Exactly......Have not had a car yet that hasn't needed some level of suspension component replacement, whether my 7 series BMW, X5, Acura, Mustang, etc. If I have to replace the bushings (or complete assemblies) on my LS anytime soon, I won't lose a minute's sleep over it.

 

My 2006 ml350 was the first year total new model. Lots of problems. Tranny shifting, front diff bearings, and the mother of them all, google mercedes balance gear failure. Like the LS spring recall but way way more cars and suvs and no recall. Ended in a class action suit. Mercedes unbelievably told everyone to get screwed.

 

This, my BMW 7 Series nightmares, X5 woes and VW's recent fiasco, is why I will NEVER own a German vehicle ever again. I feel genuinely blessed in my LS after all that.

When German manufacturers basically thumb their noses at me because "I'm priveledged" to drive one of their cars....screw them.

 

If indeed control arms were redesigned/fixed in 2011, does anyone know the part number for the same for pre and post 2011?. If it doesn't have different part number for 2011 or 2012 most likely they were untouched since 20007.

Without such proof we are purely speculating.

 

Yes, there are new part numbers. For instance, the upper left no. 1 arm was 48630-59085, now 48630-59125.

 

Anyone know what the flaw was in the old control arms and/or what was changed in the newer control arms?

 

Better bushings.

 

can the 2011 arms be retrofitted in earlier models?

 

Yep. The old bushings are prone to very premature cracking for a substantial number of owners.

Absolutely. All 8 arms in my 2008 are the post-2011 Lexus OEM parts.

 

Good to know part numbers indeed were changed. Thanks for sharing .

 

Good to know, thanks for sharing!

 

I have an 07 L. It has 80K miles now and no control arm issues yet. Eventually they will go. Rubber bushings eventually wear out...the issue was they were wearing out way too soon. Even the redesigned ones will eventually fail, imo. I think it really comes down to how much abuse they took during prior ownership.

 

Abuse definitely helps speed failure, but some cars suffer it even without abuse. Most of my bushings were near-disintegrating at 44k miles. My car's previous two owners were an old man in Newport Beach, CA and a mom in exurban Sacramento, and the car was in absolutely like-new condition in every other respect when I took delivery. My car never had aftermarket wheels or suspension mods, never lived in the city, and never had an aggressive driver for an owner, and severe premature failure still occurred.

 

Surely the driver matters but you never know...the roads in which it traveled could have also helped caused the speed of failure...that's also what I meant by abuse. But as you said it very well could have been a poor batch of bushings as well.