I just purchased a 2011 Lexus RX 350 from local dealer and have less than 1000 miles on it. I have already taken it back 5 times for drive vibration that is most pronounced between 30-45 MPH. Dealer has not solved problem. It was delivered with excessive tire pressure in all tires at nearly 40 PSI. We checked teh recommended tire pressure and reduced to 33 PSI, even though it recommended 32 PSI. This unit has 19" Michelin tires.

Additionally, there is a bumpiness when driving over the road akin to riding a pick up truck. This is not the Lexus ride.

We suspect there is a suspension problem but dealer has not followed that idea. Tires were supposedly checked for defects but none were found. This is the worst riding Lexus or Toyota product I have ever driven and I have owned several Lexus and Toyota products. I was told a road balance check was done on tires but this still failed to fix the "wobbling vibration".

Has anyone had simlar vibration issues and if so, how was this resolved?

 

Lemon?.......

 

Usually tire vibration is at a higher speed. There is either a suspension problem or possibly a brake rotor issue. I'm thinking suspension.

 

i would take note how many times you bring the car back to the dealer in a year, if the issues persist you are well covered by the Lemon Law.

 

I would request to have the tech drive the car with you next time, so he experiences this.

 

it could be simple as pebble(s) or nail(s) on the tire that can cause slight vibration/noise. if that has been checked, it can also be defective tire(s). its not visible nor show up on standard or speed balancing. ask the dealer to swap out all four wheels from a loaner [make sure loaner vehicle is good] just to test the vibration problem. if it goes away, dealer should replace all four tires unless they can identify the exact defective tire. I have read and heard about the exact problem and most seems to have been the defective tire(s).

 

x2, sounds like a case of bad tires. Maybe a ripped belt on the inside of the tire...

The ride may be a little "harder" than usual for a Lexus, because you have 19's. Have you driven another RX with 19's to compare the ride?

 

l left out to comment on your ride experience. all new vehicles will require some "usage" before finding its ride quality. currently with 26k on ODO on OEM Bridgestone [lasting longer than anticipated], ride is so smooth and quiet that I have to make sure often that I have the correct 34psi [my magical psi on RX]. it use to be on little "choppy" side when new but things have settled and became little too soft for my taste.

 

Did try a loaner while mine was at dealer and it had exact same package and same Michelin tires and a smooth non-bumpy ride. Am scheduled for 5th visit back to dealer in my 1st month. They claim no tires or suspension problem, but when I took car to an independent tire company I've dealth with for many years, they also felt the same "shimmy/bumpiness" I described to the dealer.

 

We wondered if a rear strut could be causing the jerkiness/bumpy feel when going over normal road bumps. Dealer "claim" no strut problem but we still sense that may be the source.

 

My 2002 Rx300 also had high end Michelin and even with 100K+ miles, ran smooth, but that model year had 17" tires. I am worried this trend to 19" tires on Lexus has ruined the smooth ride the wives want.

 

All RX300's were 16" rims from the factory.

 

TO RX350 New Owners: I have posted about the ride vibration issues and all the problems getting the problem fixed. The local dealer finally escalated this to the corporate service tech that visits dealers all over our region. Today, he spent a lot of time with the car and also drove it 25-30 miles in city trafffic. The short story: He had the dealer use their new road force wheel balance machine that was days old to test every tire/wheel against specs and tolerances for this car. He showed me the tech report, and he found two new Michelin tires were beyond "fixing" and he ordered two new ones installed under warranty.

I drove the car from the dealer and the "shimmy" seems to have been resolved. My comment here is that these new 19" tires are not perfect and they inherently ride a little rougher than first generation RX300. But if you are experiening a rough ride, demand the dealer have the Lexus rep check your tires using this new Road Force Balancing machine. A regular tire balancing machine cannot detect these problems. Tires can only have so much "balance weights" added and when that fails, you have a bad tire. Lexus has made a good professional attempt to resolve this vibration problem.

In conclusion, the rep rode another new RX 350 and he stated it also had exact same ride. That told me there are lots of tire issues to beware of. I can only comment on the Michelin. Dunlop or others may ride smoother. If you are getting a shimmy in the ride, be persistent with your dealer. I'm sure they are as anxious as you are to fix the problem.

 

^ thanks a lot for such an informative post.. it's a good thing a lot of fellow Lexus owners come to the forum for answers!

 

After seeing a few of these threads, I'm hoping Michelin is investigating, and if necessary puts out a recall.