I have a 2022 ES350 (Luxury trim) which presently has ~9,500 miles on it. It was purchased in December of 2021 in Tacoma, WA. Within the first months of ownership, I experienced a random "clunking" noises and physical sensations in the front end when I come to a slow stop, as if I have runover something...but I haven't. The noise is noticeable by my passengers as well. This happens just about every time I drive the car, more times than I can count. There is no sequence that I can duplicate to cause the clunking sound and sensation, it occurs randomly. To me, it feels like something is loose, maybe a brake rotor, sway bar or shock absorber.
I also experience a random "hopping" of the front passenger wheel. This feels like someone is bouncing the wheel like a basketball. It has only occurred from a dead stop after the car has sat for a while. The hopping occurs at lower speeds only. When I accelerate to about 25 mph or higher, it will stop. This hopping has happened about 4-5 times in my ownership. The wheels have been checked for balance and have been rotated once. The car itself drives fine, track the road fine and has no other problems. I'm wondering if it has something to do with the parking brake or the brake caliper sticking on that front passenger wheel.
As I live in a town that has no Lexus dealership, I first took the car to our local Toyota dealership for an inspection on 2/1/2023 (two months after purchase). I believe they did a thorough inspection. I rode along with a mechanic, and with him driving, we got the clunking noise to occur more than once. The wheel hopping did not occur. They could find nothing in the front-end area that was loose or out of order. Therefore, nothing was physically done to the car. I drove the car until 9/25/2023, when I returned to the dealership where I purchased the car for another inspection (~250 miles from my home). Again, I rode with a mechanic, we heard the clunking noise more than once and again, they could find nothing wrong with the front-end components. I continue to hear and feel the clunking noise nearly every time I drive the car and the wheel hopping occurred again less than 2 weeks ago as I left a parking lot.
Has anyone else experienced this problem? I feel that this may be a symptom of some serious safety concern. I am approaching the point where I am contemplating trading the car in to put this disappointment behind me.
