toyotaman7

There are over 100,000 4RX's on the road in US. Chances are not that many are either affected by this issue or customers notice this issue.

If the dealer is stating that there are no issues, then they should be able to put that in writing and take the car back if you notice the vibration during delivery inspection or for few miles after, as long as you agree in writing.

As a side note: Keep in mind this engine runs Atkinson Cycle under low load and Otto in higher loads. It seems that the transition between Atkinson and otto is not smooth in some cases. Not sure if Lexus can come up with a quick fix without affecting the certified 2016/17 Fuel Economy and emission ratings?????

s2000zr

Around my town, 90% rx350 owner are older women. They don't care if it roar, shake, vibrate, hesitate, gear hunt. They just happy to be in a LEXUS. My wife included, she still mad that I sold her new RX. She didn't care about the vibration, she said I am too picky and I read too much on here.

tdjacw

I just got a call from Lexus, the women is going to check to see if there is really a fix on the way. If not she asked what would you like lexus to do. I said buy back the car. she said ok they will start a lemon law case which makes me think if the car
isn't recognized as being defective they will probably deny the case. Any way she is supposed to call me back and
let me know if there really is a fix on the way. Stay tuned.......

tdjacw

Just got a follow up call from Lexus. I was told there are two TSB's being issued one almost immediately an the other
in a few weeks to address the Drone. Hopefully this will make a lot of people happy. I am supposed to get a call
from the service Manager as soon as theTSB is issued.

kolokmee

A few observations after 6 months of ownership. The RX (at least mine) is a tale of two cars. On cold starts, I liken it to a cranky adolescent that doesn't want to be woken up. It moans, trashes around, bucks and heaves if prodded too hard, and generally doesn't give a crap about how it behaves.

Nurse it along for the first 15 mins, and suddenly the edges fall away. It pats itself down, prims itself in the mirror and asks sweetly, "Where do you want to go today?". Drone becomes near non-existent, shifts are imperceptible, ride is smooth as befits a big Lexus.

I suspect the people most affected by the drone/vibration are those with short commutes before the engine and transmission warm up fully. To me, the drone is most apparent in conditions where other cars would be lugging and/or knocking prior to warming up. I'm no engineer, but it could very well be that the Lexus folks programmed the engine and tranny logic to combat this, but the end result is vibration elsewhere down the exhaust channel.

Equistat11

Excellent suggestion. A group coalition may even have more weight in the matter.

tdjacw

Dial 1 800 25 lexus. ask for Diane Haufman and complain.
I just got off the phone with her, she did say there is a TSB coming
real soon.

msh3l

My Japanese made 2017 RX is just 2 weeks old with 900Km in odo ( equals to 560 miles )

During the past 2 days I noticed some hesitation and minor vibrations in lower RPMs,
but today I warmed up the car for 3 minutes before moving for the first time in the morning
and it did wonders, no vibrations at all, ride quality improved by at least 100%

I don't know if it is the warming up effect or something else.

BTW I use only premium gas ( 95 oct ) & average outside temp these days around 60 degrees F.

tdjacw

I must have one of the bad ones. Very rough when cold but most the Drone occurrs when the car is fully
warm. it always happens when I let of the accelerator and then reapply gently. If I press hard enough it will
downshift and be ok. So basically Im forced to drive the car harder than I would like. Lets hope this TSB
will address everyones sanarios.

Equistat11

Thanks for the info. Will do.

Along the same lines, it may be useful to have the dealer's/ service managers or techs's names (& coordinates) -- those who have been helping, and eager to get the issue effectively rectified for several of the members who have already posted here on this bulletin board. Folks living in those same regions will then be in a better position to contact the appropriate parties and arrange for the necessary repairs to their vehicles to be made without the hassles/ runarounds systematically experienced around this issue.

I, too, will share that I have found two such gentlemen, a Lexus Service manager at Balise Lexus in MA - Paul Sowa, and a Technician in charge of troubleshooting issues at Hoffman Lexus in Hartford CT - Derek Sulliman, who are both eager to help. This attitude, regrettably no longer prevails at many Lexus dealership these days (I can speak from personal repeated experiences over the past 22 years).

I have tried to network all (these) interested parties to spread the word, and expand awareness about the fact that the problem does exist, afflicts many disappointed and frustrated Lexus owners/ drivers, and needs attention at the earliest.

Thank you all for posting your individual experiences. It helps!

lefty75

I'll believe there is a TSB when I see it.

KenwK

Just finished chatting Lexus via twitter and Lexus called Longo Lexus foreman to confirm this drone noise. At the end of the day, Longo Lexus said this is normal and no fix is needed.

Like lefty75 said "I'll believe there is a TSB when I see it"

Equistat11

When it comes to gauging the current problematic noise level in any of the 2017, or 2016RX350, the devil is in the details...

I have driven 7 RX 350 this past month alone, two 2016 and five 2017. I am finding that the noise(s) tend(s) to manifest on each and every one, yes, but at VERY "different decibel levels".

Indeed, there is a wide range, to be told, from the somewhat indistinguishable -- amidst the general background noise, to the very intrusive rumbling and shaking of the undercarriage that can be felt reverberating in the cabin. To boot, those sounds/ noises are very much amplified in rain or snow weather, as water makes things worse.

So, in this regard, the Lexus Factory Tech assessing the problem is not entirely wrong. The noise is rather obvious on all vehicles. Is that normal?!

Well.... not entirely. To be sure, s/he is also incorrect (inaccurate in findings?) since her/ his observation does not appear to be based on an absolute point of reference, or noise level, but rather originating from a problem that manifests loud and clear on a very wide decibel spectrum -- and with a great deal of variation from automobile to automobile.

In other word, each vehicle noise level reaches different thresholds. That in itself, is clearly abnormal -- and certainly points to a larger than normal sway in fabrication tolerances by any engineering standard. Lexus, or no Lexus.

From the looks of the survey posted earlier on this board, 30% of 2016 and 2017 RX350 current owners DO have a reasonable claim about those cars. What is astonishing, and apparently now has become quite a frustration generator, those claims stem from an obvious and well documented problem -- a problem that Lexus Field Techs has done no better than plain "denying tooth and nail" in face of the evidence, and in spite of the increasing number of RX owners' mounting uproar. One could easily speculate that the reason is, in all likelihood, because "their passionate engineers are so busy in their pursuit of perfection" that they have not yet had time to figure out a way of fixing this issue without a costly recall.

But this fact does not make the claim any more real or valid. And proceed forward all should, when faced by such affronting denial and obscene incompetence.

Best Wishes

tdjacw

. PLEASE READ


I actually started the Lemon law process. Diane Hoffman told me that the Lemon Law is in progress however
there are two TSB's regarding the drone. Her exact words were one will be released almost immediately and
the other will be in two weeks. So if the car is repaired to your satisfaction you do not have to proceed with the
lemon law. I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO CALL 1 800 25 LEXUS TO VERIFY THIS INFORMATION.
Ask for Diane Hoffman It will also look better if more people complain.

lefty75

Did you get anything in writing from Diane Hoffman?