The symptoms below are exactly what I have experienced in a 2008 ISF and a 2013 GS350.
It seems to be more prominent when the car has been running for awhile (30+minutes) and it's warm/hot outside.

Good luck getting Lexus dealers to do anything about it, in or out of warranty. I have tried many times and the answer from them is always "working as normal," "road crowning," or some other excuse.

I think as the cars age, it's the power steering ECU, which resides under the battery. Who knows why it occurs inconsistently, but it is annoying and indeed a safety issue since you have to "jerk" the car to get it out of the "stuck" position. Might have to take matters into your own hands and just replace the power steering ECU at your own cost.

 

Maybe u guys can install a dash cam or a gopro aiming at the steering wheel on long drives and record this behavior and show that u have to jerk it to get it back to normal so that the dealer or corporate can see the problem. They can't really do anything if they can't duplicate the problem.

 

It could be that your Electric Power Steering's sensors and the Power Steering Computer Unit's voltages are just [barely] within the parameters where no codes are thrown. (Codes, mechanical noises and technician firsthand experiences from test driving the vehicle are what Lexus technicians go by to acknowledge an issue/problem, so without any of those the problem cannot be duplicated and thus Lexus is not able to so anything. Lexus is not going to just start replacing stuff *****-nilly hoping that a problem they cannot identify will go away.)

If you want to try to see if your EPS hangs-up and the steering wheel becomes difficult to turn as it heats up (without taking the chance of an accident) and might throw a helpful code you can do this - turn the steering wheel from lock-to-lock over-and-over multiple times to see if you feel it hanging or becoming stiff at any time. Doing this causes the PSCU to heat up and could cause the issue you are experiencing after a lengthy drive on a warm day to be duplicated...and hopefully throw the needed code you need for Lexus to acknowledge the problem and replace the part (likely the PSCU) or refresh the unit's software. It should be noted that when typically driving its almost certain that the driver will be turning the steering wheel off its dead-center position on a constant basis even a little bit, which causes sensor voltages to increase or decrease as the steering wheel is turned to the left and right - this causes the PSCU to heat up, but might not be enough to throw the all-important code you seek.

If you can perform this lock-to-lock steering wheel exercise on wet pavement (spread some water on the pavement) it would prevent your tires from grinding into the pavement or leaving a black mark on your driveway. It's not the difficultly (resistance) of turning the steering wheel lock-to-lock that matters, it's what the sensor voltages do (as the steering wheel is turned off dead-center) to increase the heat of the PSCU that matters...and whether that internal heat triggers the hang-up or stiffening of the steering wheel you experience from time-to-time. I would perform this exercise soon after driving the car and arriving home. I would count the number of lock-to-lock times you turn the steering wheel over-and-over again until you have done it a minimum of forty times. Report back if you felt any hang-up or stiffening of the steering wheel, or if this exercise threw a code. Let us know...

 

I don't want to doubt anyone's experience but so many reports of this in the thread and nobody has videoed it yet?

First thing I'd do if it happened to me would be set up my phone camera to record anytime I replicated the conditions to see if I could capture it and show to dealer..

 

I haven't posted on here in 10+ years but I'm having the same issue lol

#sos

 

Did you have similar symptoms as described by others? A warm day, car parked outside then driven on expressway?

Because of COVID, I haven't been doing daily interstate drives since March, so it hasn't occurred.

 

I have the IDENTICAL problem with my 2009 GS450h. I suffered this issue many times when I try to change the lane with 80-100 km.
During a fast acceleration situation, this can occurs. I experienced this. it cause a dangerous a dynamics situation. if this is not normal, I just want to know "what is problem...how to fix".

 

so much for Lexus reliability. this will be my last Lexus. i will go with the Korean next time. since they are all the same now. producing disposible cars to make money in the service dept

 

I would love to hear an update with your experience in the future. Not sure how many engine replacements or class action lawsuits Lexus has with cars catching on fire while driving, but I have not read one in the past year I've been active on the 4GS forum.

 

yeah yeah yeah, they costs $10k less and for the same headach i'm ok with that since both brands give you the same issues! sure the engine got on fire, but Huyndai replaces under warranty. my lexus now only at 45k has lifter noise like crazy but lexus do nothing about it!

 

This thread is about steering. Lifter noise is unrelated.

 

these generations have completely different steering systems. Are you the first owner of the Lexus? If not, then you can’t be sure if it has been in an accident , like hitting a kerb and damaging the steering.

 

Same issue here. This really needs to be a recall by Lexus. If you haven't done so already, you have to post a complaint on NHTSA for the issue, which will help drive a recall.

You can start here ---> https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem#index

 

Have you had this issue since last year?
Has it been fixed?

 

I've had this issue for 2+ years. Unfortunately the dealer finds it too hard to replicate so it is still an issue. Over the last year, I've hardly been on the highway due to covid, but that is going to change soon.
And I'm the original owner, so I know it isn't due to an accident