Kennyr44

On the 4 Runner forum the call for more speeds is relentless. The 4 Runners have 5 speeds. Their transmissions are rock solid bulletproof. There is no history of complaints or problems. I just get in there and say be carefull what you wish for. More speeds more trouble. My LS 460 hunts between 7 and 8 at 60 miles per hour in freeway mild traffic. It's annoying. I guess then it's best to slide over to manual at that time. Most people won't mess with that though. In my opinion overkill is not your friend in the tranny world. My ML350 has 7 and it feels pretty good. 6 would be enough I guess.

OkieBoy

I don't know if it is the pump or the gears however it is very noticeable especially after a highway drive, it is very faint at highway speeds, low speed is where it is bad, I don't hear it in park so maybe it is the gears. I put 300,000 miles on a LS400 and it was super quiet, the noise in this car can't be or shouldn't be normal especially for a Lexus flagship car. My challenge now is to get Lexus to recognize the problem and take care of it.

reg331

After returning to FL, I brought my 2013 LS 460 to the dealer and made my case that the transmission pump was creating more than normal noise. The dealer agreed and got authorization to install a new transmission.

Now the engine seems to be running at a faster idle speed and the direct fuel port injectors are much louder making the engine sound like a diesel engine.

Is this possible?

reg331

UPDATE: Lexus agreed the noise from the transmission was abnormal and replaced the transmission. However after driving for about 2 weeks the noise is back. Unfortunately, Lexus will only replace the transmission one time.I am told if enough people complain to Lexus they may come up with a more permanent fix. Thanks everyone for your advice.

jmcraney

If relief for you is dependent on Lexus receiving more complaints about transmission noises, then you will likely have to wait a long time. We are not seeing many complaints here about transmission noises.

Doublebase

First of all you say you contacted Lexus and they tell you that it is NOT a safety concern or a MECHANICAL concern. Am I reading this right? That the transmission is operating properly...shifting properly, etc? So what you're dealing with is a whine?

Now on another thread I was under the impression that you got your transmission replaced, but if I'm now understanding this correctly, you got it replaced because of a whine at low speeds, correct? If that's true then bravo to you, because driving around on the roads there are literally millions of different cars that have low speed transmission pump whining noises coming from them, and my Honda Accord is one of them (I never thought to get it replaced, or even dreamed of having Honda replace it for free).

So my initial thought was that your transmission had failed...that you fought with the dealer for over a year to have your faulty transmission replaced (and they did that). But now I understand that it's a noise at low speeds - and you appear to be implying that it is common for this car and applying that Lexus knows as much - yet very few around here have experienced it...and if you google LS460 transmission problems, you'll get virtually nothing compared to a car that has real transmission problems.

My own personal opinion of this transmission is that it is phenomenal. It allows me to average 26.5 mpg out of V8 engine. Cadillac thinks it's a good transmission too, because they bought it and now use it in their cars. And the funny thing is if I ever need to replace it I can buy a used one for less than $2000. I imagine it's so cheap because there isn't a demand for remanufactured units, because they are a very reliable unit.

I'm sorry that you heard a whine at low speeds. I'm glad you got it replaced for free from Lexus. But I would argue that the transmission in this car may actually be one of the best units in production cars today, in terms of reliability and function.

jarm

Has there been a fix on this transmission whining on the LS 460 2013 from Lexus? Just purchased a used LS and noticed the whining at low speeds.

jarm

reg331

There is absolutely NO FIX for the transmission pump. Mine was so loud that Lexus replaced the entire transmission and low and behold the noise was still there. The Service Manager said until Lexus engineers come up with a fix, there is nothing they can do to eliminate the noise. Lexus will tell you that the transmission is perfectly safe and will apologize profusely but NOTHING can and will be done.. Very disappointing coming from a vehicle like Lexus.

greg3852

Can you perhaps post a video of the noise as most of us have never heard such a noise from our LS's?

jarm

Well Boys, I took my LS 460 2013 into the Lexus dealer. I told them about the whining noise from the transmission at low speeds and the diesel noise at idle. They kept my car for two days. Here is my report. The diesel noise at idle are the fuel injectors and that is just the way the sound. WTF is that . I was also told that there was at TSB for the whining noise on the transmission. I was told that they installed some bracket on the transmission that quieted the whining noise somewhat. And YES it did quiet the whining noise a low speeds somewhat but not completely. Has anyone heard about the new TSB for the transmission YET? I really think this is all BS and they tell everyone the same ****** when they come to the dealer with this problem.


jarm

SW17LS

The diesel sound at idle is the direct injection...like they said totally normal.

SatComm302

I'm experiencing this exact same engine whine in my 2013 LS460L. Here are my contacts and progression:

1. While in for service earlier this year, I notified the dealership that I was experiencing a loud engine-type whine at lower speeds that seemed to follow the engine PRMs and transmission shifts. When I picked it up the car, they said they couldn't hear it or duplicate it.
2. Made an appointment with the dealership Service Director and he and the Head Shop Foreman drove the car. Both stated they could hear the whine. The SD said he would set up an appointment with the Lexus Regional Rep. He called a few days later and we set up an appointment for four weeks later.
3. Met with Lexus Regional Rep and he and I drove my car for a good 20 minutes and said he also could hear the whine, understood my concern, and would set up an appointment with the Field Technician. The SD called a few days later and made an appointment with the FT for a few weeks later.
4. Met with the Head Shop Foreman, the Service Director and the Field Technician (I'm glad I have the LS), and we all took a joy ride for another 20 minutes with the Field Technician driving. The FT said he could hear the whine, but "it's normal and within Lexus tolerances." I told him it wasn't normal because I've driven three other 2013 and 2014 LS's and didn't hear it a single time. He apologized a few times, but wouldn't budge and kept saying that he could only fix it if it got worse. I replied that I thought it was already incredibly distracting with driving 550 to 600 miles a week and I didn't think it could get any worse. I told him I was frustrated at this level of transient noise from the Lexus Flagship sedan. He agreed, but would only say that he could fix it if it got worse. So, I'm stuck. This last meeting was in September, 2017.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Should my next step be Lexus Corporate? I'm getting ready to trade this beauty in for something else, but I don't want to do that; I LOVE this car! Unfortunately, I can't "unhear" this freaking noise!

Doublebase

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

Well, there is a TSB for low speed transmission whine (L-SB-0103-14, replace the transmission/engine mount) and it does get rid of most of the noise. The "diesel" noise is the fuel pump and they really don't want to replace those because 50% of the time the replacement is just as noisy. Totally unacceptable in my opinion.

reg331

Good Luck! Mine was so bad to the point, Lexus finally agreed to replace the transmission. They cannot replace the transmission pump alone. So I was told, they replaced the entire transmission. Within 2 months, the noise was back. In speaking to the mechanic, he explained the transmission pump is defective and Lexus will not spend the money to re-design a pump and then replace thousands of transmissions. Too bad because I will not purchase another Lexus. Then you have these Lexus employees get on this forum and say General Motors is installing Lexus transmissions in their Cadillacs. Who cares, I just want the transmission in my Lexus LS which costs me over $70,000 to perform like a luxury vehicle.

Best advice, write to cooperate headquarters and let them know your displeasure with the car.

Good Luck and keep us all informed.