Hooya

I leased my car back in 2010 when the dealers were pushing HS250h hard with good incentives and discounts. It was problem free for 5 years and I was very satisfied with the car as you would expect of Lexus. After my lease was over, I decided to purchase the vehicle with some negotiation. Everything was good...until last year. As you may know, HS has two major recalls past years: rear suspension and transaxle replacement.

The first recall, rear suspension, seemed to be okay at first. It was done over two days and I didn't think much on it. But then, after an year and half, I noticed there was an unusual wear rear tires. Also, I felt "drag" in the rear that I didn't recognized before. No problem. It was time for an alignment anyways. I brought the car to dealer and they told me the bad news. Apparently the previous recall instructed them to "epoxy" lower suspension arm (https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/201...6V596-8520.pdf), which would mean no more toe adjustment. Only suggestion was to get aftermarket suspension, since the 1 year recall warranty period was over.

The second recall, tranaxle replacement went horribly from beginning. The steering wasn't centered at all and I had to get it "fixed"...5 times, which in the end I just gave up.

Attempt #1



Attempt #2:


...

The worst part was every time it went in for fixing, the steering got looser and looser. By the end, it felt like I was driving a semi.
I really liked this car. I wish I still had it. I know a lot of people got these recalls without any issue but I just wanted to share my story.

Grendel050

Really sorry to hear about your bad luck man.
I would start to question that specific dealership that was doing the work, I've only recently done two recalls on the HS, the transaxle and the voltage regulators for the low beams.
Fingers crossed I don't have any issues like you did, I intend to keep my HS well past 100k, maybe even 200k if luck permits.

Clutchless

I am surprised they did not ask Lexus corporate for goodwill to fix the rear axle issues since it was a defective recall instruction that caused your problem. It does not matter if the warranty period was over, it was related to the recall and they acknowledged the instructions are now known to be faulty.

I had my fuel pump replaced in the recall 2 years ago and had increasing gas smells when parked in my garage with a full tank. After 2 years (I do not always park in my garage) it got so bad I took it in. The dealer said the 1 year warranty was over, but I complained that I had no problems with gas smell until their recall and they they apparently put in a defective part or did sloppy work. The dealer contacted Lexus corporatae and they agreed to pay for a new gas pump seal!

With regard to the steering wheel, they could center it by removing the wheel and replacing it in the proper position if all other methods fail.

What did you get to replace it?

Mike4puy

I also received a recall on what I thought was a replacement generator and transmission. All has been fine for two years now when deceleration at speeds between 35 and 20 MPG I get a strange wowing noise from the front end.
Does anyone have any Idea what may be going on. Thanks for any help before returning to Lexus since they told me the replacement is only under warranty for one year and I am well past that timeframe, however they had a recall once why should it not be covered.
Please does anybody have any idea what may be going on. Mike

dapper23

Thanks for posting this, as I thought I was the only one having issues.

I also have that issue of the steering wheel not being centered. In addition to that, I've had to an alignment twice in two years because of uneven wear on my tires. For reference, I had my recall "fix" done in McGrath Lexus of Chicago.

With my last alignment, my Check PCS Light came on and the airbag indicator is always off, even if I have a passenger with me.

At this point, I'm thinking of selling. It's been a great car, but I think it's nearing the end of its reliable life.

Erockz

hmmm I just did the transaxel replacement, I noticed when I park my car sometimes the lexus sign is upside down or sideways, but the tires are straight.

how can I tell if lexus broke my car like they broke yours?

Clutchless

They need to reinspect your car alignment and center the steering wheel and check for loose parts. The Lexus symbol on the wheel should not change position when your wheels are straight. I understand it being out of position due to bad work. For it to be in different positions at different times when the wheels are straight indicates something is loose.
Centering the steering wheel is what it is called to make it line up and is usually part of a wheel alignment. I assume they had to take some of the steering mechanism apart to replace the transaxle and did a sloppy alignment job afterward. It should be under warranty for the transaxle. If the dealer complains, call Lexus corporate.

Erockz

this is what my wheel look like and my tires, sometimes the lexus logo is upside down.

this is very upsetting as who knows what kind of issues came from this.

I have 2 options, take it back to the place that did the job

or take it back to another lexus dealership.

my gut tells me to take it somewhere else for a second opionon but I dont know if I need to take it back to the place that did the job? Is it just a wheel aliegment I need, or is it releated to the actual trans axel work?

maybe they just want to knickle and dime me for the alliegment but if its because they did a bad job I need to talk to them because it could be a serious safety issue

Clutchless

It is related to the transmission replacement. To fully explain it, they have to remove the drive axles from each side of your transmission and several motor and transmission mounts. They also have to remove other suspension and steering components to get at and remove the transmission. They then have to replace all this stuff in the right location so it is aligned properly. Disconnecting steering components connected to the steering rack and column is part of this job and they are supposed to make sure your steering wheel is centered and the suspension properly aligned when they are complete. They failed to complete this and it never should have left the shop in that condition.
Obviously your dealer failed to put everything back together correctly. I would call that dealer and complain to the service manager directly and also call Lexus corporate to file a complaint about a failed recall repair. They are supposed to restore the vehicle to the condition it was in before they had it in for repair. They failed and made it worse, decreasing your resale value.
Also, file a complaint with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.