Hello to my fellow Lexus owners and NX owners. Anyone had an experience squeaking steering wheel noise on their Lexus especially if it's on low mileage? My NX300 is 3 years old already, but on very low mileage, 4000km+ only. And now, I'm hearing this squeaking noise every time I turn my steering wheel( moving or stationary ). it's not grinding or whining noise. Moreover, it's not that loud, but you can hear the squeak if you pay attention to it. What frustrates me and annoys me was I did not expect this on a luxury brand car specially on a low mileage car.

So I did bring it to the Lexus dealer for proper diagnosis, and told me that the problem might be the spiral cable, after removing the steering wheel, and later found out the squeak sound comes from the steering column or something. I don't know how they found out where the squeaking noise is coming from, but they told me they used some kind of sensor or stethoscope to locate the sound. And told me the only solution is to change the whole steering gear.

To my fellow owners that had a similar problem did you guys change the steering gear/rack and pinion, as suggested by my Lexus Dealer? Please do let me know your experience with this annoying problem.

 

Welcome to ClubLexus, this would best be posted to the NX specific forum. But is the vehicle still under warranty? Or is this a non-warranty item?

 

If the squeak has been isolated to the steering column, they may be proposing to replace item #3 or #6 in the image below, rather than the rack & pinion.

 

Pbm317, thanks for your reply. Actually the vehicle is non warranty already. However, I’m trying to tell the dealer that it was a low mileage car without a history of accident or whatsoever. And I also point out that it was just a month since my warranty expired. Maybe a little bit of consideration on their side.

 

What did your dealer quote you on the repair cost and maybe try another dealer?

 

The intermediate shaft universal joints (#8 in the attached image), power steering worm gear (shaft of the motor shown in box #3), and seal where the steering shaft passes through the floor (#10), all require grease to operate quietly. Some of your grease may have dried up due to infrequent use. Replacement parts include a tube of the recommended grease (circled in red).

Rather than pay a Dealer US$2000 - US$3000 for replacement parts you may not actually need, why not pay an independent mechanic ~US$100 to apply a fresh coating of grease to the moving parts and see if the squeak ceases?

 

n0v8or, thank you for the detailed reply. Speaking of grease, can you tell me what kind of grease or brand to use for this issue? So that I would know what to use just in case I go for the independent mechanic. And one more thing, how will the mechanic grease the parts that you mentioned? Would they uninstall those parts?

 

I have not found any Lexus or Toyota specification for the grease. I think the only critical grease is that used for the power steering worm gear. Worm gears usually do not squeak when dry, they make a grinding noise.
The way I would approach this is to first grease the parts that are easy to access, namely the boot that seals the opening in the floor for the shaft, and the lower intermediate shaft universal joint. Both are accessible without tools, and ordinary aerosol lithium grease should be suitable for these applications. A small container with a dispensing "straw" to direct the spray is best.

The images below show the locations of the boot and lower coupling. In the right image, the boot has been removed. Without actually removing the boot, it should be possible to spray some grease into the gap between the boot and shaft. The upper universal joint is not as readily accessible, though it might be possible to lube it blind with the dispenser straw.

As far as the worm gear is concerned, it is a big job to get to it. Lexus instructions show removal of the entire left side of the dash is required, including the steering wheel, knee air bag, and instruments.

If you reposition the tilt/telescope wheel to various positions over its range, does the squeak change?