I have also noticed this and thought I was the only one.I love everything about the car but the steering.My 2013 accord was dead straight as was my 2010 bmw but those others still did not compare to the ride and luxury of the lexus. I guess I will have to live with it. Thanks for posting know at least I know im not going crazy.

 

Well, I finally got my issue resolved. The lead mechanic corrected the prior alignment job and my ES tracks dead straight and stable. The 'seat-of-the-pants' driving experience on the highway is so much better. The EPS does not have a center point and never will, but properly aligned, it's a non-issue. It only requires soft, slight inputs to account for road imperfections and changes in direction. The key, the mechanic said, was to set the camber at -1.3 degrees at each side, which is at the outer limit of spec. So after having the car for 3 months now, I can finally dig in, relax, and enjoy it. And with the new alignment spec and a soft driving style, I'm averaging between 43-45 mpg in mixed travel.

 

Congratulations, I am glad they were able to correct it.

 

Great news, thanks for sharing!

 

Fantastic news.......glad you got the issue resolved and knowing that you were not crazy. Congrat's to you for just not settling with tech's telling you "it's normal" when you knew better. Have a wonderful 4th of July holiday.

 

I am in the market for new tires to replace Michelin Primacy MVX4 on my 2013 ES300H. You caught my curiousity when you say the Primacy would not be your first choice to consider. What is your first choice be? I have looked at the tire ratings and specs so now I am looking for real world experience from actual users. My only "complaint" with the Primacy is that they squeal a bit around wide cornering at 35-45mph - like in exiting or entering freeway cloverleaf-type configurations. And I have gotten about 53K mileage from them. Thanks

 

The Pirelli P7 Plus Cinturato seems to get rave reviews from those on this and other forums from those who have used them. While I haven't used them myself, I know that their ratings with regard to ride quality are similar to those for the MXV4. The tread wear ratings for the Pirelli tires are better than those for the Michelins, and users report similar ride quality and similar amounts of noise. Further, the P7 Plus Cinturato tires are priced considerably lower than are the MXV4 tires.

The newer Michelin Premiere tires have a better wear rating than do the MXV4 tires, but they don't have the same low rolling resistance rating as the MXV4, and it would be likely that they would be marginally worse with regard to fuel economy. A major selling point of the Premiere ties is that they are supposed to perform better with regard to braking as the tread wears. And they are a little less expensive than the MXV4 tires.

A tire that doesn't get talked about much on the forums is the Goodyear Comfortred Touring tire. They have a better tread wear rating than do the MXV4 tires, and they are less expensive than either of the Michelin alternatives. With my previous generation ES, I bought a set of these after not being happy with the tread wear that I got from either of the two sets of Michelin tires that I had on that car. I got about 65,000 miles out of those tires, and I probably still had another 5000-10000 miles left when I sold the car. If there was any difference between the Goodyear tires and the Michelin tires with regard to noise or ride quality, it was too small for me to see the difference.

Thus, when I need to replace the MXV4 tires that are on my current ES, I'll likely look into the Pirelli tires and either buy them, or I'll buy another set of the Goodyear Comfortred tires.

 

LESZ Thanks for sharing! I will look into these 2 tires as well.

 

Hi all,

Quick Update: After driving for several weeks, I still seem to have an issue with the steering of my 2013 ES300H.

I absolutely love everything else about the car... the smoothness, the economy, the looks, the fantastic engineering, but just can't seem to get comfortable with the steering. I've experienced similar steering characteristics with other loaner ESs and have accepted it's more of a design thing then a problem and am trying to live with it. The root of my issue is the fact that the steering does not have a strong motivation to return to center and hold a straight track as the default position. It seems to come within 3 degrees of center and relies on the driver going the rest of the way. With 3 degrees on either side of center lacking a return-to-center action, I find it difficult to keep tracking straight, especially on the highway.

I knew that the steering was described as "numb" in many publications, but purchased the car anyway thinking I would eventually get used to it and it wouldn't be an issue. I was wondering if anyone out there might know of a modification to increase the return-to-center action of the steering, or improve the feeling in any way. Maybe a steering ECU swap or upgrade, programing update, slight toe-in alignment spec, or even a different steering/rack/column/suspension hardware set up? I graciously thank you in advance for any help with this and apologize for my obsessive nature with cars.

 

If you're expecting excellent handling from an ES, you've got the wrong car I came from a TSX and that car had good steering for a fully electrical system. The ES steering is totally numb and has a dead spot around the center. It's fine on dead straight highways but it does require constant corrections when the road isn't straight and smooth. I'm also wondering if certain tire designs are more prone to following road surface changes than others.

 

Thanks for the response chromedome.

By no means was handling a top priority with the ES purchase. I came out of a 2010 Prius 5 and was looking for something softer, quieter, and able to chew up miles without a second thought. After very careful consideration, the ES was my best bet... and still is... just would like to improve that steering to be able to relax while driving on the highway. I figured/hoped there might be someone out there that... 1. Loves the car as much as I do... 2. Had a similar reaction to the steering... 3. Able to come up with a solution that worked for them and would be willing to share.

 

My wife and I also came from a 2010 Prius and I can say that I do NOT notice the steering problem you have noted. Perhaps Lexus made some adjustments by the 2015 model year - although your experience with loaners would seem to counter that argument. However, I can verify that tires absolutely play a role on the way cars can follow road surfaces. We saw this to such a great extent on our Lexus NX purchase that we insisted the dealer swap our OEM Yokahamas for Michelins which handle much better on our sample/test interstate stretch with striated concrete surfaces. We discovered this during a test drive with a model that had the Michelins (they were quieter too for that matter).

 

Hello,

I recently bought a used 2016 ES300h and noticed the same issue you have. It's 2023 now so I dont know if you still have the car but I live in MD and was wondering if you wanted to meet up and we could compare cars to the issue. Thanks! Albie.

 

No, I got rid of it after a year of the steering making me crazy. I drove my friend's 2020 ES, no issues. I suppose they received negative feedback on the steering feel and corrected it with the redesign. I still like the Lexus brand and will be considering the new ES with the redesign for my next car... or possible the GS Hybrid.

 

Just FYI: Some of you may be experiencing the notorious Toyota/Lexus Steering rack problem. Google it for yourselves.

There is also something else I do. That is I Only let Toyota or Lexus do my wheel alignments only. Why? 90% of these Joe's wheel tire and Alignment shops including the Big box store tire stores do not Calibrate their machines often enough or at all. Some need to be done on a every week basis, and/or every morning. The Dealers have big service contracts for their equipment on schedules and some of the equipment in some cases has duty to be calibrated every morning.

Toyota Techstream software also has a feature after alignment called Yaw and Rake on the Lexus car to be performed for reset and calibration. Non Dealer most never do the Yaw and Rake after. Just sharing that this is why I only get my alignments done on the Lexus electronic steering at Toyota or Lexus only.