I did a little test today, and I didn't get a vibration driving straight at around 60mph; however, if compared to lower speeds (~35mph) the steering vibrated more than higher speeds. Actually the car was very smooth when driven fast. I did my test going uphills and downhills just to make sure those weren't possible factors.

 

Am I the only one who truly got outstanding service from my dealer in every way? It seems like it. The only issue I had was they actually sold me the absolutely ridiculous after market dvd headrests that should never have been put on the market in the first place, but they immediately took them out and refunded my $ when I complained. Sad that service is that lacking for many of you though. Isn't that in part why we spend the extra money for Lexus??

 

I think Lexus provides excellent service and try to accomodate like no other brand, just quality of cars went down and service department is not the best in trouble shooting problems which is probably not something they had to do a lot in the past. They have damaged wheels when trying to correct my vibrations and hopefully will correct it to my satisfaction (will repair them). My car is at the dealer as we speak and I am driving a new RX hybrid.

I took a repair guy on a test drive to show vibrations. It was very noticable between 60-65 mph. Will update when I get car back how they have resolved the vibration which I have like others reported.

 

After the car sat at the dealer for three days, the outcome is that they have opened a case with Lexus about vibrations at some speeds. According to the tech, Lexus was not suprised and they have couple reports like mine already.

So looks like it is not an isolated thing.

In my case when you cruise at 60-65 mph you feel vibration. They have checked tires again, wheels, wheel balance, allignment, engine mounts, etc..

For sure I would test your truck if you have similar situation and report to dealer so they can open the case with Lexus HQ.

They have asked me if they can keep the truck until Tuesday as there will be Lexus rep onsite. They want to show the rep the issue. They mentioned that rep is coming to test GXs for hesitation. I know some have experience that issue too, so looks like Lexus is investigating that issue.

If you have the vibration issue, lets all complain and fill case with Lexus. The more complains, the faster they will resolve it.

 

UPDATE FOR ALL WITH VIBRATION problem

So after three attempts by the dealer to correct the problem without success, I have decided to change tires to different type and hopefully resolve the problem. Bought the Micheling LTX MS2 and Michelin covered a big chunk of $.

Unfortunetely I don't have good news, the vibrations are still there which means doesn't matter what tires you have (Bridgestone or Micheline), the problem is not tire or wheel related.

 

thats not good. i had a vibe in mine at 60-70 mph one cold morning, then in afternoon gone. I just got back from a long trip too last week and no vib at all for 1000+ miles on highway. The vehicle did sit for 5 days. Makes no sense. Has to be a drivetrain balance issue.

Does yours vib more if its cold?

 

I thought initially that more in the AM, but yesterday when tires were changed was around 85 degrees so looks like temperature or flat spots developing after sitting overnight have nothing to do with it. I have put good 30-40 miles yesterday so tires were warmed up and since those are brand new, there was not way for any flat spots to develop.

I love the vehicle minus this problem. Vibs start right after crossing 60 and go away in high 60s. Drivetrain balance is a good suggestions, since vibs are sometimes more or less (different RPMs ????)

 

What happens when you shift from 'D' into 'S' while driving at the speed where you feel the vibration? The transmission will downshift from overdrive 6 into 4, which is a double downshift and the revs will climb. If the vibration is in the engine or the transmission, that may make a change, but if it is the driveshaft that is imbalanced, downshifting won't make a difference.

Another way to isolate the problem, but not recommended is to accelerate to the high end of the speed range, shift into neutral and take your foot off the gas. The engine will drop to idle, some of the moving parts in the transmission may slow or stop, but the driveshaft will keep turning while the vehicle coasts down through the speed range where you can feel the vibration

One last possibility ... engage and disengage the limited slip differential and/or change the transfer case range from high to low, but do it off-road, preferably on gravel or some loose road surface that 'gives'. Of course, the vibration you feel may be hard to detect off road, but you could come to a stop on a dirt shoulder, shift the differential/range and drive back onto the road to sense the vibration, then repeat as necessary.
Regards,

SaniDel


P.S. You may not be able to reach 60 MPH in the low range, not to mention the engine may overspeed if you try!

 

The vibration is in the steering wheel and has nothing to do with the engine or transmission in my opinion. I've felt it once on my own vehicle while on the highway...

 

Thanks for tips. I will try the neutral and shifting to S. Will update tomorrow.

 

UPDATE:
Shifting to S or N made no difference. I wonder since the vehicle is AWD there has to be something that links all wheels like a drive shaft. Maybe it is not perfectly balanced and at a speed (for me 60-65 mph) causes extensive vibrations which are most visible in the steering wheel. Also have noticed that once today the vibration were not there, so maybe something has too much play.

 

You are correct that in a 4WD vehicle 'everything' is connected and turning in unison via the driveshaft, the rear differential and axle and the CV joints on the front, not to mention the transfer case. However, if shifting the transmission into neutral made no difference it seems less likely to be caused by the engine or transmission, which leaves the drivetrain, suspension and steering. Since the problem is most noticeable in the steering wheel it is somewhere between there and the front suspension, wheels and tires, but probably not tires as you have replaced them.

Any chance that a wheel is out-of-round or damaged so that no amount of wheel weights can bring it into balance?
Regards,

SaniDel

 

Who knows, I hope dealer checked this. I would hope that balancing machine would catch things like this . I have just sent a letter to Lexus requesting one more try at the repair as local dealer is clueless how to resolve this. I hope it is an easy repair and maybe they will send a specialist who will be able to troubleshoot this correctly.

 

My experience has been that Lexus will indeed dispatch a specialist who is more familiar with a new model and will help your local dealership diagnose a problem that has them stumped.

Lexus did that for us when the RX 400h was introduced and ... much like our November 2009 GX 460 ... we got one of the first. The ventilation system would periodically introduce a nasty smell into the car that reminded us of an overheated frying pan. After disassembling the back of the car they found some "double sticky tape" that was introduced during assembly stuck to a "flapper valve" on the ventilation system. It was holding the valve open rather than allowing it to close when the air flow changed as the HVAC automatically cycled between fresh and recycled air ... we were smelling our rear electric motor, not to mention our exhaust!

Sorry to introduce a non-GX anecdote, but the message learned is that no car is perfect, no design is without some flaw and sometimes these problems are caught after production is started. What is reassuring is that Lexus will work closely with their dealers and with reasonable customers to find, fix and eliminate these problems. It shouldn't cost you more than your time and patience and it may save future GX 460 owners from having to go through what you are going through.
Regards,

SaniDel

 

what a bizarre issue. usually, steering vibration is 99% of the time tire issue. if balancing multiple times don't work, usually replacing them will. It seems like this isn't that simple. If I were to take wild stabs at it, I'd say rack and pinion or cv related. I hope to see a resolution for this. I only have 3k and without this issue, but who knows.