Fakiiri

Hi there,

I'm trying to pinpoint what's causing a clunk sound in my GS. I mentioned it last time I had the car in at Toyota for an oil change and the techs drove it but couldn't reproduce the sound.
They couldn't reproduce it because it only happens when there's a little more force applied to the suspension, such as when going through an intersection that has those drainage dips and I keep the speed up. It sounds like a hollow clunk.
It's not related to the sunroof as I am familiar with that issue and already replaced the seal on my car.

The only video I was able to find that might adress the issue is this
Any other ideas? Thanks in advance!

bclexus

Is your 4th Gen a F-Sport? If it is a F-Sport your right front adjustable shock may have failed (i.e. loss of tension), which will cause a clunk sound.

FullMetalM

Failing strut mount will make noises like that. And depending on where the wear on the mount is, may make noise with a particular force applied like you said.

Fakiiri

Yes, it is an F-Sport. Do you think this issue would be noticeable over a wide variety of speeds and force, or would it need a slighly more firm force to generate a clunk like I mentioned mine needs? Thanks

​​​​​​​That's good to know, I'll add it to my list of things to inspect. Thank you

bclexus

When an adjustable/adaptive strut/shock has a loss of tension there is no dampening when the car's suspension travels over a road's surface. The strut can clunk on very minor dips or weight shifts, and strangely not make a sound at all when you think it really should. You also may find that the bad strut will tend to clunk in 'Normal' Drive mode but not so much in 'Sport' or 'Sport+' Drive Mode.

Owners of Lexus 4th GS models with adjustable/adaptive struts have experienced lots of bad/defective or worn out struts over the years.

I had to have a right rear adjustable/adaptive strut replaced on my 2018 GS 450h when it had only 5k miles on it. (see below)

CottageChz

My guess is strut. I had a clunking sound from the front of my 2017 non-F sport and that’s what it was.