I brought my 2005 RX 330 in today to have a technician look at a sound that was coming from the rear passenger side of the vehicle. Initially we thought it was coming from the suspension but on closer inspection we realized that it was coming from the tail-gate. It occurs when turning right up onto a curb or when backing down a curb to the right. The key is that the wheels had to go up or down individually which creates a bit of torsion in the vehicle. The result is that the tailgate shifts a little and if you go fast enough it creates an audible "thump". The tech was quite puzzled by this and even took out another 2005 RX and found the same noise occuring. After they found it in the other vehicle, the dealer labelled it a "vehicle characteristic". I find this to be unacceptable. Anyone else with the same model should check their vehicle to see if it exhibits the same problem. Let me know.

 

Check the spare tire, make sure it is not loose

 

When I read the title of this thread I thought "They've found Jimmy Hoffa!"

Seriously, noises are NOT a standard feature of your Lexus. Take it to another dealer for a second opinion - that explanation isn't reasonable.

A list of Canadian dealers can be found at http://www.lexus.ca/lexus/experience...le_service.jsp

If you cannot get satisfaction there, call the Lexus Customer Assistance Center
Monday - Friday, 6:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. PT
Phone: 1-800-255-3987 prompt #4
Fax: 1-310-468-2992

(There may be another number for Canada, this is the US number)

When any dealer or service center says "That's normal." they are NOT telling you the truth. Odd thumps and bumps are NOT part of the "Lexus Experience", nor is such a dismissive attitude on the part of the dealer. I'm sure that Lexus Corporate would like to know about it. Good Luck

 

There is no doubt whatsoever about where the noise is coming from. It is definitely coming from the tail gate. This was confirmed by the fact that the noise does not appear when tail gate is opened.

 

i have heard the thump too before, but only under very specific circumstances. answer from lexus is always "could not duplicate" or "normal". (i could not find an area near the dealership that could result in the same noise)

i dont hear the thump as often as i hear the creak. the tailgate will creak when going over uneven surfaces. same conditions you reported - vehicle torsion results in tailgate making noises.

there are other threads about this, but the bottom line was that no TSB was reported for this issue, so it's a design flaw that hasn't been addressed yet i guess. oh well.

 

Check my other posts on this. This appears to be well known on the 2004's. Mine does it all the time. Best I can tell it is because the hatch door only has one locking point in the center rather than one at each side. Not a very strong closing mechanism for such a large door. You'll probably notice the road noise leaks in around it also. Definitely caused by body torquing, especially when going up curbs.
Oliver

 

My RX 330 built in May of '03 (in Japan) has had no problems with the tailgate making noise - and with the limited "soft-roading" I do, I've really stressed the body shell on one or two occasions. Unless you have some issues with the welding of the body, the design is more than adequate to take the loads it could normally be expected to experience.

Next time, put the tech in the car and drive around until you can duplicate the noise.

The tailgate may be mis-aligned, or some other assembly problem may be causing this issue. Is it possible that there is something inside the tailgate or rear bumper causing this noise? Could the pull-down mechanism not be fully closing the tailgate? Put a dollar bill between the tailgate and the rubber seal and close the gate - you should not be able to pull the bill out easily. Test at multiple points on all sides of the tailgate. I'm sure you've already checked all of the rear compartments and storage bins for loose items. . .

 

mine was built in Feb 03. i don't know if all the RX's are affected, but i have just learned to live w/ it b/c it only happens when i go into driveways or over speedbumps, so that's not too bad IMO. i fortunately have not had the dreaded dash rattle (knock on wood) or any other constant noise, so i am happy with the RX overall. now at 2 1/2 yrs, i am just enjoying the car and less bothered by its flaws. but hopefully they will resolve this problem in the future...

 

The noise is very easy to duplicate and the tech has heard it on many occasions. He even made an interesting observation in that after it occurs, the gap between the tail lights and the gate increases on the passenger side of the vehicle. This confirms that there is some type of a lateral shift of the tail gate which causes the noise. When the torsion forces are gone, the gap equalizes . For reference sake my vehicle is an 05 Japanese built.