Hi everyone,

We know some IS 500 owners have had some glitches out of the gate with some sensors throwing codes and such, so to keep the issue more confined to a single spot, I thought I would create a thread for those who can ask questions and report repairs

 

Just figured that I would copy and paste the information that was provided from macmaster earlier this week - he had the same errors that jororo and others have reported but his dealer was able to rectify the issue with the following:

From macmaster:

I have an update!!

It’s the exhaust. The CEL was for the O2 sensor, but the O2 sensor was tested (all parameters within spec) and is working correctly (heating up as it should, etc). Then he looked upstream and apparently there’s a gap in one of the flanges of the exhaust. From my understanding he has a tool he can fit through the side of the exhaust and on one side of the exhaust it was solid, but on another there was a gap. I guess this lets air in, and this is what’s kicking the O2 sensor out. He proved this by spraying soap and water on the O2 sensor and after running the car that soap and water had blown off. Meaning there’s air coming through the exhaust and the exhaust needs to be replaced.

^^ That doesn't mean it will work for everyone as Jororo's dealer has checked this potential situation and confirmed that the flanges were not the culprit on his car. Let's make sure we keep this thread alive for those who have experienced this problem so we can document potential options to help resolve these error codes

 

From Lexussingh:

Update on my CEL:

i took it to the dealer today, they could not figure out what was wrong. They pulled the data from the car and sent me on my way. While i was driving home, about halfway, same issue.

it gets worse, i noticed this clunking noise in the transmission when braking and going from second to first gear. Its subtle but definitely noticeable. I heard this noise on day one but i thought it was the road. However after testing multiple times, its definitely the transmission and its gotten a bit more pronounced.

 

Hmm, my 8-speed in my IS 350 sometimes makes an audible clunk when slowing down into first gear, too. Car drives fine otherwise though. This may be a case like with my old GTI with its DSG, where sometimes the occasional clunk or thud was business as usual as long as it was overall smooth. It was buttery smooth most of the time, but sometimes at low speeds it could be quite jerky. Other times, part-throttle shifts would have a little kick at certain RPM ranges when it would be smoother everywhere else. Nothing wrong with it, though. I notice similar things in my 350, but they never seem severe enough to concern me. The transmission been in IS models since 2013, after all.

Now, having said all that, it depends on the severity. If it's noticeable enough to be distracting or uncomfortable, yeah I'd take it to the dealer. The sooner the better, too, so they can't blame it on the driver.

 

For me the only oddity I notice with the 8 speed is a jerk when going from reverse into drive. But aside from that, I don't feel the shifts, let alone hear them. Not sure if everyone has that R to D jerk tho

 

Interesting. I mean it can be a bit jerky going into drive if the engine/trans is cold and the idle is higher, but for me it hasn't been a "clunk" or a "thud" if that makes sense. Just feels like it's because of the raised RPM.

Note, for me the first gear downshift thing is an occasional thing, not every time I drive.

 

Gotcha, yeah for me I only notice it when the car is cold. So all seems to be normal then lol

 

Update from Lexussingh:

Update for yall, they said there is a bad gasket between the down pipe and exhaust. They are pretty sure, if not positive thats the issue. Apparently, there was a discussion with all they techs about it. So heres to hoping that resolves the CEL once and for all.

 

Are you a project manager in real life? LOL.

 

Weather man by day, PM by night lol

 

Ha ha...no, just trying to consolidate the fixes in one spot as I know there might be more owners having the issue and wanting to help them go through the potential checklist

 

LoL - I suggested the topic related posts to be sliced out and centralized in one thread (like this attempt)

But of course that didn’t happen or maybe wasn’t well received…

Day jobs are REAL

Joe Z

 

I took your inspiration, I agree it would nice to have everyone post here...I will cut and paste jororo latest message when I am not on my phone..

Not encouraging to see such a statement and so much potential with this car

EDIT: More information from Jororo (below) and hopefully, to be confirmed by members that work closely with dealers

I just spoke with my service tech and was told that earlier this week Lexus corporate notified all it's dealers of "multiple service issues" with the new IS 500 and advised all dealers to discuss with their staff. It did sound like there are now other known IS 500 issues beyond the CEL oxygen sensor, but wasn't told what they were.

If you're looking to buy one it might be worth finding out what all known issues are out there and the estimated repair time for each should you encounter any of the problems. Mine was supposed to be repaired by today, but now they're saying early-middle of next week at best, meaning my car will have sat unusable at a dealership service department for all but the first 22 hours of the first 10+ days of ownership.

 

I think we're seeing the growing pains of a first year model...I know I'm stating the obvious.
The good news is the powertrain has been around for more than a decade, so it's nothing new and should be bullet proof at this point.
The body/chassis is new for 2021, so will probably be a few issues there.
As the powertrain and body/chassis are now meeting for the first time there are bound to be some hiccups along the way.
The other good news is that this is Lexus, they aren't gonna leave you high and dry with a broken car like some other manufacturers (**cough** Tesla **cough**).
Yeah, it's definitely frustrating if you're an owner and have issues, and for the rest of us looking on wishing we could have a 500 it's disappointing to see.
But I think we are all confident that the issues will get sorted and 500 owners will return shortly to enjoying their vehicles.
It's nice to see Lexus recognizing there are issues and are discussing it so they can move forward to fixing them.
I know they say never buy a first year model, but this is an IS500, how do you not buy a first year model...especially with the limited number LE.

Also great that @wthrman2 created this thread to bring the issues into one place.
I'm hopeful this will be a short thread...which means a low number of issues.

 

Is there a list of VIN's or LE #'s that have encountered this issue?