Kaius88

A few days ago i was driving on the freeway at 75 mph. Came across a normal long tire tread but couldnt avoid it. Ran over it, and saw it fly in the air behind me. That was a substantial size piece of rubber. Does the ES350 have protection underneath to protect against these road hazards? I was a bit concerned that it may have touched the side of the car as it was from an angle. But so far no exterior damage. I'm gonna wash the car by hand soon so I can really look at every inch closely.

dreyfus

The engine area has plastic underside guards but they're fairly flimsy.

Those treads can really tear up the underside of a car. If you haven't noticed any fluid leaks or new noises then you're probably okay, so don't panic. But I would still recommend putting it on a lift and giving your underside a good looking over.

Cali_Girl

My IS ran over one. Given that no new sounds were detected or any visible leaks, I'm assuming everything is fine. The IS is lower than the ES350. My 5K service due in a few weeks will tell the whole story. Sometimes, these things are unavoidable. The California freeways are full of debris. Lately, perhaps due to the extremely warm weather, I've been noticing more and more flat tire debris.