I have had some rattling in my steering column and it was confirmed that it's the steering damper (which I suspected based on research). The Lexus dealership told me that the part can't be replaced and instead I need a new steering column which is going to set me back $3,033.00. I am trying to determine if this is true before I spend all of the money. The 2013 Lexus RX 350 can be easily fixed, but apparently not the 450h.

 

In many [really most] cases the dealership will replace the whole assembly instead of replacing the component.

If you want to get down to who will disassemble and then diagnose and replace the bad part + all must replace parts, it might be cheaper but the labor goes up and warranty would be difficult.

Either you need to DIY or find a mechanic.

For parts please go to on line retailers like Lexus of Scottsdale and drill down to you model and sub-assembly.

You can check out the procedure by paying for TIS service [few hours or a day should be enough].

Salim

PS: I was unable to locate individual items on the steering column.

 

How did you resolve the issue? I have the same car and rattle and just started researching it.

 

In the main RX350 forum, if you search, there are many threads regarding the steering column issues. Such as these:
​​​​​​https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...tling-diy.html
​​​​​​https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...ng-rattle.html
​​​​​​https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...umn-noise.html
​​​​​​https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...or-rattle.html
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...umn-noise.html
​​​​​​https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...ng-a-bump.html

 

Thanks Clutch, from reading those threads maybe I'll first try the intermediate shaft and the damper before going the new column route.
I PM'd the OP and he confirmed he had the new column installed.
I see the 450h column has a different part number than the 350 so maybe the damper change isn't possible?

 

It turned out to be the intermediate shaft on our 450h had a worn joint at the top end that was causing the rattle. The damper was fine. I was a bit surprised that the shaft was bad after only 60kmi. I ended up having my mechanic do the job. $1050

 

Thank you for sharing the finding.

Do ask the mechanic as to why there was abnormal wear? A few (good ones) spend some time investigating the root cause and possibly fix the issue and not just the problem.
My guess would be a an overload (or bind) issue or even alignment issue? The other unknown to me is whenever there is a wear typically two surfaces are involved. They both wear out and depending on the material one wears our more than the other.
Another thing is that a wear also produces powder like material (worn part falling off). Did you have any trace of that or the powder was contained inside a rubber boot. If it was exposed, please keep an eye after repairs.

Salim

 

He didn't know why but he did say that it was especially common on Fords that have a similar steering column setup. I never saw any powder indicating something was wearing out, but I did find some small pieces of green plastic on the floor when I picked up the car. I assumed they came from the worn joint of the shaft. He did not open the PS motor to check the damper. He also offered a 2-yr P & L warranty on the job.

 

Within a week of getting the car back I could feel a clunk in the steering column when making tight turns, like when turning into a parking space. My mechanic just replaced the new shaft with another one, thinking the first new shaft was defective. But that didn't fix the clunk. He's taken it apart several times looking for the source of the clunk but hasn't found the problem.

Salim, you mentioned shaft alignment or binding. Have you seen this before?

 

No. When there is abnormal wear, there has to be something binding the movement (rub) and shaft alignments (the system is composed of multiple flex points) issues require excessive force. [shaft alignment that I mention here is not the wheel alignment]

One suggestion I can make is to see if the mechanic has a lift used by suspension shops and some alignment shops. These special lifts provide means to stress the suspension, unlike the standard mechanic lift [all in the air or down.

Salim

 

My mechanic will replace the EPS damper next to see if that fixes the clunking. I'll post an update in couple of weeks!

 

Old damper was broken but the new EPS damper didn't fix the clunk problem. We'll try replacing the intermediate shaft again but this time using the Lexus 45220-0E021 part which seems to be the latest revision of the shaft for my car.

Update week later: He replaced the intermediate shaft again with the Lexus part and this worked. The part he had used was a Dorman and this just didn't work well for the 450h.