Is300H Permanent Drivetrain Vibrations @1300Rpms

[darrude]

Well ECU update did absolutely nothing.... will keep pushing for the dampener fix. This and the bluetooth disconnecting all the time are really ruining this car.

Hi,

did you solved the Bluetooth issue? I have the same bug since 1 month (never worked correctly, but now it connect and disconnect every minute).

I was thinking my phone was broken and so I am waiting for a new one (Lumia950), but at this point it is probably a nav.bug!

I downloaded the last update from customerportal.lexus.eu last week but the bug is still there.

Bit of a long story really.

Never had a problem in my last car (after market generic eBay system), however not long after owning this car my phone (Xperia Z3 compact broke), so used my old work phone while it was repaired (Blackberry something or other), and this worked perfectly, no drop offs or anything. While on the blackberry, the drive train problems were fixed. As far as i know there were no updates made to the infotainment system. Ended up getting a replacement Xperia as the phone couldn't be repaired and since then never had a Bluetooth drop off, works perfectly now.

So not really sure if it was the car of phone at fault.

[dutchie01]

the toyota tsb is done. ecu upgrade and diff damper and it transformed the car. from 100% irritating to ok. the engine runs smoother power seems more spread over the total revband it feels much nicer. the vibations are now almost gone, Problem solved for 95%!

[Undziak]

Hi Lexus Owners,

since 2014 I'm an IS300h owner. After a few month from purchasing I have got vibrations at 90 km/h and 1300 rpm like all of you. After a few month a dynamic damper was mounted. It was helpuf slightly but I'm not satisfied. Additionally I think I can notice some new issue at 70 km/h. So this problem still exist for me.

But I have some other vibrations at 140 -150 km/h. I can notice it wit summer or winter tyres. I have bought last time new summer tyres after suggestion from Lexus Workshop and the problem exist.

I live in Germany and many times asked for support Lexus Germany, many times my and other dealers. In fact I fell ignored. I think, they know that the problem exist, but don't want to spend money or the problem can not be solved easilly - but this is only my opinion.

Has anybody of you the same problem with vibrations at 140-150 km/h?

I checked many times tyres and balanced them. But it seems like unbalanced driveshaft.

I'm thinking to write letter to Lexus Japan. Must only find correct person and adress.

With my current experience I'm 100% sure I will never buy Lexus and I will never recommend it. This is unfortunately not premium class.

Andrew

[Adrianotiger]

Since the new dumper is installed, I never got any problems. But for the first 2 years (1014-1015), my Lexus dealer always said there was nothing known. So probably the work was not made correctly by you. I don't have any vibrations at 70-80 now and I don't have any up to 180-190km/h.

Maybe with the last software update they changed something (in facts now I can drive up to 95km/h with only the electric engine, before it was 84km/h).

24 minutes ago, Undziak said:

I'm thinking to write letter to Lexus Japan. Must only find correct person and adress.

With my current experience I'm 100% sure I will never buy Lexus and I will never recommend it. This is unfortunately not premium class.

Andrew

Good luck!

I tried it too, but it is impossible! They have only phone numbers, no email. There are many bugs on the IS300h that I want to report:

- Alarm starts when you power off the car and a door was open before

- No lights if it is raining and there is enough light (but if it is raining and the raining sensors are active, lights should be powered on)

- In the night, the lights brights up only 20m on the street (at 150km/h this is dangerous I think :P)

But I reached only Lexus Europe, the will forward the email to Lexus Germany. And they will give you the same answer: "You have to ask your dealer". 

 

Adriano

PS: Some features are really fantastic! Like the intern lights that illuminates only what you need and fades effect. Other things are really bull**** and does not "pursuit the perfection" like Lexus says.

 

Edit: I had some problems with my winter tires at 130km/h, but after changing them it was ok (Good Year was miserable on my Celica and are miserable on my Lexus... Never had problems with Continental Sport contact :D)

[Undziak]

Adriano,

thanks for your answer. Some small things I can accept and ignore them. But if you all the time feel vibrations it's difficult to live with it. I took a loan for my dream car and for me it is disaster. In my opinion they play wit us (customers). Some issues I can understand, but only if they fixed them later. Now we have to live with "premium" car which vibrate more than old diesel;)

I learned, the GS300h have the same issue - at 140-150km/h some vibrations. 

In my opinion Lexus released car which is not correct designed and tested. 

Neverthless I will try to reach Lexus Japan.

Andrew

[Pink]

On 10/2/2015 at 1:08 PM, beneee said:

Whilst I was on the toyota site yesterday i noticed a Technical Service Bulletin labeled "Vibration and droning noise when driving".

It sounds like exactly what you are describing, its dated 27/07/2015

Here is the brief description.

CP-0082L-0614

Models:
GS300h; IS300H

DESCRIPTION OF PHENOMENON
Some customers may experience and report vibration and droning noise when driving between 80 to 90km/h.

PRODUCTION CHANGE
1. Software logic of power management ECU has been changed.
2. Dynamic damper of Rear differential carrier has been added. (*)
* Applicable for ONLY IS300h

Conscious I’m reviving an old thread here, but does anyone have a link to this Technical Services Bulletin please?

I’m sure my 300h has this vibration issue around 50mph, but when I mentioned the above “fix” of a dynamic damper to my local dealer, there was much shaking of heads and “not a UK issue sir” going on. Would be handy to actually send them the TSB. Has anyone else successfully had this fix applied under warranty?

[darrude]

Hi, mine was repaired by Lexus Coventry. They tried a software fix initially, then did the dampener which cured it. 

Initially when I went in they said they had no knowledge of this and I pointed them to this thread for further details, they contacted Lexus who promptly advised them how to proceed.  

At the time I was commuting from Coventry to Yorkshire and the M1 had about 30 miles of 50 zone, so was very noticeable for me, so I was quite firm I need this fixing (to be fair they were very good and helpful).

Good luck.

 

[ColinBarber]

I believe the TSB is:

CP-0082L-0614 

Vibration and droning noise when driving

 

Your dealer could have spend 20 seconds searching the TSB database for that rather than just fobbing you off. I really don't get how Lexus scores so highly on customer satisfaction sometimes 😞

[Pink]

Thanks. I’ve written to them today and will share the outcome. 

[arkviz]

I have now on my GS300h almost permanent vibrations and droning while ICE is running:

 

[Pink]

So Lexus Reading had my car in for a few days and fitted the active damper under warranty without any quibble after I highlighted the technical release, so top work on their part. 

In terms of outcome though, it doesn’t really seemed to have fixed the issue. But I’m happy that lexus have done all they could on this, and so will live with it. It manifests itself most through 50mph restricted speed zone on the M4 smart motorway works, but maybe I’m being too fussy and deliberately listening out for the slightest noise now.

Either way, I’m happy to live with it now, not quite the transformation that some others have reported, but I’ve badgered the dealer enough and am now just going to get on enjoying the car. Happy Christmas folks. G. 

[darrude]

That's a shame, mine was completely fixed by this. Not noticeable at all, there was an uphill stretch on my way home from work in the 50mph zone, that highlighted the issues on mine. And side the fix, it was bang on.

[mister_johnn]

Hello everyone,
I'll try to keep it short. I have my IS300h since was young around 30k, now I'm over 110k and never noticed this issue... until yesterday (when I was focused on other issues with the car)... I was cruising in Normal Mode at 40 Mph (Battery was empty and ICE kicked in) when I started to feel these vibrations but with no other noise (maybe I didn't pay attention) and thought is because of the road bumps or holes, but the road had no bumps or holes and a bump makes me go up and down, I was feeling more like a front to back (ahead/back) vibration and initially I thought I was going crazy, is all in my mind as I was focused on my other car issues, continued my journey and got on another road with 40 Mph limit and started feeling this again... so I said to my self (...what a wonderful world 🙂 )... hang on! This can't be possible... then I got home and Google'd "Lexus is300h shaking"... for my surprise found this discussion... so... Today went to my local dealer in London and discussed the other issues and specified also about this one... dealer said that they have no idea about it, they don't take into consideration any information from the internet as "Is not officially coming from Lexus" (I showed them this discussion, the part with TSB CP-0082L-0614) and they said it can be some many other things and "We need to investigate further and reproduce the vibration"... I will have to do this in the next few days and see if I can feel it again. If this will happen again, can you please recommend me a dealership which can a bit be more open to fixing the issue and able to accept information coming from their customers?
So far I've seen Coventry (a bit far for me) and Reading. Wondering if anyone fixed this issue in London? ...if not, I'll go to Reading... forgot to mention, the car is still under Lexus warranty.
Thank you!

[darrude]

Never happened on mine at 40 mph, only when the needle was just above 50. Not sure if the same for others,  it's a few years ago now, but sounds like it could maybe be something different..

 

[Adrianotiger]

I said it to my dealer for 2 years, giving many info and links.

The reply was always: "on the web they say everything, I would be the first to be informed about an issue". 2 years driving a car vibrating like a diesel car!

But if you feel it only now, it could also be the tires. My IS begun to vibrate last winter, after breaking hard on the snow (no idea why the ABS didn't activated). After that day my car was vibrating on the speedway until I changed the tires (I will never buy Good Year anymore!). Now I feel something similar with my original Lexus tire (it's time to change them, after 5 summers and over 40.000km).

[arkviz]

On my GS these vibrations are now relatively low, almost gone. I didn't installed any "update", just was just using my car. I feel vibrations when car's ICE kicks in now.

But also whole car is notably louder, so maybe it is only relative.

[mister_johnn]

7 minutes ago, Adrianotiger said:

I said it to my dealer for 2 years, giving many info and links.

The reply was always: "on the web they say everything, I would be the first to be informed about an issue". 2 years driving a car vibrating like a diesel car!

But if you feel it only now, it could also be the tires. My IS begun to vibrate last winter, after breaking hard on the snow (no idea why the ABS didn't activated). After that day my car was vibrating on the speedway until I changed the tires (I will never buy Good Year anymore!). Now I feel something similar with my original Lexus tire (it's time to change them, after 5 summers and over 40.000km).

Just replaced all tires (3rd set since I have the car), bought and fitted by Lexus. Done about 70k miles in 18 months so anything is possible, hope the tires are not the issue as they have only a few hundred miles on them 🙂

 

14 minutes ago, darrude said:

Never happened on mine at 40 mph, only when the needle was just above 50. Not sure if the same for others,  it's a few years ago now, but sounds like it could maybe be something different..

 

Might be something different... I'll be testing it in the next few days to be sure, but the vibration is weird as I've never had this issue or noticed. I'll try to test it around 50 Mph to see if is any different or same.

[Undziak]

There is the real truth and the truth pushed / defined by producer. Any good engineer can easily say, that there are vibrations and it is not an imagination. But producer can says, that there are no vibartions or this is still in tolerance. And what can we do? Go to a lawyer etc. 

I noticed that sometimes tyres pressure makes some changes. Please change 2,4 to 2,5 or 2,6 bar and drive. We have to remember, that during driving temperature of the air which is inside tyres is changing. Therefore some drivers notice that vibartions comes after 30-50 miles.

In my opinion, the reason is crossing self-vibrations lines with so called gear orders. Additionally suspension have some infulebce. Some tyres can be make less influence on this problem.

Somehow other cars can drive with any tyres without issues. But IS300h / GS300h have problems.

If people write something in internet they make this not to make a bad reputation of this producer. They just have a real problem and trying to find any help. 

I drive already 5 years with vibrations and I lost any hope. I now only that now it makes any sence to buy such cars. As easier as better, as cheaper as better for us.

 

[dblacha]

6 hours ago, mister_johnn said:

Hello everyone,
I'll try to keep it short. I have my IS300h since was young around 30k, now I'm over 110k and never noticed this issue... until yesterday (when I was focused on other issues with the car)... I was cruising in Normal Mode at 40 Mph (battery was empty and ICE kicked in) when I started to feel these vibrations but with no other noise (maybe I didn't pay attention) and thought is because of the road bumps or holes, but the road had no bumps or holes and a bump makes me go up and down, I was feeling more like a front to back (ahead/back) vibration and initially I thought I was going crazy, is all in my mind as I was focused on my other car issues, continued my journey and got on another road with 40 Mph limit and started feeling this again... so I said to my self (...what a wonderful world 🙂 )... hang on! This can't be possible... then I got home and Google'd "Lexus is300h shaking"... for my surprise found this discussion... so... Today went to my local dealer in London and discussed the other issues and specified also about this one... dealer said that they have no idea about it, they don't take into consideration any information from the internet as "Is not officially coming from Lexus" (I showed them this discussion, the part with TSB CP-0082L-0614) and they said it can be some many other things and "We need to investigate further and reproduce the vibration"... I will have to do this in the next few days and see if I can feel it again. If this will happen again, can you please recommend me a dealership which can a bit be more open to fixing the issue and able to accept information coming from their customers?
So far I've seen Coventry (a bit far for me) and Reading. Wondering if anyone fixed this issue in London? ...if not, I'll go to Reading... forgot to mention, the car is still under Lexus warranty.
Thank you!

Hi mister_johnn!

On what RPMs do you feel vibrations? Have you an active damper installed? 

Regards

Dominik. 

[mister_johnn]

4 minutes ago, dblacha said:

Hi mister_johnn!

On what RPMs do you feel vibrations? Have you an active damper installed? 

Regards

Dominik. 

I think it was around 1.200 RPM or so, as I said, this is a new issue for me and had no idea what to look for. I'll pay attention on my tests in the next few days, but I still hope it was all in my head as it didn't feel nice, reminded me of my old Ford Sierra when it had problems. 😊

Should have the factory fitted damper

[Pink]

As above, Lexus Reading fitted an active damper for me under warranty when I raised this issue although it hasn’t fully cleared the vibrations. 55k on an Exec 64 plate. I’m just learning to live with it now, although once you’ve noticed this I find it hard to completely ignore! Reading didn’t apply the software flash though, perhaps that might make a difference? Good luck with your search anyway.