simply too jarring to me. Not sure, however, if my limited knowledge of suspension systems would make this a waste of money.

amcdonal86, why did you replace the strut mounts and do you think replacing them would address the problem I'm having?

Thanks in advance for everybody's help.

For vfr: I replaced sway bar bushings; strut rod bushings; strut rods. All OEM parts. Work done by my independent mechanic.

Talk to you after Monday next.

For vft: I had the intermediate steering column replaced at a Lexus dealer. Remainder of clunk/rattle sounds were gone on the ride home. Im looking forward to seeing if they're gone today. The Lexus dealer, BTW, said the intermediate steering column was loose and noisy; he kept to his quoted price ($285 for the part; $300 for labor). I'm cautiously happy (until I drive car for a week and see if the clunks come back). Yesterday, after column repaired, the ride felt new and solid.

Hope you have as good an experience addressing your clunk noises. Best, franck

franck, thanks for your message and glad to hear the problem appears to be resolved. I'll post results of my repair(s) once they're done.

vfr: intermediate steering column shaft working well; no new clunk sounds.

Glad to hear it - well worth the cost I'm sure. Regards.