'03 Lx 470 Vibration/steering Wheel Shake

[moml]

I have a new '03 LX 470. When I drove it out of the dealership, a mere month ago, it had a severe high speed shake. I called the dealer and they rebalanced the wheels...but the problem, though better, still existed. I ended up calling Lexus Customer Service and they authorized changing the tires from the factory Dunlops to Michelins.

Basically, the general vibration and slight tremor exists at all speeds and is most visible in the steering wheel at 65 mph. The Service Manager has driven the car and agrees that there is a problem...and though it will go back AGAIN (thank goodness for loaners), he really has 'no clue'.

SO...has anyone experienced this vibration/tremor/steering shake in an '03 LX 470...and, if so, can they fix this????????

Thanks....

Please post a reply and have it emailed to me from this site....

[OffTheBeatenPath]

If the dealership has verified your wheels are correctly balanced on a recently calibrated machine, then you have a front-end alignment issue causing your steering wheel to shake at speed.

The 1998-2003 LX470s for some reason are very susceptible to a toe setting misalignment. Don’t worry as this is easily fixed. Have your dealership’s master tech, and only the master tech, align the front wheels to balance Left and Right sides EXACTLY and to the following specs (all in degrees): Caster, 2.3 (min) and 3.8 (max), 2.0 to 2.3 preferred; Camber, –0.8 (min) to 0.8 (max), 0.0 ideal; Toe, -0.10 (min) to 0.10 (max), 0.00 ideal.

The toe and camber settings are the most critical. While a 0.00-degree toe will reduce your straight ahead tracking slightly, this will all but eliminate the steering wheel shaking at speed. Also, ask the dealership to run an alignment report showing the initial and final settings to verify their work and the alignment to the correct settings.

If this does not solve your problem have the dealership contact Lexus’ regional master tech with this problem, they have heard of this problem at least one time in the past…I had the same issue on my LX and this alignment solved my problem.

Good luck! :)

[gslx4s]

I have a new '03 LX 470. When I drove it out of the dealership, a mere month ago, it had a severe high speed shake. I called the dealer and they rebalanced the wheels...but the problem, though better, still existed. I ended up calling Lexus Customer Service and they authorized changing the tires from the factory Dunlops to Michelins.

Basically, the general vibration and slight tremor exists at all speeds and is most visible in the steering wheel at 65 mph. The Service Manager has driven the car and agrees that there is a problem...and though it will go back AGAIN (thank goodness for loaners), he really has 'no clue'.

SO...has anyone experienced this vibration/tremor/steering shake in an '03 LX 470...and, if so, can they fix this????????

Thanks....

Please post a reply and have it emailed to me from this site....

I had a problem some what like your. It does not seem as bad as you have stated, but still my lx had the same problem. i took it to the dealer this past saturday for a 5k service and told them about the problem and they corrected it. Not sure what they di but i will try and find out. i will call the srevice trch monday and see if i can get some more information. Here is the strange thing. My frined has a 2002 LX 470 that had the same problem. His too was corrected. Keep me posted and i will do the same for you.

[moml]

Here's the update on this issue....Lexus has changed the tires to Michelins, re-balanced the wheels, and did some other techy thing to the wheels/tires (rephased the tires). Though much better, the problem was definitely still there. BUT, as this simply should not be with this high-end vehicle, I called again and Lexus sent a Rep to drive the car.

First we drove my LX470. I COULD feel and see the tremor in the wheel...but the Rep said he could NOT and that what I was seeing and feeling was 'natural' road feel (he claimed that our Florida highways are full of rock and not smooth...c'mon now!). THEN, we drove another new LX470 and IT HAD THE PROBLEM TOO...though the Rep claimed that that, too, was 'natural'! But, he agreed that the alignment was off...authorized a re-alignment...and I just hoped that that would 'do the trick'.

I gave him and the service manager the specs from 'offthebeatenpath' (THANK YOU!)...and they both kind of 'rolled their eyes'. They DID do the alignment last week...to what specs I am not sure.

Bottom line...the tremor is better, slight even, BUT THERE and it REALLY annoys me. My gut on this is that there IS an issue with this car...an issue that perhaps other service techs can fix but my dealership cannot. I am just simply appauled that a car of this caliber...A LEXUS!...rolls off the lot with this problem AND Lexus would like me to believe that that's the way it's supposed to be. I will try dealing with Lexus Customer Service again...but I just think that they will keep putting me off, as did their Rep....(and, no, I'm NOT too picky about this!)

I would love to hear what gslx4s's service department did to fix this problem....and appreciate gslx4s and offthebeatenpath's reponse!

Any further assistance would be most appreciated.

[moml]

:( :( :( :(

[OffTheBeatenPath]

I am sorry to hear that the alignment did not resolve your wheel shake. I will be at my dealership tomorrow for a carwash and will ask their master tech if he has seen or has been trained on this problem with other LXs. I know that they corrected this issue on my 01 with the specific alignment and details that I provided you. In troubleshooting this issue has the dealership tried rotating the tires front to back? If so, is the shake exactly the same magnitude at speed?

Also...Does your steering wheel shake/tremor occur on all road surfaces, be it concrete, asphalt, or (?), either old or new? Does it gradually get worse to a maximum as your speed increases to 65? Does it decrease at speeds beyond 65? What setting do you normally have your Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) set at?

My experience with my new 03 has been absolutely stellar to date, with only the steering wheel needing to be re-centered to the VGSR (less than a one minute process with the tech's "game boy" controller). I have not experienced any steering wheel shake at any speed over a variety of road surfaces during several thousand miles of driving so far.

I am also anxious to hear of gslx4s dealership's solution... Please keep us informed.

[gslx4s]

I have a new '03 LX 470.  When I drove it out of the dealership, a mere month ago, it had a severe high speed shake.  I called the dealer and they rebalanced the wheels...but the problem, though better, still existed.  I ended up calling Lexus Customer Service and they authorized changing the tires from the factory Dunlops to Michelins.

Basically, the general vibration and slight tremor exists at all speeds and is most visible in the steering wheel at 65 mph.  The Service Manager has driven the car and agrees that there is a problem...and though it will go back AGAIN (thank goodness for loaners), he really has 'no clue'.

SO...has anyone experienced this vibration/tremor/steering shake in an '03 LX 470...and, if so, can they fix this????????

Thanks....

Please post a reply and have it emailed to me from this site....

I had a problem some what like your. It does not seem as bad as you have stated, but still my lx had the same problem. i took it to the dealer this past saturday for a 5k service and told them about the problem and they corrected it. Not sure what they di but i will try and find out. i will call the srevice trch monday and see if i can get some more information. Here is the strange thing. My frined has a 2002 LX 470 that had the same problem. His too was corrected. Keep me posted and i will do the same for you.

Ok, sorry for the delay. The Service Mgr. that i was dealing with just called me back. He had told me that the only thing they did was re-balance the wheels. I did check the wheels and they do have new weights on them so he was not lying. but that is all they did and it corrected my issue.

[moml]

First..thank you gslx4s and OffTheBeatenPath for your continued assistance. As the wheels have been rebalanced...and I am assuming that they do know what they're doing here...the problem is obviously not a simple 'fix'. Ditto with an alignment (not to OffTheBeatenPath...this was done to Lexus LX470 specs and they did not give me the 'numbers').

Though the tremor does yet exist, it is vastly improved. Not perfect, but I'm beginning to think that they just think I'm 'too picky' and that that is the way this SUV handles. As mentioned, I did drive another LX470 off the new car lot and that one, too an sadly, had the same 'flutter' in the wheel. And, seriously, the flutter/tremor/shake is not horrible, but annoying for this quality, luxury SUV.

To respond to OffTheBeatenPath...

I don't know if they tried the front to back tire rotation. As for when this happens...it does NOT happen while driving at slower speeds. It is most apparent in the 65 mph range and does seem to be enhanced on different road surfaces. Quite honestly, I can't tell you the difference between asphalt, blacktop, concrete, or a combo surface. The AVS is centered, pointing to the front of the car...and I believe the Lexus person was with Customer Service and not a Master Tech.

I have not contacted the dealer since the alignment but intend to contact Lexus directly again and request that a Master Tech, if that is not who drove the car, drive it. I had been told when I first got the car that this was 'inherent' and would work itself out with mileage (can you believe THAT !?!)...and I've been hoping that that would be the case at this point (not!).

All of this has just taken way too much time and energy and I'm almost...not quite!...ready to just let go of the issue...which is, I think, what Lexus is hoping for. We shall see and I will keep you posted.

Thanks again AND certainly, if you have any thoughts, please let me know....

[bcheng4jc]

i had this problem with my toyota previa, my '94 landcruiser and my '99 LX470. this seems to be a recurring problem that seems to pop up on alot of toyota/lexus. the dealer coudlnt fix my problem with the previa or the landcruiser (serviced at lexus). however, problem was fixed with my '99 LX470. hasn't happened yet with my 2003 LX470 but i wouldnt be surprised if it starts to happen. i've had experience with steering wheel vibrating when braking at high speeds, a problem i've noticed with all my previous toyota/lexus.

[GentleBen]

I am currently looking to replace my Mercedes 99 ML430 with either a Sequoia LTD or LX470. Your vibration problem caught my eye as I have the same problem with my ML. It normally comes in around 105kph, but seems to go away when you get closer to 140kph. It is not a problem during single-passenger travel, but is noticeable on my way to the cabin during which the vehicle is loaded with 4 people and luggage.

Mercedes has driven it and say that they amount of vibration is normal for a vehicle of this size, but rebalanced, realigned etc just the same.

I have noticed a similar effect on a Nissan pathfinder, but not to the same extend. I think it may have something to do with the size of tires (seeing as the ML has quite wide 275s), but I could be wrong.

Anyways, I hope you resolve your problem. I will be sure to look for it during my test drives.

[NicLX470]

I have a new '03 LX 470. When I drove it out of the dealership, a mere month ago, it had a severe high speed shake. I called the dealer and they rebalanced the wheels...but the problem, though better, still existed. I ended up calling Lexus Customer Service and they authorized changing the tires from the factory Dunlops to Michelins.

Basically, the general vibration and slight tremor exists at all speeds and is most visible in the steering wheel at 65 mph. The Service Manager has driven the car and agrees that there is a problem...and though it will go back AGAIN (thank goodness for loaners), he really has 'no clue'.

SO...has anyone experienced this vibration/tremor/steering shake in an '03 LX 470...and, if so, can they fix this????????

Thanks....

Please post a reply and have it emailed to me from this site....

Yes this is a big problem for the Toyota/Lexus family. I have owned 2 4Runners and my current 98 LX470 does the same thing! Even when the tires are road forced balanced the shimmy @ highway speed still exists. Though not as bad. BUT GET THIS. My mother is looking for a new car and we went and test drove a new 2008 4Runner with 25 miles on it and guess what. The steering wheel was shaking on the highway! WTF is up with that? There is obviously a problem??!?!

[scrappyslexus]

I have a new '03 LX 470. When I drove it out of the dealership, a mere month ago, it had a severe high speed shake. I called the dealer and they rebalanced the wheels...but the problem, though better, still existed. I ended up calling Lexus Customer Service and they authorized changing the tires from the factory Dunlops to Michelins.

Basically, the general vibration and slight tremor exists at all speeds and is most visible in the steering wheel at 65 mph. The Service Manager has driven the car and agrees that there is a problem...and though it will go back AGAIN (thank goodness for loaners), he really has 'no clue'.

SO...has anyone experienced this vibration/tremor/steering shake in an '03 LX 470...and, if so, can they fix this????????

Thanks....

Please post a reply and have it emailed to me from this site....

Yes this is a big problem for the Toyota/Lexus family. I have owned 2 4Runners and my current 98 LX470 does the same thing! Even when the tires are road forced balanced the shimmy @ highway speed still exists. Though not as bad. BUT GET THIS. My mother is looking for a new car and we went and test drove a new 2008 4Runner with 25 miles on it and guess what. The steering wheel was shaking on the highway! WTF is up with that? There is obviously a problem??!?!

I have a 2000 LX470 Low miles. I have 80,000 miles on the truck. I have been complaining about shaking and vibration since 34k. I got the new tires from the dealer, the wheel balancing and the alignment checked. The truck was always dealer maintained. They always said the truck was fine. I changed dealerships because improper maint. that caused an accumulator problem on my truck. I had the new dealership that is state of the art do the breaks and check the bearings on the truck that were supposed to be checked at the old dealership at 30k and 50k. The service advisor at the new dealership told me that the ball bearings fell out of one of the front wheels and that their was significant dammage to all surrounding parts. He called Lexus and they covered all parts. The vibration is gone and the truck rides like new. I would have them check the bearings and possibly try a new dealership.

[lx470tuner]

Glad to see that the problem isn't just on my car. I have a 07 Lx470 and this is a problem that had existed from when the car was new. Since then I have changed tires, got the dealership to perform multiples of balances and alignments, and had the car road force balanced. Initially, the steering shook around 30mph and on. That speed was raised to 50mph after the tires were replaced (originally Dunlops had cupping). Finally it is now at 70mph+ after the road force balance. I frequently use this car to travel interstate and thus spend quite of bit of time at speeds exceeding 70mph. Very very annoying to have to sit there for hours holding on to a shaking steering wheel. I did notice something though, the shaking is improved when the suspension is in sport mode (you'd be sacrificing ride quality for better steering wheel control). That kinda makes me think that this problem has something to do with the characteristics of the suspensions (and worse yet, perhaps impossible to fix)?