Clunking / rattling sound
 

There is an odd clunking / rattling sound coming from the dash board every whenever i drive over a bumpy surface. It seems to be coming from behind the instrument cluster area and sounds sort of like a when you shake a plastic container with a metal ball in it. It's been happening for a while gradually getting louder and louder. I'm thinking of bring it in to the dealer to get it checked out but wanted to see if anyone experience something similar that can chime in. Thanks.

Don't know the year but sound like strut mount., first I would check dog bond (Torque mount on passenger side if you standing in front of engine) mount.
stabilizer links.

I had a similar problem with my 2005 es. It was something (I believe a hose connection) that came lose under the hood. The Lexus dealer was able to easily diagnose and fix it. Also, I would suggest checking under your hood occaisionally and make sure mice aren't getting in and doing damage (I have had that problem in winter months).
I am currently having a intermittent rattle problem with my 2014 but my rattle is coming from the rear and I think it might be a strut mount or exhaust pipe. I had the dealer look for it once but they couldn't find it.

We had the same type of noise banging noise with our 2014 ES 350, swore the noise was in the dash or left front suspension, took it to the dealer and the problem was traced back to the sun roof cabling system making the noise. Something came loose or came off track or something. It must have the problem because the noise stopped, but the dealer said it would happen again over time. Dealer forgot to order one part that was needed to fix and the part has been back ordered for 3 weeks now. Sun roof is out of car for now, thanks for the loaner program Lexus has.

>We had the same type of noise banging noise with our 2014 ES 350, swore the noise was in the dash or left front suspension, took it to the dealer and the problem was traced back to the sun roof cabling system making the noise. Something came loose or came off track or something.

I'm just about to get my '13 ES350 back from the Lexus dealer after waiting 2 MONTHS for a repair to the sunroof (have had a loner for all that time... ;-). I'd noticed a noise that I thought was coming from the driver-side back seat area, but it turned out to be a problem of some kind in the sun roof rail. It has required a total replacement of the entire sunroof. Part way through the repair they discovered that a particular part was needed but that there were none available in the US and resupply from Japan was necessary. There is currently one other ES at the dealership waiting on the same repair.

The Lexus service representative told me that this was not an unusual repair and that all current ES models are susceptible to this problem.

So, if you notice noises coming from above and behind when going over bumps see your dealer. This would be a $3K repair if not for a warranty.

Picking the car up today, will hopefully have more info tomorrow. Oh, my CPO warranty expired while the car was in waiting for parts.
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My karma just ran over your dogma
Current Hers: '13 Lexus ES350
Current Mine: '15 Jaguar XF

I picked the car up yesterday and its perfect now, they also had to change some gasket in the sunroof also, they heard some excessive road noise test driving and took care of it. Had one month left on the warranty so happy I took it in when I did. I guess this problem can happen even if you don't use the sun roof, we never used ours once and it still went bad. For 3 K out of pocket I would maybe have to live with the noise instead, expensive job

I took my 2014 ES350 in yesterday because I noticed a CV joint was torn open and grease was coming out and its still under warranty. Also noticed a clunking noise. I thought the problem was related, but the service advisor also told me it was the sunroof issue.

Never would have guessed that, curious how its making that noise, it totally sounds like a suspension issue.

The clunking really was annoying, glad there's a fix.

The posts in this thread are good examples of why it can be difficult to identify the sources of rattles, squeaks, and other extraneous noises.

There are times when we can think, with 100% certainty, that we know where a squeak or rattle is coming from, but the reality is that, with the way that sounds can reverberate around the small cabin space, the source of a sound can be far from where the sound seems to be coming from. I know that, over the years, I've eventually discovered that the source of a rattle or squeak turned out to be as far from where it seemed to be coming from as it possibly could be. That is why service technicians feel like reaching for a bottle of aspirin when a vehicle owner complains about a squeak or rattle.

My service adviser when they found the sun roof issue said something about the cabling involved on how the roof opens and closed was the problem. The clunking noise seemed to move around the cabin as you drove the car. The noise was never in the same place it seemed. If they are going to fix it for you,make sure they get all the parts in hand before ripping out the old sun roof. Our car sat for 3 weeks with the sun roof out waiting for something they think they didn't need originality. Not sure what this part was though.

I agree with you 100%, I was pretty stunned when told of a sun roof issue when I did not hear one noise originate from from the ceiling area of the car. Im sure the service techs start out with aspirin but end up with something way better

>My service adviser when they found the sun roof issue said something about the cabling involved on how the roof opens and closed was the problem.

Yes!!! I learned from my service advisor that there's a design flaw in the run roofs on 2012-2015 ES 350s (as well as GSs). The design was changed for MY 2016 and the replacement parts have the updated design. There are now two 2014 ESs at my dealer waiting for this repair. The parts are difficult to get, hence my two month wait (luckily I had a loaner for that entire time - rental car $40/day x ~60 days = $2400, thanks Lexus!!). This is a recognized problem so if your ES is still under warranty take to the dealer and complain about rattles from above when going over bumps, they'll know what to do.

Oh, this same problem occurred in '08-'12 LSs (a friend had one and was the person to first tell me it was related to the sunroof, I took it in immediately and they diagnosed the problem right there.

Don't wait, do it now, they are familiar with the flaw and they will fix it now.
Otherwise, it's a ~$3K repair.
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My karma just ran over your dogma
Current Hers: '13 Lexus ES350
Current Mine: '15 Jaguar XF

Is it safe to assume all of those with the issue have the standard sunroof and not the pano?

>Is it safe to assume all of those with the issue have the standard sunroof and not the pano?
Can't say, mine was a standard sunroof.
Were the panos offered in 2013?

Yes, on all UL's they were standard.

I think I may have the sunroof creak problem. I did some further research and found a Lexus Technical Service Information Bulletin about it so it should be a widely known problem among dealers. According to the bulletin only some 2014 cars have the problem. The repair process looks very complicated so no surprise it would be costly if not covered by warranty. My car is due for routine service next month and I will address this issue with the dealer.