I have a 2016 Lexus RX with 70,000 miles. I noticed a clunk in the front when turning at low speeds and some play in the steering wheel off centre. It recently passed inspection, so I was surprised to have an issue appear. I booked it into the dealer, thinking it was a tie rod. They called me back 20 minutes later and said where was the clunk as they did not see any issue. I told them you can hear a knock when moving the steering wheel side to side off centre, and it seems to wander a bit on the road. They called back 20 minutes later and said it's the intermediate steering shaft. It's $1800 CDN. The part is $1100 + tax + install + alignment. I told them it seems like a lot of money for an item that shouldn't wear out that quickly, are you sure it's not a tie rod. They said you could clearly feel it in the wheel, it's the intermediate steering shaft. I told them I'd have to think about it and would come pick up the vehicle. When I picked it up, they charged 1 hour labor at full rate for the test drive. I asked if they removed the wheel, checked a tie rod, etc. and they said no - it's not needed, it's clearly the ISS. They said it's really common on these (and they had it in stock). I said for almost $200 I would have expected they check a tie rod or do a more thorough investigation...

All that to say, I see lots of posts on older Highlander's or RX's with Intermediate Steering Shaft issues. Nothing on the 2016 and newer. Is it really common? Has anyone else replaced one? I really wish they had removed a tie rod end and pulled in and out to confirm it was not an inner or outer tie rod but they were adamant. It's quite an expensive pill to swallow and I would have preferred a more exhaustive diagnostic. I'm still reeling about a $200 test drive, but I guess that is what it is. I don't mean to be a difficult customer.

 

I would get a second opinion from someone other than a Lexus dealer.

A quick check and the price for a ISS is closer to 3-500....Not $1,800 CDN

If you search for Intermediate steering shaft, there is a video of someone changing one on a Toyota Sienna. Sorry I thought I copied the link....easy to find

 

Agree with FastFord, go to a local shop and have the suspension checked. Forget the dealer.

 

I have seen issues with 2005 RX 330 intermediate shaft before. On that one it actually rusted. Dealer quoted replacement at few thousand.

I sprayed synthetic lube on it and so far it is okay.

Your issue is the opposite.

Watch the wheels as you move the steering wheels side to side to see if both wheels lag in the movement as you turn the steering wheel.

 

Did you end up having it replaced?

My '17 is experiencing exactly the same issue. For a while the steering was super stiff and wouldn't center itself when turning. I lubed the ujoin on the shaft which helped with the stiffness but now I can feel the clunk when turning steering from side to side. It feels like the ujoint has developed some play in it, perhaps something just wore out.

I see the shaft 452200E110 for around $330 USD so its not too bad, the replacement process has me a little concerned. Has anyone replaced this themselves? If yes, how exactly do you get to it from the engine side of the firewall?

 

Looks like you can get to it from the driver side wheel well after removing some of the plastics. It doesn't look like too bad of a diy.

 

Well - I finally gave in and replaced the intermediate steering shaft. The steering kept getting looser since February and had ~2" play. Once I had the old steering shaft out, I could clearly see the lower universal joint had a bushing failure / excessive play. Kind of disappointing for a 2016 Lexus with 72,500 miles that has never been driven hard.

It's a fairly easy DIY job. I drove my RX up on ramps, and the steering shaft bolt at the rack was easily accessible from the drivers side tire well with a socket extension (12 mm bolt and probably 12" extension). You don't even have to remove the wheel. I first marked the orientation with a touch up paint pen at the rack and used the seat belt to hold the steering wheel. From underneath the car I used a pry bar and hammer to slide the shaft off the rack once the bolt was removed.

From inside remove the lower dash trim, remove an HVAC duct, mark the back of the column and shaft with the touch up paint pen, and remove the bolt. You can then use a screwdriver in the u-joint to pry it out from behind the column if it's tight (mine just pulled off, but in the end I had to remove the shaft a few times as you'll read following).

I transferred the paint marks from the old shaft to the new one to install the new shaft at the exact same orientation (although presuming the steering wheel and tires didn't move it probably wasn't needed). My first time was not perfect so don't tighten the bolt completely at the steering column and take it for a short test drive. I had to pull the shaft off behind the steering column and realign it one notch to bring the wheel to centre.

Once everything is aligned torque the upper and lower bolts to 26 ft-lbs.

The OEM intermediate steering shaft (part 45220-0E110) is $280-$350 USD in the United States. In Canada this somehow converts to $1150 CDN + tax at your local dealer. The cheapest I could find online $750+tax+shipping. I should also warn people that the aftermarket steering shaft that is available from Rockland did not fit my vehicle. It is slightly larger diameter at the base, and rubbed very very slightly at the firewall. Let's just say I got pretty good at changing out the steering shaft since I removed my old one, put in the aftermarket one, readjusted the aftermarket one, took it out since it rubbed, reinstalled my old one, and then installed the new one, and readjusted the new one...

One other lesson learned - when I reinstalled my old shaft for a week the steering wheel was clearly off centre. I took it for a test drive and it immediately set off a bunch of errors on the dash (not a good day). I had to get my OBD connected as the error was due to the steering wheel sensor noting it was off centre and disabled the collision mitigation system and lane departure. Once I recentered the wheel and cleared the code it has not come back

The dealer recommended getting an alignment when you replace the steering shaft. I'm not sure why. You don't change the wheel toe or camber. You're just replacing the shaft between the rack and steering wheel. Worst case is it's slightly off centre and you have to realign it one notch. The Toyota Service Bulletins do not recommend / require an alignment.

 

Sorry I did not mention this in my reply above. You are correct. I removed the lower plastic splash shield (4 screws) and then accessed the steering shaft bolt from the driver's side wheel well.