Even more frustrating… You’ve done all you can. Pulling for this be resolved to your satisfaction.
GX550 Overtrail Vibration
- Thread starter connorville
- Start date
OK I have an update. Took mine in this morning for the vibration (or I would call it more of a shutter or shakiness or oversensitivity to the smaller road imperfections). The service department was very respectful and very willing to check out any issues. Said mine was only about the fifth OT they have even had in for service. The tech rode with me and of course it wasn't doing it as much as it sometimes does. I had it in comfort mode. Then we took a ride in a base model premium with around 7k miles on it. I immediately noticed the difference. The Premium was definitely smother. Still could feel all the road imperfections, but it wasn't so jarring. Felt more natural and like what you want to feel. So, I left it with them. He put the premium wheels on my rig and drove it. They sent me a video of them on there, I guess to prove to me they did it, and the tech stated that it didn't ride any differently. He also said that they got in a brand new OT today and he drove it, and he stated that it also rode the same as mine. His conclusion was basically that this is just how how this trim rides. So, I suppose this is a good thing that another dealer agrees/acknowledges that there is a less desirable ride feel. They said that they have reported it to corporate, and they encouraged me to call corporate too. I need to do that, but want to get the truck back first. Also, I asked about the brakes since mine have been squeaking when backing up. They told me point-blank that Lexus will be replacing ALL brakes (including pads, shims, rotors) on all GX 550's that experience the brake noises. It's not official, but I was told it will be released publicly at some point. I only have a smidge over 500 miles on this truck, and I don't really know what to do. Maybe the brake replacement would fix this like it did on Sroberts? But who knows how long would that take? Meeting with the sales team tomorrow to see what we can work out, but I am not sure I am willing to let them buy it back yet, or offer me some sort of trade or whatever they may be thinking. The only significant gripes I have with this truck are the severe lack of interior storage compartments, no 40-20-40 rear folding seat, and this ride feel issue. I don't have the service ticket yet, but if it has anything helpful on it, I can share it. I hope this can be helpful to others on here. If you have even a little bit of these symptoms, I would encourage you to take your truck in.
And mine rides fine. I really think there are some people who have expectations that this car won't meet, and some people who have an actual issue with the vehicle. Mine certainly doesn't seem to have any vibration issue, and the breaks don't squeak yet, so far so good. If you ride a bunch of these and they all do it then you have to wonder if this isn't the vehicle for you. Of course there is no fix to the back seats or the lack of interior space, but you must have known that when you purchased it and it wasn't a deal breaker for you at that point. So it comes down to whether the ride is too rough for you or not. My guess is it won't ever be the vehicle for you and I would probably get out of it while you can.
Looking at Mainelexus' post, I wonder if a little weight in the back compartment would help with the jounce from the suspension. But I think there is room to play around with the suspension settings too and use them for different road conditions. I will try to research those settings for a while and see what comes to mind.
What really needs to happen is for someone with the vibration getting together with someone who reports no vibration. That would be interesting…
It is indeed interesting that nobody has posted video of the vibration…. If it is vibrating on newly paved flat road, as some have said, then a simple glass of water half full will show the vibration rings.
Mine drives smooth as hell, tested for water rings with a glass of water on new paved flat road, and yep, no rings.
My other car is a body on frame, and my last car was body on frame.
My brother drives a unibody 2021 Audi Q7, and i had no thoughts in my head that my OT was gonna feel like his SUV.
With that said, there is clearly an issue. For somebody in this forum to have their brakes replaced and they are no longer experiencing their issue is testament to that. But I also believe some people are having some sort of placebo effect after reading this thread, or they’re not used to a body on frame ride
I agree with MichaelT.
My 550 has no issues whatsoever. If someone in San Diego has one that does, let’s compare both rigs and we can post video results. I too am surprised that no one has not posted a video of the brakes and vibration.
My 550 has no issues whatsoever. If someone in San Diego has one that does, let’s compare both rigs and we can post video results. I too am surprised that no one has not posted a video of the brakes and vibration.
I don't mean to call anyone out, but.. This is an open forum, at some point there may well be some people who enjoy stirring the pot. I think some of this stuff has to be taken with a grain of salt. Squealing breaks are easy to know if it happens or not. But when does a bumpy ride become an issue. I know I was hyper sensitive to it when I took mine for a test drive, and still when I drove it around town yesterday I kept searching for it. It seems like we have a few legitimate issues that get lumped together with people regretting their decsion to buy a new expensive vehicle without ever test driving it or looking at it. If the ride is that bad video it. Thankfully mine rides really great, and my fiance went on and on about how smooth it rides. The other thing I keep seeing that is kind of annoying are the people who keep mentioning it is a luxury vehicle and we should expect more. Land cruiser msrp up to $76k, Suburban msrp $81k, Grand cherokee L MSRP $71k. GX550 msrp starting at $63k. Yes you can make it more expensive but overtrail plus $76k. This isn't 5 years ago when $70k was huge. This is what vehicles cost. There off my soap box now.
Good points in the last several responses. As mentioned I drove another non-OT GX550, and it rode smoother. The tech said mine and another brand new OT rode the same, and says that is just how the OT's are gonna ride. But they have only seen 5 OTs come in for service. I did do the water test, but this issue is very subtle, so not sure a video would really help. It did reveal slightly more movement in the water than my 2010 4runner. Everybody in my family asked me why it is shaking so much. Even my 10 year old. Drove a 23 sequoia this morning. It doesn't shake like this. It was definitely not as smooth of a ride, but didn't shutter/shake. Calling Lexus corporate today to report it, and go from there. I do agree that there are people who have unrealistic expectations. And this is a forum, so lord knows who we all are and how particular we may be, etc. I am happy to publicly acknowledge on here that this is a pretty subtle feeling, and not the whole car shaking out of control. It actually makes me wonder if there are two different issues, because my back seats are definitely not shaking/vibrating. I hope that can help.
You mention in your test drive of the premium it was noticeably smoother. The premium is a non KDSS/AVS setup vs yours which is a standard shock. This is sounding like it could simply be the difference in how these two suspensions ride. Luxury+ also has AVS but no sway disconnect.
Could be, and the dealer just told me that they agree the ride of the OT's (that they have driven, which is only a handful) is not as good as the other trims. From my testing, it definitely does it more than a 23 TRD Pro Sequoia and a 2010 4runner, so, just because it is for offroad, doesn't mean it has to flutter or be way too sensitive to minor imperfections in the road surface. Service manager told me today that they think it should be addressed. I have a case manager at Corporate now who supposedly will be contacting me in the next few days. Will report back.
Interesting…. the people experiencing vibrations seem to feel them in different parts of the car. Earlier in this thread a different guy was stating his was shaking jarringly in the backseat, and he could visibly see the belt buckles dancing around….
For those claiming its the OT trim, I have an OT trim and mine feels smooth as hell to me, but my secondary is a body on frame and my last car was a body on frame, and my OT is way smoother and more refined than my other and last car.
Its nowhere near as refined as my brothers Q7 in handling imperfections in the road, but that is to be expected
Update on mine.
But first: To the people saying “you just don’t know what an off road vehicle rides like” you don’t understand what this vehicle is doing. I’ve owned 35+ vehicles. Sedans, jeeps, broncos, trucks, etc. I’ve been working on cars since I could talk. Something is wrong with this vehicle.
To summarize, I’m on my 2nd set of tires. 5th visit. Vehicle was at the dealer this week Tuesday - today (Friday).
Tech and I went for a ride, he said yep (again) it has a vibration. Back to dealer, we swapped out the demo’s wheels and tires (a premium+) and went for another ride. Vibration and bouncy-ness still there.
Brake squeal still there.
Per an earlier post, all brakes are being changed on all of these, but has not been announced yet. Dealer said I’m “on the list” but it’s most likely going to be months before the parts are in.
If this is actually the case (my dealer wouldn’t / couldn’t confirm to me) that the entire brake assemblies are being replaced, this tells me they are faulty. (I feel they are avoiding /delaying an official recall for as long as possible. It’s embarrassing to the auto manufacturers to have recalls this early.) If this is TRULY THE CASE - they are not going to replace entire brake assemblies because of SQUEAKING BRAKES. This tells me the brakes are grabbing / dragging.
This also would explain the “bumpiness” at slower speeds. If you’re pressing the gas and the brakes at the same time everything is going to be more pronounced.
So I say all of this to say…. “I don’t know.” Intuition and reasoning both tell me that this is a brake issue but could also be a KDSS / suspension issue.
I’m tired. And I’m not sure what I should do from here.
I think might also be a little hungry.
But first: To the people saying “you just don’t know what an off road vehicle rides like” you don’t understand what this vehicle is doing. I’ve owned 35+ vehicles. Sedans, jeeps, broncos, trucks, etc. I’ve been working on cars since I could talk. Something is wrong with this vehicle.
To summarize, I’m on my 2nd set of tires. 5th visit. Vehicle was at the dealer this week Tuesday - today (Friday).
Tech and I went for a ride, he said yep (again) it has a vibration. Back to dealer, we swapped out the demo’s wheels and tires (a premium+) and went for another ride. Vibration and bouncy-ness still there.
Brake squeal still there.
Per an earlier post, all brakes are being changed on all of these, but has not been announced yet. Dealer said I’m “on the list” but it’s most likely going to be months before the parts are in.
If this is actually the case (my dealer wouldn’t / couldn’t confirm to me) that the entire brake assemblies are being replaced, this tells me they are faulty. (I feel they are avoiding /delaying an official recall for as long as possible. It’s embarrassing to the auto manufacturers to have recalls this early.) If this is TRULY THE CASE - they are not going to replace entire brake assemblies because of SQUEAKING BRAKES. This tells me the brakes are grabbing / dragging.
This also would explain the “bumpiness” at slower speeds. If you’re pressing the gas and the brakes at the same time everything is going to be more pronounced.
So I say all of this to say…. “I don’t know.” Intuition and reasoning both tell me that this is a brake issue but could also be a KDSS / suspension issue.
I’m tired. And I’m not sure what I should do from here.
I think might also be a little hungry.
I tend to agree with you on potential causes.
I am also coming from a 21 Bronco and 12 4Runner on more aggressive AT tires than these special OEM Toyos. Mine is very smooth most of the time but intermittently feels like I am driving on a washboard road when on newly paved roads or a regular neighborhood road with minor imperfections.
I am glad for you if your GX isn’t experiencing this, but that doesn’t mean those of us who are, are making it up. And your GX will be worth more if Lexus ultimately stands behind the vehicle and takes care of all the new model issues.
Some people aren’t, some people are. If the earlier brake post was accurate and it is the brakes it may well be intermittent which of course makes it much harder to diagnose. Not sure why just the over-trails, maybe the kdss system is just a bit different causing problems. Guess we will find out before too long.
Excellent info here! This is sounding more like sticking caliper pistons. If either the bore or piston are faulty and not retracting could cause chatter which could easily be felt in the cabin as vibration. This makes more sense and falls inline with what we already know fixed “sroberts” vibration. All you “vibrators” need to press on this with your dealers. Share this thread with your tech…
Vib. In the rear vs front falls inline with one or both rear caliper pistons not retracting but fronts working normal. Intermittent vib. falls inline with pistons occasionally sticking but sometimes getting out of the way just enough to have no contact. Liking this the more I think about it. Couple more people getting the full meal deal brake replacement will help…
What? How many people left-foot brake? How often do you / they press the throttle and the brakes at the same time? I have no idea what you're claiming here.
That’s a good description - washboard road feeling.
I’m going to email the dealer and see if I can get an actual timeframe for the brake parts. A month or less I’m fine, but more than that I’m going to plan B.
