Dear Lexus Enthusiasts,

When going over pothole-sized bumps in my girlfriend's 2015 IS250 AWD FSport, the dashboard lights up like a Christmas tree. While we have yet to record the exact faults or scan the car, TC turns off, ABS light turns on, and maybe two or three other lights.

As this vehicle is an FSport model, I've attributed the cause of this issue to stiff suspension and worn bushings. Does anyone want to weigh in? I am imagining the geometry is finding itself outside of normal ranges for a few seconds, causing the lights to turn on and then back off as the sensors recalibrate.

Below, I've included a look at the bushings at 90,000 miles. They certainly seem worse for wear, and the front lower control arm front bushing is allowing the control arm to create metal-on-metal contact. Any recommendations?


Front LCA Rear Bushing

Front LCA Front Bushing

Thanks for your help and recommendations.

Sincerely,
BrokenLexus22

 

Sounds like you have wiring harness damage somewhere. Worn bushings don't cause lights.

 

Or a loose connector due to too many potholes.

 

Dear Pittsy,

No, worn bushings don't cause lights. But all sensors have a standard operating range. If a sensor is reporting something that is out of the bounds of normal operation, the system will automatically disable itself until the sensor reads within standard values.

Thanks,
BrokenLexus22

*EDIT*
Also, a damaged wiring harness would not cause a specific case issue. The issue would be intermittent, pothole or not (unless the harness is being pinched in these specific scenarios.)

 

Dear kj07xk,

Generally, I would agree; however, this issue only happens when the suspension is hit so hard the entire car feels like a tuning fork. Seems fairly normal for lights to turn on temporarily as things recalibrate from a hard hit, however, this seems unlikely for an otherwise well-engineered vehicle.

I also would like to add that if you've seen how the sensors clip on, their coming loose is extremely unlikely (they have a plastic clip you need to lift before unplugging.)

Thanks,
BrokenLexus22