oldcajun

I recently noticed that the tire noise on my 400h was pretty loud, so I inspected the tires. All 4 tires were worn badly on the inside corner. Mileage was just under 12000 and the tires are RSA's. I took it in to have the local Lexus dealer check it. The tech commented that they had just had a discussion in one of their meetings about inside tire wear on the hybrids. They "corrected" the alignment problem and put on 4 new tires at no cost. I'm a happy camper - they turned a problem into an advantage for me. Lexus of Tucson is top notch in my book.

Has anyone else seen this type of wear?
Steve

Nextourer

I believe there was another thread on this.

wstr75

My 400h is getting re-shod with Bridgestone Alenzas and getting a full alignment at a Firestone store at this moment. They found the camber was off on one wheel and the toe-in was way off all around the car and especially at the rear wheels. No wonder the tires were all worn out on the inside at 13k miles.

Far worse still was getting the call from the Firestone store 10 minutes after I dropped it off. A 73 year old geezer in a full size 1980s Dodge van bashed my car! He was there to get his tires changed and misjudged his distance while parking his car. Smooched-up both doors on the driver's side. Hmm, speaking of geezer, that dude is only 19 years older than me. Maybe I need to be careful with the g-word.

Going back to the alignment issue, I had the Lexus dealer align the car at 6K miles. Either they did not get the alignment done right or the car loses alignment. I hope the car keeps its alignment. I had a Yukon that was bad for losing it's front alignment.

Am looking forward to having many trouble-free miles with the Alenzas after the body work is done.

RXus

Sorry to hear of the geezer gash in your new RX400h.

I too had tire wear/ alignment problems. Dealer realigned at 5k, 10k, and then at 15k when the tires were almost totally shot, they agreed to replace all four of them at no cost to me. It did take 2 weeks in the shop (I had a 400h loaner all that time) while they "worked out" payment with Lexus. Not sure in the end if the dealer paid or if corporate paid, but they did come through for me. The worn tires were Bridgestones, the replacements are Michelins. I doubt it was the tires' fault though.

Tammy

It is the opinion then that the owners of 400h should consider having their alignment checked every five thousand miles?

After all, the torque delivery of the DC motor is much higher than that of the standard V6. This may tend to flex the suspension, resulting in alignment concerns.

oldcajun

The tech I talked with was pretty cryptic about this issue. I infer from what he did tell me that there is a problem unique to the 400h that causes tires to wear on the inside. Whether it is the additional weight, stiffer springs, more torque, or a combination, I don't even have a guess.

My car was at the shop a total of 6 hours, so they already knew what to do and who was going to pay. There is not a TSB so far, but Lexus knows something is wrong with the set-up. I plan to check tire wear regularly, but don't plan to pay for alignment every 5K miles.

Steve

Tammy

They are in their learning curve ... I 'd imagine .. "Mums" da word !

I like our dealer also, the Speedway site is a bit closer to me. Both have provided excellent service.

katzjamr

my 400h with the goodyear eagles shows excessive wear on the inside tread of my front left tire. they have been rotated at 5, 10 and 15k, so the rear left shows some of this wear also. I did have alignment at 16k and will watch for further wear. I have never had a vehicle that would not stay aligned, however lexus would not pay for the alignment when i asked. there never has been any sign of vibration or poor tracking, or pulling to the side indicating alignment issues. I think either something is wrong with the design or is this only happening with the goodyear tires? Is anyone with the michelins having the same wear issues?

wstr75

Have driven about 500 miles since getting the Alenzas on Thursday. They've done well. Quieter ride. Not seeing any appreciable difference in gas mileage. Tires look great.

As I noted before, the toe-in was off and it was especially off in the rear wheels. The above comments about torque effects making the alignment go out is an interesting comment. Most of the time I take it easy with the car. In fact, I don't get to take it at all because my wife has essentially taken possession (I've been relegated to hear 2002 RL). However, there are times when I'm driving when the RX is asked to accelerate hard like when turning left onto a fast-moving & crowded 4 lane street. I've noticed that I now try making similar moves with the RL and a couple of times I've nearly paid a big price when the acceleration "check" my mind "writes" doesn't quite yield the acceleration I needed. Tammy's torque and alignment dislocation comment may have some validity. I mean, the RX 400 is accelerating 4600 pounds as if it were 3200 pounds being pushed by 300 horsepower.