Why Is There No Recall For The Is300H Drivetrain Problems?

dutchie01 · November 6, 2015

I will get the possible solution for the drivetrain vibrations combined with the droning noise next week after asking at the dealer myself. They immediately knew what i meant and simply booked the car in for repair.

following various international Lexus Forums it shows this issue is widespread with this model.

Lexus is regarded as a Top Quality Premium Brand so, dear Lexus WHY IS THERE NO RECALL to set this matter right? WHY wait until customers contact the dealers?

Are the beancounters directing that cost of repair is more important than satisfied customers or the Brands Reputation?

Lexus?

Zotto · November 6, 2015

A recall is for a serious problem regarding security and/or risk, and some vibrations that the most of drivers even don't notice is not a valid reason.

ColinBarber · November 6, 2015

There is a TSB - if a customer experiences the issue within warranty it will be resolved. Lexus are never going to do a voluntary recall for this, the vast majority of owners don't even notice, and it will never be a compulsory recall as it does affect safety.

Martin F · November 6, 2015

following various international Lexus Forums it shows this issue is widespread with this model.

How do you qualify that statement? As an example do you know for sure that over 50% of IS owners are registered to a Lexus forum? I suspect not.

Also go and look at any forum for any make of car and you'd never buy any model because your perception would be that they are all full of faults.

As per Zotto's comment above, recalls are usually reserved for issues which may affect a driver (or passengers) safety or health.

rayaans · November 6, 2015

What drivetrain issues are these? No problems here and I have an early model

ColinBarber · November 7, 2015

What drivetrain issues are these? No problems here and I have an early model

Slight vibration at 1,300 rpm when cruising/under slight acceleration. Some vehicles are worse than others and even then only some people notice it - feels like poor road surface.

dutchie01 · November 7, 2015

hmmm, i would not call it slight vibration, i drove 2 cars and both had it, when cruising in heavy traffic on the highway it drives you nuts.

i agree it is not a safety issue but it compromises the core values of the lexus brand, namely NVH. a lexus should always be silky smooth, quiet and excellently put together.

in this case it clearly isn t and in my opinion lexus should adress this pro actively. there will be customers out there thinking this is propably ok, the humming and vibrations and next time will go for an audi or bmw.

sorry lexus fanboys on this forum but the car feels underdeveloped because of this issue, why was this not discovered before bringing it to market?

Zotto · November 7, 2015

hmmm, i would not call it slight vibration, i drove 2 cars and both had it, when cruising in heavy traffic on the highway it drives you nuts.

Long time you don't drive a diesel? :-p

rayaans · November 7, 2015

Havent felt any odd vibration or anything when driving - I probably would have noticed if it was bad as my RX is silky!

capese21 · November 7, 2015

sorry lexus fanboys on this forum but the car feels underdeveloped

because of this issue, why was this not discovered before bringing it to

market?

"lexus fanboys" grow up and dont be so rude. I am not a "fanboy" any more than you are. My car is an early model and definitely does not have the problem. No car manufacturer issues a recall if only a few are affected. If your car is then take it to a dealer who will fit the damper for you.

Ed :megaangry:

rayaans · November 7, 2015

sorry lexus fanboys on this forum but the car feels underdeveloped

because of this issue, why was this not discovered before bringing it to

market?

"lexus fanboys" grow up and dont be so rude. I am not a "fanboy" any more than you are. My car is an early model and definitely does not have the problem. No car manufacturer issues a recall if only a few are affected. If your car is then take it to a dealer who will fit the damper for you.

Ed :megaangry:

Well said.

Im assuming its not a common issue as this is the first time Ive heard of these drivetrain issues. Even the reviews dont mention it, which would almost DEFINITELY be the case if it existed on all cars as the journalists need an excuse to knock a star off!

I would have thought the first point of call would be the dealer to find out what it is and get it fixed if it does exist.

I cant find any international forums with this problem either ?!

ColinBarber · November 7, 2015

hmmm, i would not call it slight vibration, i drove 2 cars and both had it, when cruising in heavy traffic on the highway it drives you nuts.

All the people that really complain about this are not in the UK. Not sure if it is road surface related or the LHD conversion makes it worse but it is really just slight in my vehicle - noticed it a couple of times today on Motorway roadworks at 50 mph, just accelerated a tiny bit to avoid the situation.

capese21 · November 7, 2015

I just loathe being called a "fanboy" Like I would spend £30k on a car and not admit it had a fault & have it repaired because I am a fanboy.

I have read all about the problem and tried to replicate it on my car and it doesn't exist.

At one point I thought it did and realised it was the ASC which was easily rectified

Ed

rayaans · November 7, 2015

I just loathe being called a "fanboy" Like I would spend £30k on a car and not admit it had a fault & have it repaired because I am a fanboy.

I have read all about the problem and tried to replicate it on my car and it doesn't exist.

At one point I thought it did and realised it was the ASC which was easily rectified

Ed

Yes I found that with the ASC too. It was making a rumble at low speeds, very annoying so just turned it off.

I've driven the IS once on the motorway from Chester on the way back and never noticed anything at all. I'm sure I would feel something or other

dutchie01 · November 8, 2015

hmmm, i would not call it slight vibration, i drove 2 cars and both had it, when cruising in heavy traffic on the highway it drives you nuts.

All the people that really complain about this are not in the UK. Not sure if it is road surface related or the LHD conversion makes it worse but it is really just slight in my vehicle - noticed it a couple of times today on Motorway roadworks at 50 mph, just accelerated a tiny bit to avoid the situation.

this problem has been extensively debated on this forum with 2 threads started by Dblacha which triggered 27k reactions. i am new here but it seems these 2 threads are amongst the most popular by far.

it could well be that this problem is not so hot on UK cars and maybe the left hand drive conversion plays a role here but thesame discussions are on other international forums (german, dutch , even usa where the car is not available).

the problem is a deep droning sound combined with rough vibrations from the rear axle, it does not sound healthy at all. it occurs mostly when cruising between 70and 95km/h. when the engine kicks in the problem is there and when cruising at that speed the system constantly switches between battery/petrol or sailing withouth power and one cannot influence this.

even if you are happily driving around with your IS please believe me there is a serious isue with the drivetrain ( the GS300H also seems affected according to Lexus forums).

I look forward to a smooth Lexus like ride again end this week !

ganzoom · November 8, 2015

I've not felt anything like that on ours. Isn't the fix a special damper? Sound like a resonate frequency issue, maybe it's the LHD conversion that cause it to show up.

Zotto · November 8, 2015

believe me there is a serious isue with the drivetrain ( the GS300H also seems affected according to Lexus forums).

Uhm, I drive a GS 300h and it's difficult to me to find the "serious issue" . If I had to complain something in my Lexus is the cost to update my navi system, for sure a more serious defect; besides in GS the solution to vibration is only software, no need to mount dampers.

Undziak · May 6, 2019

I bought my IS300h in 2014 and after 3 months I noticed this problem. Each year it was getting worse. Now I have vibrations from 50 km/h up to 200 km/h. The worse speed is 70-90 km/h and 140-150 km/h. I had a few software update and damper was mounted. In my opinion there is design and quality problem with driveline and suspension. Gear Order from rotating parts is crosing resonance freequency. Additionally I have influence from tyres. For example, by changing pressure in tyres we can change resonances. Therefore some people notice that after some kilometers vibrations are more intensive (because pressure inside tyre is changing).

Lexus support - no comments.

The question is why we buy a new luxury car? what is the warranty for? If I knew I can expect such vibrations in Lexus I would buy some simple proven car for a half price.

I can understand that in present time customers expect more frequently new cars and such issues can appear. Therefore cars are not developed properly. But in such cases, we should have rights to repair our cars.

What I learned - never trust any car's procuders (Lexus too), never buy a new car, because warranty is not usefull, never buy a new model - better at least 3 years old models. I'm not a millionaire and I wanted to buy a good car for at least 5 years. I wanted to stay with Lexus and buy in a future some new model. Whould you buy Lexus too?

olliesgrandad · May 6, 2019

Yes I would buy Lexus again because having owned the German brands they are streets behind on customer service, build quality and reliability.

Undziak · May 6, 2019

Statistically reliability ist good (I know), statistically customer service is good (but I have different experience), build quality is good (I confirm).... but I don't care statistic. The brand is as good as the weekest point. As a customer I shouldn't keep my fingers crossed to buy a car without issues. If I have bad luck, than I'm alone with my problem. If we rely only on hope - this is not fair.

C Mclean · May 7, 2019

On the subject of vibrations, I can feel a mid range vibration on my 2018 RX450h. It’s engine related and only occurs around the 1100-1250 rpm mark noticeable as vibration especially thru the steering wheel. As soon as the engine shuts off, the vibration goes away. It’s not a severe vibration, more an annoyance. Just wondering if anyone has heard of reports of this, good to be informed before going to the dealers.