ct1223

Hi All, had recently purchased a Non-Hybrid 22' 350 F Sport and noticed there is a "Clunking/Popping" sound on the Front Suspension when going over speed bumps/humps or when driving over undulated surfaces. Had checked with a few people I've met locally and 2 of them have reported the same issue with theirs. Brought the car to my local Lexus dealer and provided them with a video recording showing the apparent sound and they decided to replace both Front Shock Absorbers/Dampers under warranty. After driving the car for about 2,000 kms since, the clunking sound did improve ever so slightly (could be a placebo however), though it is still apparent on most occasions. Is this normal and is anyone else experiencing the same thing?

I've also noticed a relatively soft squeaking sound on the rear of the car when going over speed bumps/humps on the road. Seems this is suspension related as well since the sound is highly dependent on the amount of compression generated by the shocks when going over said bumps. Is anyone experiencing these issues as well?? I don't presume this is a lemon since I've had a few people share the same issue on their new NX as well.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

LilyTiger

I have a 2023 gas 350 and have not noticed any such sounds from the suspension that you describe. I’m hypersensitive to things that seem out of the ordinary so I’m confident I’d have heard such a sound. However, I do not have the F sport package.

Having to replace both the front shock absorbers on a car less than a year old seems a bit out of the ordinary for me.

See for yourself if the sound is present on other cars. Go to the dealer and ask to test drive another gas 350 with F sport. If they say no or it seems weird, go to another dealership and play dumb and ask to test drive it. Post the video here so we can take a listen also.

URNX

I have this exact same clunking issue. '22 NX350 F Sport. It happens to me under compression and rebound, but seems to favor the driver's side. First two trips to the dealer resulted in "Technician cannot duplicate sound." Since I can duplicate it 100% of the time, I requested a tech ride along the next time the car goes in in a few weeks.

ct1223

Have attached the video for your reference, you can just about hear the clunking sound as the car goes over the speed bump initially. I too find it odd having the shock absorbers replaced at such an early stage, however it seems like a pretty common issue considering "URNX" is experiencing the exact same issue as per his reply below. Unfortunately there have never been any testers at the local dealership ever since the car came out and there is actually only 1 Lexus dealer in my country. The only consolation is that it seems I'm not alone with this issue.

ct1223

Correct, definitely hear it under compression and rebound. Let me know if they find anything! I've come to terms that this issue might just be one of those "quirks" that go along with the New Gen NX. Others I've talked to about this issue have learned to live with it too unfortunately.

Droid13

I don't have an FSport, nor do I have this issue on my NX, but for what its worth on a different car I had a similar issue of the front driver's wheel popping twice on a bump, once in each direction. In that case I came to the conclusion that it was the macpherson strut boot. Just a hard but flexible piece of plastic covering the shiny part of the strut inside the coil spring. Not sure if its slightly deformed but it gets stuck in a weird position sometimes and the movement of the one tire would cause this boot to pop when it was flexed. When I grabbed it and move it back into normal position the popping would stop for a while. No idea if the NX could possibly suffer from the same issue with its strut design, but just thought I'd throw that out there.

ct1223

Thanks for the inputs Andy, will try to relay the same to the dealer during then next visit. For now, the clunking sound happens on specific situations so I've learned to just drown it out in the background. Overall, the car is great and a real treat to drive!

MPCuse1

This has been an issue with a lot of Gen 2 NX regardless of trim level. I personally experienced this with my 2021 RAV4 Prime, and this was a known issue with those vehicles. Chassis and suspension very very similar.

katekebo

My wife's 2023 350h makes a soft "clunk" noise while going over LARGE speedbumps. It's fairly mild and only happens if the bump is really large. I think it's just a "feature" of this car.
BTW, it's not the first car we have that has this "issue". Several of our past cars from different manufacturers made a similar clunk on a large rebound.

azieba

I think it is a by product of the 20in wheels. We have a Subaru Ascent with 20s and low profile tires (not as low as NX and not run flats) that makes similar clunk noises over speed bumps and potholes.

FastFord

Hopefully he dealer checked the spot welds that were missing on the body panels around the shock mounting area. 4200 units that they are aware of.

AtomicLexus

Anyone found a solution to this. Mine does it too, like something is loose up front. Perhaps it is from the Canada build cars?
And my glove box is always loose when closed. I'm loosing faith in Lexus quality.

katekebo

I think it's a "feature" of the struts. It happens in both Japan and Canadá made ones, as well 18 and 20 inch tires.
The NX uses gas-pressurized front struts. I had similar struts in a BMW wagon, and they made exactly the same type of clunk on the rebound when going over large bumps.

AtomicLexus

Thank you for the update. No need to bring it up to the dealer when I get the shaky mirror and rear cabin light fixed.

NX101

Hi, I just got my nx350h awd last week and i also noticed this sound when going over speed bumps... Just wanted to ask if your issue was resolved by Lexus?

Thanks,