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I am contemplating a 2017 RX350 but, like many was put off by the noise and vibration complaints here and elsewhere. Talked to a local Lexus dealership and got a reply that the dealership had received a bulletin from Toyota concerning this issue. However, this dealership had only received a few complaints, and they've been told it's fixable. Also, they say that the issue was not on all of the Rx 350s, just certain lots.
I've asked if those affected vehicles can be traced to the lots by their VIS or other ID's. Waiting for the answer.
The key I guess is to find out whether it's fixable and which were affected.
I am contemplating a 2017 RX350 but, like many was put off by the noise and vibration complaints here and elsewhere. Talked to a local Lexus dealership and got a reply that the dealership had received a bulletin from Toyota concerning this issue. However, this dealership had only received a few complaints, and they've been told it's fixable. Also, they say that the issue was not on all of the Rx 350s, just certain lots.
I've asked if those affected vehicles can be traced to the lots by their VIS or other ID's. Waiting for the answer.
The key I guess is to find out whether it's fixable and which were affected.
Keep us posted.
Don’t listen to anything a dealer tells you - it’s all lies & half truths! Go drive the RX 350 yourself & listen. The noise is either there or not. If it’s there, move on. They have not fixed this issue yet.
Don’t listen to anything a dealer tells you - it’s all lies & half truths! Go drive the RX 350 yourself & listen. The noise is either there or not. If it’s there, move on. They have not fixed this issue yet.
The voice of reason! I just like it a lot and the only one with everything is 2.5 hours away. I drove it but didn't pay attention to the engine sound on a busy highway. Well at least the dealer acknowledged what seems to be the elephant in the room. But, having done my homework, I am not persuaded it's always fixable.
By the way, edmunds says the car has been on lot 143 days. Other 4th generation lexuses also don't seem to be selling fast.
The voice of reason! I just like it a lot and the only one with everything is 2.5 hours away. I drove it but didn't pay attention to the engine sound on a busy highway. Well at least the dealer acknowledged what seems to be the elephant in the room. But, having done my homework, I am not persuaded it's always fixable.
By the way, edmunds says the car has been on lot 143 days. Other 4th generation lexuses also don't seem to be selling fast.
So, I would suggest you take the spouse or significant other & do a road trip. The noises (if there are any present) will be at slower speeds at or around 1000-1800 RPMs. I noticed them when pulling up an incline. I have personally noticed the vibrational noises on 2016 RX 350s & a 2018 RX 350. If the dealer is serious about selling that unit, they will give you all the time you need to determine if that’s the car for you. Good luck!
So, I would suggest you take the spouse or significant other & do a road trip. The noises (if there are any present) will be at slower speeds at or around 1000-1800 RPMs. I noticed them when pulling up an incline. I have personally noticed the vibrational noises on 2016 RX 350s & a 2018 RX 350. If the dealer is serious about selling that unit, they will give you all the time you need to determine if that’s the car for you. Good luck!
the vibration at throttle tip in is what i ran into on a few test drives, the floor and wheel i could feel it, my wife also cound. off gas good, slight gas, vibration.
having being in the industry for 25 years as a mechanic and doing pdi inspections as well, i knew it wasn't an easy fix, since it also was not on all vehicles.
i was told i could not test drive a new one, then choose another if i didn't like the vibration. so i went rx450, had zero desire to gamble with a msrp over 61k on the rx350.
Not everyone hears, or not every one feels these issues, and it definitely isn't on every rx350, Try not to split hairs, looking for issues, many of these are great vehicles.
Thank you. I'll have to drive it again, the only one with panoramic moonroof and camera within 200 mi.
Do you think the affected vehicles can develop the noise/vibration problem later on, say past 20,000 miles?
Thank you. I'll have to drive it again, the only one with panoramic moonroof and camera within 200 mi.
Do you think the affected vehicles can develop the noise/vibration problem later on, say past 20,000 miles?
My 17 Rx350 had no problem until maybe 5k miles or so, when I get a very slight "droning" while lightly accelerating at low (1k?) rpms. If it doesn't get any worse, I'll ignore it.
Another interesting bit from the Lexus dealership. They say "vehicle has been affected by this situation , then it would be on that particular vehicles car fax". Possibly as a service to the underneath. Which, if true, is bad news for current owners of such vehicles and good news for the buyers.
Interesting thread. Thank you all for helping to settle my anxiety.
Just got my RX450h a month ago, coming from a CT200h. I am a very good hyper miler so I drive the slow and go a lot, just for the challenge of it.
My 450h seems to have the same drone that all of you have mentioned here. Not as pronounced as some of those videos, but I have been noticing it enough and this thread caught my eye. I had a chance to look under the car tonight to see what fixes may have been added to subdue the droning noise. Well, looks like after the CAT, there are two rubber isolation devices attached to either side of the pipe and to the frame on the side and top hangers. Looks like they used copper tubing
Wonder if this is the standard for a 2019?
Those are the rubber exhaust system hangers that are standard on the RXs. The anti-drone device is a pretty substantial weight that is attached to one side of the exhaust pipe after the catalytic converter.
Can you duplicate it in a video & share it here? I get some louder harmonics at those rpms in my 450h, but they are nowhere near annoying & they are completely different than the noises heard in some 350s.
I believe this is the first hybrid reported with this problem. The TSB that addresses this drone noise is for 2016 - 2018 RX350s, so it doesn't apply to your vehicle. Additionally I don't even know if your exhaust system is the same as the 350s. If it is, you might try the added weight fix that was first proposed by Walt in an earlier post. It was also pointed out in one of the posts that the designers wanted a little engine/exhaust noise on the 350 because it it added to the desirability for a certain class of buyers (young not old like me). I don't know if it is the same for the 450 or not. Have you consulted the dealer yet?
There is drone on the RX450h at around 1400 rpm. Just not as pronounced and audible as the RX350. I have gotten a few RX350 loaners and can easily hear the difference. Those that have the TSB applied have the drone significantly reduce and is slightly different than the RX45ph drone. My 2017 RX450h exhaust has the added weight on the side of the exhaust pipe. I posted a picture much earlier in the thread. Thus, the TSB does not apply to the hybrid model since the extra weight is present. Since the hybrid tends to be on battery more often, I do not find the drone as evident as the gas version.
Can you duplicate it in a video & share it here? I get some louder harmonics at those rpms in my 450h, but they are nowhere near annoying & they are completely different than the noises heard in some 350s.
I will attempt to do so. As lexnewbi mentioned, it is not near as noticeable as others.
I used to customize cars when I was much younger and one piece of tuning we did was the exhaust system. Tuned headers was a must so every cylinder explosion converged into the collector without conflicting with another cylinders explosion. Look at it like the zipper technique when merging into traffic and how that works, (or not
The droning noise is very faint but it brought back memories of countless hours removing the annoying harmonics of poor exhaust systems after you built/tuned an engine for performance.
Again, most of this may be my over sensitized ear. Thanks for letting me join in on the conversation.
btw, really love my RX. It has been on my list for a long time.
02-20-19, 12:43 PM
dealership input on noise and vibration
