Hey guys, first time ever posting on Lexus forums and hoping someone can help me out. I just bought a 2010 Lexus is250 awd this past january from a used certified dealership. The car currently has 62k miles and is in great shape. The other day I was reversing out of my driveway i noticed the steering light turned on and I had no power steering. It was completely stiff/locked. Since I could only move forward/backward I decided to drive the car back into the garage. After about an hour or so I turned the car back on and the light was no longer there and i suddenly had the power steering back and working properly. The car worked fine however about 2 weeks later same thing happened as I was leaving a restaurant. I turned the car off, locked it up and immediately went back in the car and the power steering came back again and was working fine. Just yesterday(2 days after the second incident), the same thing happened again after pumping gas only this time the p/s didn't come back right away. I left the car there for a few hours because I had work training for a summer job and when i went back to grab some things out of it before getting it towed, I turned it back on and everything was working fine again...

Anyone have any clue as to what this could be or what is causing it? Just want an idea of what it could be before paying and arm/leg to get it checked out at the dealer. Or if it is something that my mechanic can repair? Any responses/suggestions are appreciated. Thanks everyone!

 

Even if power steering goes out (and assuming it is just that problem), you should be able to turn the wheel unless you lack upper body strength. Did you check to see if the battery health is good? When my battery was almost completely drained, the power steering was not working since it is electronic. If the steering was truly locked, then that is another case.

 

Its best to take it into the dealer. I think you're still under warranty.

 

Just out of curiosity, is this is250 a cpo? You mentioned certified dealer? If it is cpo, it should be covered under warranty. From my guess, it looks like your electronic power steering ecu is on its way out.

 

I am able to turn the wheel but only when the car is moving either backwards/forwards. I didnt want to force turning the wheel while the car was at a stop because i did not want to damage the car, or make whatever is wrong with the car any worse. Everything inside of the car the requires power such as: the radio, windows, ac/heater, etc..has been working just fine so I didn't think it would be the battery. Would the battery have an effect on the steering if everything else is working just fine?

I would love to take the car to the dealership to find out what it is that is wrong with the car and so that i could get it fixed the absolute right away but it is extremely expensive and I do not believe the car is under warranty anymore. I have been doing some research on the web and I noticed that there was a recall with previous year models on the steering rack/gear. I called the Lexus dealer, which is about 10 minutes away from where I live, and explained my situation to them and they also believe that it could be the steering rack. Im hoping its not since that is an extremely expensive part but i guess im preparing myself for the worse. The dealer did take the time to investigate whether or not my 2010 model was part of the recall group but unfortunately it was not.

what do you all think?

 

dude, I wouldn't drive a car with power steering goes out intermittently. That's just asking for trouble. If you have no power steering all the time, then it's probably ok to drive as part of your workout routine.

 

I looked up the warranty information on motor trend since I do not have my stuff on hand. Now, do all 2010 lexus is250 have the same warranty as far as basic, drive train, roadside, and rust? I noticed that drive train has a 6 year 70k warranty. My car is not 6 years old yet and it only has 62K miles on it. With that being said, is the dealer supposed to cover a problem like this?

 

Not sure if power steering is covered in the powertrain warranty. Best to take it to the dealership. What you describe may not just be your power steering.

 

The exact same thing happened to me with my 2006 IS250 - I took it to the dealership and it turned out to be some corroded wiring. They cleaned up the corrosion free of charge.