My 2007 ES350's steering wheel clicks or rattles when I am making a slight Right turn at a low speed. When I make a Right U turn, I can also hear and feel the stronger/louder clicks or rattle noise.

However the problem does not happen when I make a left turn at low speed or Left U turn.

The problem is more obvious when the car is cold, but it seems to disappear or becomes less noticeable when it has warmed up.

I had my local Lexus dealer test drive the car and they could not confirm the problem.

Does anyone experience similar problem with their steering wheel? What are the causes? and how to fix them?

Thanks

 

Hi ThunderES and welcome to the forum.

There are not many here that have steering clicking problems. I however do, and first brought it to the attention of my dealer back in Sept 06. I reported that when I made a left turn at slow speeds the steering would click and you would feel a type of tapping or clicking through the wheel. This wasn't present when I purchased the car and didn't show up until a few months of ownership. I also noted at full lock when turning it would click-click-click like a bad CV joint or similar.

The dealer couldn't replicate the issue, and considered the full lock click-click-click normal. Hence there is no fix that I'm aware of. I don't believe there are any TSIBs on this either.

Its now doing it for me on both left\right hand turns but not all the time. When they replaced my transmission it actually got better and didn't click anymore! The steering would drift heavily though to the left after that, so it went back to be realigned. Post alignment it isn't drifting as much to the left anymore, but the clicking is back.

 

Dunno if there's an intermediate steering shaft used in the ES steering assembly; I offer that as a possibility because many last-gen GM full-size trucks/SUVs had similar issues with clicking feedback from/through the steering wheel when turning. First they tried to mitigate it by relubing the intermediate shaft itself...then when they found out that that fix was short-term, they replaced the shaft itself.

 

None of the 5 ES350 I have driven did/does this, it clearly seems it is not normal and should be addressed by a service department.

I hope you have them look into it and that you let us know what was causing it.

 

No steering problem with my ES350 but I did have the same type of problem a long time ago with a 1998 Chevrolet Lumina LTZ company car. Chevrolet replaced the rack and pinion steering under warranty.

 

Hi Wanderer99,

I think we have experienced a similar/idential problem. It is annoying as the Lexus technicians could not replicate it on their test drive, even I told them to drive at slow speeds whiling turning.

What is your next planned step?

Take it to another dealer? Or report to Lexus customer services?\

 

I've come to accept that if your Lexus service dept can't fix something on the first attempt, then it probably can't be fixed on your car. If the dealer says there is no problem and you can't convince them otherwise, then you're stuck, It's unfortunate, but that's the sum of my experience.

For me that's the steering issue. And transmission(s). And spongy brakes. And multiple rattle(s). And engine noise. And wind noise. After going 9 rounds with the dealer to date and 3 with Lexus corporate.... nothing much is resolved. They are happy for me to continue to visit them and try to solve these problems over and over and over again, but there really are no solutions.

How do I plan to deal with it? I was out today shopping for a new car!

 

what cars are you looking at?

 

I had a similar issue on my 99 ES. The steering wheel would click or make a ratchet-like sound when coming out of a turn. It turns out that it had something to do with the airbag. I seem to recall them telling me that there was a cable that got twisted or something.

 

I'm curious too, Wanderer99??? What car are you looking at? Another Lexus (perhaps, GS or RX?) or outside of Lexus?

 

Hi e-man,

It is quite suprising that the clicks are related to a cable and the airbag. How did the Lexus technician discover it? Did they need to take the steering column apart to find out the problem? How big was the job to resolve it?

Thanks

 

Hi Wanderer99,

This is exactly what I am thinking of trading in for a newer car. I have driven other brands like Honda/Acura, Chrysler and GM etc. but have not experienced such a problem. I bought this car with a very high expectation of quality from Lexus (as all of us are willing to paying for the price premium for the Lexus quality). Yet, after a few months of ownership, I have started to become disappointed.

Thanks

 

Yes, I understand your pain. I purchased my car with the perception that I'd never experience any real problems based on Lexus reputation for excellence, and their promise of great customer service and satisfaction. I didn't think I'd be buying an inferior ES350 vehicle compared to others.

Its unfortunate that we've been stuck with bad vehicles. A percentage of all vehicles manufactured will undoubtably be bad, that's why there are Lemon laws to deal with these problem vehicles. If the manufacturer would just take care of the problem and stand by their product, then we wouldn't even need Lemon laws.

Despite all the problems I have with my car - including steering issues - the biggest problem of all is simply that the dealer and Lexus won't accept resposibility for this. They won't provide a final solution, and apparently can't even fix my vehicle. In the end I'll end up taking responsibility for this, and have to determine my own solution. Shouldn't be that way, but it is.

 

Honestly, it was about 5 years ago when the car was still under warranty and I really don't remember. I brought it in, they told me generally what the problem was, and they fixed it. I seem to recall them saying that the cable was tangled or something. I'm sorry I can't be of more help.

e

 

Hey ThunderES,

I have an '07 IS250 that is barely a month old and has the same issue. I searched for this same problem all over and found a post at another site where they figured out it was the SS line/cable inside the steering column. It kinda makes sense since the noise is not consistent and would be explained by a loose cable. I haven't had a chance to take apart the steering column and verify this but planning to do so soon. I'll let you know what I find. Hopefully others with the same issue will find this thread and verify this for themselves.