2004 Ls430 Air Suspension Problem

[malisha1]

I have a 2004 lS430 (65,000 miles) with air suspension. I have noticed that the rear of the car sits very high. I wanted to know what is wrong and if anyone else had a similar problem.

[wwest]

I have a 2004 lS430 (65,000 miles) with air suspension. I have noticed that the rear of the car sits very high. I wanted to know what is wrong and if anyone else had a similar problem.

One picture is worth a thousand words, or in this case maybe 10,000 words.

[malisha1]

I have a 2004 lS430 (65,000 miles) with air suspension. I have noticed that the rear of the car sits very high. I wanted to know what is wrong and if anyone else had a similar problem.

One picture is worth a thousand words, or in this case maybe 10,000 words.

I have posted a picture in my profile.

[malisha1]

Any ideas guys

[Law]

Are you the original owner? Is this something that you JUST noticed happening or has it been like this since day one?

Step1-Try putting the car on a lift so that the struts are fully extended. The sensors should read that the air struts are extended and compensate by letting the air out.

Step2-When you let the car back down, with the air having been let out by the sensors, the car should look a little lower. Sometimes, MUCH lower.

Step3-Turn the car back on and the compressors should fill the shocks back up for "normal mode". Also remember that it may take about 5 minutes for the compressors to adjust the suspension, so be patient.

Try this little "reset mode" ^^^^ and see if it sets things back to "normal". Also, check that you don't have your suspension set in the "high" mode.

I doubt that you have damaged struts. If they were leaking, the car would be sagging. If none of this works, it could be a failed sensor? That's just my creative theory.

Keep us posted!

[wilfw]

I also have a 2004 LS430 (UL) with about 40k miles. The air suspension behaves erratically. Sometimes the car will ride high and very stiff (every road bump is a jolt), other times ride very low and stiff (top 2 inches of tire hidden by wheel well). Yet other times the suspension will behave normally and the ride is as smooth as silk. ON occasion I can get the problem sorted out by restarting the engine but this does not always work. Often when riding high a few miles at highway speeds will result in the suspension "relaxing". Seems like a computer fault.

[EvanM]

My 2005 LS430 just got really bumpy yesterday as if the shocks were really stiff. It seemed to get better after I restarted the car at a stop light, but this morning the problem was still there.

I set the suspension to Sport while driving just to see if it made a difference. The car is now sitting all the way down. Is this something that will reset by itself ? How can I tell if it is a faulty sensor ?

It seems like a few people have had this type of problem. What was the final resolution?

Thanks.

[theos]

My 2005 LS430 just got really bumpy yesterday as if the shocks were really stiff. It seemed to get better after I restarted the car at a stop light, but this morning the problem was still there.

I set the suspension to Sport while driving just to see if it made a difference. The car is now sitting all the way down. Is this something that will reset by itself ? How can I tell if it is a faulty sensor ?

It seems like a few people have had this type of problem. What was the final resolution?

Thanks.

I have a similiar problem, but I'm not able to reset. From time to time it works or it works not.

[SKperformance]

Either reset by pulling the battery or have the rear height adjustment sensor checked, back right wheel

[vito.a]

If you study the rear suspension with it up in the air you can see the height sensors. You may try adjusting them to lower the car. Remember to lengthen the rod to make the car think it is higher and it should compensate and lower the car. Also, to keep it even I would count the number of turns and do both sides the same.

[Mrgimme]

Hi I am not trying to hijack this thread but I was wondering when did Lexus begin using "air pump rear suspension" my Buick has it and the pump failed (I think its an 800 buck repair) and now my car looks like I am hauling a trunk full of cement! I would prefer to have rear components that wear out and then can be replaced not some "only works when its new" fancy smancy failure prone system.

Which model year did Lexus go to the air suspension system or has it always been that way?

[SW03ES]

Lexus has had an air suspension option since 1990 with the first LS.

Its an option though, and in the LS430 if you stay away from the Ultra Luxury (UL) package your LS will have standard struts and not the air suspension.

The way to make sure it to look for a switch on the console for the suspension. The normal suspension car will have no switch...

[wilfw]

If you study the rear suspension with it up in the air you can see the height sensors. You may try adjusting them to lower the car. Remember to lengthen the rod to make the car think it is higher and it should compensate and lower the car. Also, to keep it even I would count the number of turns and do both sides the same.

I just had the rear height sensors replaced on my 2004 430UL. $479 each for the part plus installation. Apparently it is a very common failure in the 430.

[piltins]

I have a 2004 LS430 UL with about 84K mi. and the height sensors have been an intermittant problem for about six months. The rear would raise up and the ride would become unbearable then it would self resolve. Sometimes turning the car off then on would help resolve it but this weekend it went "high" and has not resolved. I was told it is a faulty height sensor and the car is going in tonight for repair. My question is why would lexus ever design a system where when the height is in the high position, the ride is unbearable. Every small bump in the road is felt as a hard jolt. I have already replaced the rear struts to the tune of about $2500 and I am pretty upset that another suspension problem has occurred.

[az735i]

I have a 2004 LS430 UL with about 84K mi. and the height sensors have been an intermittant problem for about six months. The rear would raise up and the ride would become unbearable then it would self resolve. Sometimes turning the car off then on would help resolve it but this weekend it went "high" and has not resolved. I was told it is a faulty height sensor and the car is going in tonight for repair. My question is why would lexus ever design a system where when the height is in the high position, the ride is unbearable. Every small bump in the road is felt as a hard jolt. I have already replaced the rear struts to the tune of about $2500 and I am pretty upset that another suspension problem has occurred.

They do this in order to make you notice that there is problem. If they made it so that the ride is smooth, you may not notice that there is a problem with the suspension.

[027922]

I made a mistake buying my 1990 LS with air suspension. It of course failed in the middle of a trip out west and we limped home 1000 miles with a ride that felt like a buckboard. The recommended fix is to change over to conventional springs and struts - a very costly proposition but at least it eliminates the air suspension. Stay away from LSs with air suspension - it has been a chronic problem.

[az735i]

I made a mistake buying my 1990 LS with air suspension. It of course failed in the middle of a trip out west and we limped home 1000 miles with a ride that felt like a buckboard. The recommended fix is to change over to conventional springs and struts - a very costly proposition but at least it eliminates the air suspension. Stay away from LSs with air suspension - it has been a chronic problem.

Its not just the LS, many other manufactorers suffer from the same problems. Lincoln is another example.

[piltins]

I have a 2004 LS430 UL with about 84K mi. and the height sensors have been an intermittant problem for about six months. The rear would raise up and the ride would become unbearable then it would self resolve. Sometimes turning the car off then on would help resolve it but this weekend it went "high" and has not resolved. I was told it is a faulty height sensor and the car is going in tonight for repair. My question is why would lexus ever design a system where when the height is in the high position, the ride is unbearable. Every small bump in the road is felt as a hard jolt. I have already replaced the rear struts to the tune of about $2500 and I am pretty upset that another suspension problem has occurred.

They do this in order to make you notice that there is problem. If they made it so that the ride is smooth, you may not notice that there is a problem with the suspension.

I received call from the Lexus sevice rep today telling me that I had a bad right rear height sensor and a bad height control motor. The repair estimate is $2700.00!! I am taking the car from them and will have my local mechanic replace the height sensor and see what happens. I know a Lexus tech who told me he has never seen a height control motor need replacing. To be continued.