Bocatrip

Although I own a 2001 LS430 with 100K my search to dis able the tilt away has brought me to this thread. With regards to the tilt away wearing away at the motor mechanism, let me say this. I wan't mine disabled for that very reason. I'm sure that the previous owner has had this feature going for almost the last 10 years. The motor is making creaking noises going up and down that sound like "Tales from the Crypt". There is no question in my mind this feature is going to quit. EVERYTHING EVENTUALLY BREAKS! Besides, I have no use for this feature. I'm also annoyed at having to pay even $65 to get it disabled, but it beats having to fix it when it dies.

Freds430

I am 6:4 with long legs and I wanted the steering wheel not to adjust because when I would turn the ignition off the steering wheel would retract in but also that would bring it down to low to get out comfortably. The dealer made the adjustment (2 minutes) for free. $65 is ridiculous. The Lexus dealer in Virginia Beach wanted to charge me $85 to put in a new navigation disk that took me 30 seconds.

azrick

A friend with an LS commented that he had problems with the motor(s) on his and it was an expensive repair. Recommended turning it off. Last night when I drove my '02 the wheel failed to move to the driving position for a couple of minutes. The rest of the evening it stayed in the driving position and failed to retract. My fear is it will retract and stay up - I'm ok with it staying in the driving position. Hence my search on this topic to see if I could turn off the feature.

mandyfig

I guess it will be $65 then. Good luck. But valid point on minimizing movement, less wear and tear.

rodhharris

I just purchased a 2008 ES350 with this feature and am having it disabled. This is my fourth Lexus. My first, which was a 2000 LS, began being intermittent. It was much simpler to turn the tilt-a-way feature off then have it malfunction. I have had the feature turned off on all of them. If you buy a newish Lexus, it would probably be fine, but when you prefer to spend your limited resources on other things than newish Lexus automobiles, it is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to marginally useful features. I don't know this, but I suspect the power adjustment feature will last longer than the rest of the car if the tilt-away feature is disabled. (Maybe I am wrong and the power adjustability is enhanced by having the motors used at least two times every time the car is started. I would welcome any input on that). I find it to be absolutely no trouble to slide into the seat with the steering wheel where I last left it. Now if I were a race car driver where the steering wheel must be removed in order to get into the seat, a tilt-away feature would be wonderful!

maarp

That feature never fails to bring me joy and amusement. I'm quite happy to leave it on.