powderedge

I too am experiencing a similar “ticking" sound in my RX330. Happened early in ownership (June). Noise is loudest at stoplights, i.e., at idle, and during cruising at low speeds when taking foot off accelerator.

The “ticking” sound seems to be coming from behind the firewall. The source is not the A/C or radio--both turned off to try to determine sound source. The “ticking” rhythm is similar to valvetrain rhythm—clean, crisp and distinct--climbing “up and down” with throttle variation. Not a low-emitting “ticking” sound as might come from exhaust leak. The sound is louder as the weather grew colder over the past few months. I expect some valvetrain and engine noise, but this would have been a “show stopper” for me.

Two trips to dealer. Last trip (last week) had the District OM, a technician, and my service rep listen to the sound. They confirm “ticking,” but tell me sound is “normal operating noise at this time.” No damage. No codes. They also admit my “ticking" noise is louder than other RX330’s.

Dealer’s bottom line: Wait for Lexus to provide a fix. My bottom line: Wait and see I suppose. The dealer is responsive. The techs are responsive. We shall see if Lexus is responsive. (I also have an IS300 so I must have some degree of faith in the marque.)

chanr@home.net

No. Unforturnately the noise is still there. The dealer did call me back after about a week. The seems to expect the fix will not solve the problem. At this point the dealer can't do anything and awaiting for Lexus Canada to figure it out. I am out of luck at this point. I will call Lexus Canada again in the new year.

By the way, I have another noise happening in my car now. When the car is driving pass 50km, if I let go my gas pedal and step on it again, I will hear a clunking noise. I think there is another thread talks about this. I am going to tell the dealer.

chanr@home.net

My 330 was built in Japan.

EvenCylinder

I believe ther is 3 differant noises being talked about here. 1- the noise comming from the fuel pressur reg. This noise may be caused from the pressure the fuel injectors need (controled by the psi reg) when the out side air is dence. Yes the factory knows about it and they are working on a fix. No TSIB's yet for this. 2- the noises comming from the center dash. This noise has been present in all the RX's. The cause is the clip that are attatched to the safety pad and slide into the firewall. the fix is to remove the dash and insolate thoise damb clips. There is a TSIB for this one. We have talked to Lexus several tims to improve this design over and over. The ES has kinda the same noise. 3- The noises comming from the head liner mostly down the right side of the moonroof. There are cables and a curtin airbag that make a ticking sound over rough roads, There is a TSIB for this aswell. Hope this helps, Let me know if anyone needs the TSIB#'s. I will be glad to supply them.

Fastenator

EvenCylinder,
I would love to have those TSB's as I couldn't find them on Alldata. My Lexus dealer always looks at me like I don't know what I am talking about and those TSB's would be helpful at the next visit. I have all three of those problems you mentioned plus the indecisive transmission, the clunking from the rear during deceleration, and the finicky power rear hatch.

Also, does your cruise control 'remember' the preset after you slow down to something like a toll booth? Mine doesn't and I have to reset the cruise. My '01 RX did the same thing but I never investigated.

thanks.

tarheelrx

I would also like those TSB numbers if anyone has them -- the center dash rattle is extremely annoying. I did the ECM update for the tranny and noticed a marked improvement...

johnnieliu

Can you provide me the TSIB# for the above. A PDF of the TSIB would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
JL

johnnieliu

From www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov, the TSIB # for the "RATTLE NOISES COMING FROM THE CENTER OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AT THE BASE OF THE WINDSHIELD." is NV00603 .

How can I get a PDF of TSIB NV00603? I'm starting to notice the rattle myself. Removing the dash is pretty intensive to fix a rattle, I'm affraid that I might trade one problem for another if I have the dealer apply this TSIB. Any workaround beside turning up the radio?

JL

rxdriver

I've found 4 TSIB's related to noises and rattles.
I got the information from http://techinfo.lexus.com. The site costs $10 to access for one calendar day (until midnight Pacific Time on the day you sign up), or $50 for a month. I'll describe the TSIB's, but I'll honor their copyright policy and refrain from posting the actual PDF files. IMHO, it's well worth the $10 to browse the service manual and to access the TSIB's. Everything is in PDF format. There's only one drawback - they've cut the manual into a million pieces. You can access and download specific pages, but getting the whole manual would take forever. So, it's great if you have a specific need, but don't expect to get entire books dirt cheap.

NV006-03 is for an "Instrument Panel Rattle", coming from the top of the dash in the center and near the windshield. The root cause is the clips used to hold the defroster system in place, and it involves pulling apart the dash to add some felt padding to the clips. HOWEVER, this TSIB only applies to serial numbers (the last 6 digits of the VIN) below 2405 for 2WD and 4900 for 4WD models made in Japan. The factory should have already applied the solution to cars made beyond that point. Judging by the pictures, the rattle would be coming from right around the defroster vents. If your rattle doesn't sound like it's that close to the firewall / windshield, this might not be the problem.

NV009-03 is for "Moonroof and Headliner Rattles". This TSIB covers rattles coming from three different areas in the headliner - along the passenger (right) side of the moonroof, directly behind the moonroof, and near the rear door. There are various cables running around in there that can be secured better to stop the noises. This TSIB appiles to all '04 RX330's; there isn't a serial number range on it.

NV010-03 is for a "Multi-Panel Moonroof Rattle". I heard from my dealer that Lexus was hesitant to produce the Multi-Panel Moonroof option until they fixed this one. The drive rail assembly has been re-designed and can be replaced. That's easier said than done; the labor time estimate is 4 hours. It applies to serial numbers below 16337 for 2WD and 31957 for 4WD models made in Japan.

NV012-03 covers a "Glove Box Rattle". I thought I was imagining this problem! If your glove box rattles, they can take it out and put some felt between the glove box assembly (the actual frame of the glove box) and the dash opening it fits into. Note this is not for any problems with the glove box door latching properly - this is the glove box unit as a whole meeting the dash. This TSIB applies to all '04 RX330's.

Felt seems to be the cure-all for every noise.

Note that none of these problems are considered worthy of recalls, so the dealer will not perform them for free unless the car is exhibiting the symptions described in the TSIB and you're complaining about it.

johnnieliu

Thanks Bro! However, the last 6 digits of my VIN are above 004900, but I still have the "Instrument Panel Rattle". The rattle I'm experiencing seems to be what is described above, but only occurs on bumpy roads. Any advise?

JL

Kimber

I am experiencing every single problem listed here. So far I have noticed ....

* shifting problems
* a rear end clunk
* whining noise from under the steering column
* rattles in the dash, tailgate, roof, glovebox, and driver's door
* It idles high
* got stuck in my garage-wouldn't go in reverse
* flapping noise from under the car and from the rear spoiler
* the engine hesitates when attempting to merge (very dangerous)
* ticking noise from the engine
* the engine vibrates and the whole vehicle rattles
* the cupholder will not hold drinks - the cups always fall out

This is absolutely the worst vehicle I have ever owned. I totally regret the purchase. I didn't think it could get any worse than my 2000 Grand Cherokee Limited. But it did! This is my first Lexus and I am so disappointed and angry. I have taken it to the dealership in Tampa where the guy rolled his eyes when I told him about the problems. They kept my car for 2 days and fixed nothing. They said everything was normal (except for the rear spoiler flapping).

This website has been extremely helpful. I have printed several pages to take to my dealer. The solutions from rxdriver are appreciated.

As previously stated, this is my first Lexus. It was purchased mainly because of the reputation for quality. I didn't get what I expected. Do other Lexus models have as many problems?

softhds1

My serial #is 9506 and the center of the dash rattles right below the windshield. Very annoying

JRB

Our RX has been problem free, except on my way to the dealer for the 5,000 mile service I noticed - just for the first few miles when the car was cold - the rattle, actually more of a creaking noise, coming from the front windshild area. I mentioned this to the service writer and they added some kind of an insulating material where the windshield meets the dash. I did not notice it anymore when driving home, but the car was pretty warmed up by then. Now, it's below zero here, and all cars exhibit rattles and strange noises when they are frozen, so to be fair I need to wait until it warms up a little to see whether the dealer's fix was permanent!

Kimber, sorry to hear of your many problems so far. Is it possible to try another dealer to see if they can do a little better? No auto manufacturers' cars are all perfect, but if you believe all of the surveys, vehicles made by Lexus have the fewest defects in the industry. Based on just our experience only, on a first-year model, I have no reason to doubt that Lexus makes quality vehicles. Too bad your experience is different - sometimes it's just luck of the draw. Hopefully with a little persistence you'll be able to get most of the more serious issues taken care of to your satisfaction.

rxdriver

I knew the serial number range on NV006-03 (the dash rattle) would be shocking, based on the number of complaints posted in this thread. That's why I made sure to call it out.
It looks like the documents get updated as things change... a couple of other TSIB's I downloaded that weren't very important had already been updated and flagged as such. (For example, they've updated a couple of TSIB's related to Special Service Tools.) So, it doesn't appear that Lexus has changed their opinion of this exact problem and what they believe to be the solution.

It's very possible that the dash rattle is being caused by something in the same area other than the defroster clips. If they ever figure out what it is, I'm sure we'll see a new TSIB or a revision to this one.

If you're having the problem despite owning a car made after # 4900 (that's probably everyone here), then I'd still bug the dealer about it. I guess I just wouldn't expect them to have a good solution to offer. As far as they've been told, the factory has changed the defroster clips since # 4900, so there's no sense in tearing apart the dash looking for that exact thing. The TSIB estimates it's a 2.6 hour job - that's a lot of time to spend if you don't know exactly what to fix while you're in there.

Kimber

For the rear end clunk, the dealer performed "ECM calibration campaign". What does this mean??
(Unfortunately it did not help)

Also, does anyone know what causes the whining noise? It usually happens when I let off the gas.

It seems I am having more problems than most people. Did I get a lemon? If so, any advice on what to do?