BradTank

I'm just chalking it up to "its supposed to be that way" because I test drove other ones and noticed it and other people are also saying their vehicle does it. It smooths out quite a bit when I turn the AC off.

I'm still of the opinion Lexus dropped the ball engineering a luxury car to transmit that much vibration into the vehicle at a stop light. The ES though has some compromises as it's entry level, I knew that going in. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't something like a worn motor mount.

SW17LS

Even so, I would venture to say that the frame in the GX masks this. I really think what you're experiencing is just inherent to the design of the ES vs the LS and your GX.

Also remember, the ES is a lot cheaper. You're going to have differences like that you will have to get used to. Its not a super easy switch from the LS to the ES (I did it), but once you have the ES a while you stop comparing it to the LS all the time and those things stop bugging you as much.

lamikela1

My '13 had this problem but my '08 did not. It was very smooth at idle. There must be something different about the idle characteristics on the Gen 6. I had mine checked at the dealer and they said it was normal. My GS is also smooth and quiet at idle.

lesz

I know that there are some who want to believe that those of us who are saying that we don't feel any such vibration are just not as sensitive and aren't noticing an issue that is actually there.

This morning, I, again, paid particular attention every time I was stopped at a traffic light to what was happening when the car was idling, and there was absolutely no vibration in the steering wheel, shift lever, seat, or anywhere else in the car.

I'm not claiming that those who are seeing vibration are imagining it, but neither are those who don't see the problem. It may be the case that there is sample-to-sample variation and that some Generation 6 ES have idle vibration and others don't, but I'm certain that the issue is not present in all Generation 6 ES, and I've had 2 of them without the issue. And, if it is the case that some of the Generation 6 ES do have such vibration and others don't, I can't imagine that there is validity in claiming that it is a design issue.

I invite anyone who might have geographic proximity to me to come here and sit in my ES with the engine idling, both with the AC on and with the AC off. If anyone chooses to do so and does feel vibration, lunch is on me.

BradTank

If large amounts of people are experiencing it, then it's not a fluke. And I know on another one I test drove, I noticed it as well, to the point that I thought the motor mounts needed to be replaced if I bought it despite the fact the car only had like 30k miles.

You can either say it's simply the way it was designed or a quality control problem that crops up later. About half the people (or more) here are saying they notice its a bit rough. The problem is something like vibration is hard to gauge. It's sort of like ride quality, some people will say the new ES rides too sporty, others will say it's too soft. If someone says the ES rides way too rough, are they necessarily "wrong"?

It also could be something that Lexus addressed on the 16-17 refresh and that's why yours isn't doing it. Maybe they adjusted the idle? Different motor mount design?

I had an ES300 way back when and I don't remember the steering wheel buzzing like this at a stop light. But I also came from a non-luxury car before, so that could be coloring my recollection.

I tend to think the answer is somewhere in the middle, almost like struts ride a little different after a few years after breaking in. It probably had a smoother idle when new, but it's inherently a buzzy motor that eventually is going to wear the motor mounts and more vibration is going to make its way through. I'm almost positive though my dealer will not throw a new set of motor mounts on it under the factory warranty.

Mike728

There was another thread on this a while back and I claimed I didn't feel any vibration. Then one rare day when I drove my car in the morning, I was stopped at a light and remembered to actually check for it. If I really concentrated on it, I could feel the slightest pulsation. I mean, about as minimal as it gets. I haven't noticed it since, but I haven't been looking for it. If this is something that is as noticeable as some say, there must be a problem with their vehicles.

BradTank

I'm also noticing people in colder climates tend to say they aren't noticing it as much.
I definitely see a big difference when I have the AC on vs off, maybe a 50% plus improvement. The idle bumps up a little when the AC goes on and that seems to be the "sweet spot" for the roughness. As soon as I touch the accelerator from a stop light, it goes smooth.

Just to reiterate, if the car was say a Corolla, I wouldn't think twice about it. It's not like a phone buzzing in your hand, , but it's just a little out of character for Lexus and wanted to poll other people and see if they notice it.

Part of me wants to test drive a 2017 and see if there's any difference, it's just a little awkward to pull up in basically the same ES and waste a salesman's time (and mine) to see.

lesz

Absolutely. If there was vibration on a particular vehicle like described by some in this thread, it should be impossible not to notice it, and, when looking specifically for vibration, it would be very unlikely not to be able to notice even very minor vibration.

Since, before I got the 2017 ES, I had a 2013 ES for 3 1/2 years, and that 2013 ES was equally as vibration-free as is my 2017 ES, I doubt that there is anything that Lexus changed related to design during the various years of the Generation 6 ES run.

As I said earlier, mine has no vibration whatever regardless of whether the AC is on or off. When I was driving today and looking carefully to see if there was any hint of vibration, it was 90+ degrees outside. The AC was on, and the car was as vibration-free as it is with the AC turned off.

Again, I don't question whether your car has such vibration, but I can say with absolute certainty that all Generation 6 ES do not have any such issue.

It is the nature of internet forums that most people won't bother to post or even read a thread unless they are having a particular problem. That being the case, I'm confident in guessing that the percentage of those who have posted saying that their cars do not show an idle vibration issue underestimates what is reality by a good margin.

dxerg3770

My 14 ES350 vibrates like 4 cylinder car at stop light.

Coulter

I've noticed it gives a lot of feedback through the steering wheel when I'm at a stop and the car is in Drive. Almost like an older car that needs new motor mounts. It seems to settle down as the car runs and warms up to the operating temperature.


The people that say there's zero vibration coming through either got some sort of "ringer" from the factory or can't accurately judge it.

BradTank

So what is your opinion why so many people who own these cars still under the factory warranty are experiencing this?

lesz

I have no idea, but, as I said, I suspect that forum discussions make the frequency of the problem appear to be bigger than it really is.

For several months, I had been considering replacing my GX with a new RX, and I was following threads in the Generation 4 RX forum on CL. There are two long threads there about hesitation problems and excessive noise with the Generation 4 RX. One is now 40 pages long, and the other is 67 pages long. Seeing those threads might, at first, lead one to believe that there are huge problems with the RX, but, if you actually read through those threads, you will see that the vast majority of the posts are from the same 4 or 5 people who keep posting and saying the same thing over and over again. Even if those 4 or 5 people do have a real issue, I suspect that, if there was really a widespread issue with either hesitation or noise with the Generation 4 RX, there would not just be the same 4 or 5 people posting over and over again. In reality, owners who don't have those issues never bothered to post in the threads, or they stopped posting in those threads long ago. Yet, I wonder how many potential RX buyers have moved their purchase decision into a different direction because of the likely inaccurate impression that those threads create about the how widespread those issues might be.

I suspect that the same thing is true with vibrations at idle for the ES. While some who might have the issue are posting, I'm sure that the vast majority of those who don't have the issue are not likely to have the interest or to want to take the time to post to say that they don't have such vibration.

FmrAccord

Even though this topic has been beat to death. I would add that my '16 ES has no vibration at all on the steering wheel at idle or in motion. The AC has been on for the past few weeks and has no vibrations at all.

BradTank

There's a difference between something clearly being "wrong" as in a defect like you're describing or something just being the way it was engineered.

Here's another thread here where several people who bought the car brand new are complaining about the same thing with the dealer checking it out and saying it was supposed to be that way. The same people were saying their loaner ES had the same sensation.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...n-at-idle.html

I don't think it's just a few people making a big stink, I'm not expecting any sort of fix or launching a crusade, I just assumed they were this way and wanted other owners to chime in to see. Most probably haven't said anything because they feel its supposed to be this way (which it probably is).

peteharvey

I find that my 2015 GS idles noticeably poorly than the eight previous V6's that I have owned.
Other 4GS's do not have my idle issue.
Somehow, Lexus are not able to fix my idle.
It could be that new President Akio wants us to feel more vibrations etc, or TMC quality may have slipped a little.

My receptionist's new 2015 Camry V6 does not idle as smoothly or as quietly as her old 2006 Camry V6.

As far as steering wheel vibrations go, there is a little bit of vibration in all my cars, but nothing as rough as even the smoothest V6 idle, let alone my 2015 GS idle.

I would check other ES's out, and see if they can fix your steering wheel vibrations if possible.
You might be oversensitive.
Or there could truly be something wrong with your ES just like my GS.
However, even if there is an excessive vibration problem in your steering wheel, I can't guarantee that Lexus will be able to fix it.

It could be that changing the hydraulic liquid filled engine and suspension mounts is too expensive, or changing the actual engine and suspension sub-frame is too complex or expensive, or that in their experience, changing both mounts and sub-frames does not solve the problem.
For example, I have an old rental property that has water hammer.
However, the plumber could not guarantee that using a pressure reduction limiter would solve the problem, due to the complex nature of water hammer...
.