2006 Lexus IS Steering Problems

Power steering keeps going out and steering wheel making grinding noise. Almost crashed when lost steering on freeway. Car also makes noise while starting cold

NHTSA ID

11467583

Incident

Jan 15, 2021

THE PROBLEM IS A PREVIOUS TSB ON LEXUS'S WEBSITE CALLED 9LC SPECIAL SERVICE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING LINK ASSEMBLY. THE STEERING IS VERY UNSAFE WITH RANDOM WANDERING BETWEEN LANES AND IS VERY NOTCHY WITH RAPID MOVEMENT ONCE A CERTAIN ANGLE IS REACHED. IT HAS A DEAD ZONE OF ABOUT 20 DEGREES ON EACH SIDE AND EVERY IMPERFECTION IN THE ROAD CAUSES THE CAR TO WANDER BUT THE STEERING IS NOT GIVING ANY FEEDBACK TO INDICATE ITS WANDERING OUT OF THE LANE YOU JUST HAVE TO WATCH THE EDGES OF THE LANE AND CORRECT IT CONSTANTLY. 6 LEXUS DEALERSHIPS WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AND END UP COSTING BE 5000 +DOLLARS TRYING TO FIX THE PROBLEM REPLACING THE SUSPENSION, BALLJOINTS, LOWER CONTROL ARMS, RACK AND PINION + ECU, INNER/OUTTER TIE RODS AND AN INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT. NOTHING HAS RESOLVED THE PROBEM AND THEY CAN'T SEEM TO FIX IT OR DIAGNOSE IT. THEY JUST SAY TRADE IT FOR A NEWER ONE. THERE ARE MANY IS250/350 OWNERS BETWEEN 2006 AND 2009 THAT ARE AFFECTED BY THIS AND MANY HAVE HAD A SERIOUS ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS ESPECIALLY CAUSED BY LONG HWY RAMPS AND EXITS IN WHICH THE STEERING BINDS TO ONE SIDE AND YOU HAVE TO VIOLENTLY CORRECT IT OR IT WILL HIT THE CURB OR WANDER INTO ANOTHER LANE EXTREMELY UNSAFELY. THIS IS NOT A COMFORT ISSUE, IT IS PURELY A HIGH LEVEL SAFETY CONCERN AS THERE IS NO REMEDY AND LEXUS DEALERSHIPS AND CORPORATE REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE A PROBLEM AT ALL. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS. I THINK IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO OTHER DRIVERS. I DRIVE A HONDA ACCORD AND TOYOTA CAMRY AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS WITH EITHER OF THEM AND THEY HAVE OVER 220K MILES EACH. I HAVE VISITED 10 INDEPENDENT SHOPS AS WELL AND GOT 10 ALIGNMENTS FROM DEALERSHIPS TO PERFORMANCE SHOPS AND NO ONE IS ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHY THIS IS HAPPENING OR HOW TO FIX IT.

NHTSA ID

11407225

Incident

Jan 7, 2015

Mileage

136,000 mi

THE CONCERN I HAVE FOR MY LEXUS IS 250 IS THAT 3 MAJOR SAFETY RECALL REPAIRS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED BY THE DEALER. IT FEELS UNSAFE TO DRIVE TO DATE AS IT HAS ELECTRICAL ISSUES THAT HAVE CAUSED IT TO LOCK UP WHILE DRIVING. A PROBLEM WITH THE STABILITY CONTROL, STEERING AND ACCELERATION MOST NOTABLE IN THE RAIN. TODAY I LEARNED OF THE TAKATA INFLATOR RECALLS. I BELIEVE THIS MODEL SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN WHOLE FOR A SAFETY RECALL.

NHTSA ID

11377623

Incident

Dec 3, 2020

THE POWER STEERING STOPPED WORKING WHEN THE PARKED CAR WAS STARTED. WHEN WE TRIED TO DRIVE IT, IT WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO STEER.

NHTSA ID

11372839

Incident

Oct 25, 2020

Mileage

155,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING AND MY STEERING WHEEL POWER WENT IN AND OUT WITH NO WARNINGS & MY POWER STEERING FLUID IS FULL..I WAS TURNING AT THE END OF MY ROAD AND THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO CRASH BECAUSE OF IT..I CALLED MY HUSBAND TO COME GET THE CAR AND GET IT HOME , WE HAVEN'T DROVE IT SINCE.

NHTSA ID

11308025

Incident

Feb 8, 2020

Mileage

3 mi

MY 2006 LEXUS IS250 SUDDENLY LOST POWER STEERING ONE DAY, WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO DRIVE. RED P/S LIGHT SHOWED UP ON DASHBOARD, SO I HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK, TURN THE ENGINE OFF, AND TURN IT BACK ON TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE. HOWEVER, IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE THIS STOPPED WORKING. P/S LIGHT SOMETIMES ALSO TURNS ON WHILE I'M ON THE FREEWAY, AND I HAVE TO MAN-HANDLE THE STEERING WHEEL TO PULL OVER. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO MY MECHANIC, WHO REPLACED THE RACK AND PINION TWICE. THEN, I BROUGHT MY CAR TO DEALERSHIP TO REPLACE THE ECM. THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN REPAIRS BUT THE ISSUE WAS STILL NOT FIXED.

NHTSA ID

11246143

Incident

Aug 21, 2019

ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING LOCKED UP OUT OF THE BLUE WHILE DRIVING. VERY DANGEROUS. ALMOST SEEMED AS IF STEERING WAS FIGHTING TO TURN THE DIRECTION OPPOSITE OF THE DIRECTION I WAS TURNING.

NHTSA ID

10854914

Incident

Apr 10, 2016

Mileage

160,000 mi

EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED BY A COUPLE OF ISSUES LEXUS REFUSES TO FIX. I BOUGHT THIS CAR WITH 84K ON THE ODOMETER AND LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER THAT ALL THESE PROBLEMS ARISE. THE STEERING IS SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED ASAP. DRIVING ANYTHING OVER 50 MPH THE STEERING STARTS TO BECOME NOTCHY AT THE CENTER AND AT TIMES DIFFICULT TO KEEP IN A STRAIGHT LINE. THE STEERING WHEEL WHINES AS I TURN ALMOST AS IF SOMETHING IS ABOUT TO BREAK. LEXUS QUOTED ME $3000 TO REPLACE THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. I WOULD LOVE TO REPLACE IT BUT $3000 DOLLARS ON A PART THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE BROKEN ANYTIME SOON IS VERY DISAPPOINTING. THEN TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE THERE IS A KNOWN ENGINE LEAK. THE TIMING CHAIN COVER LEAKS OIL AND THE DEALER QUOTED ME $5000 DOLLARS TO FIX IT. THAT IS $8000 DOLLARS WORTH OF REPAIRS FOR TWO PROBLEMS THAT LEXUS NEEDS TO RECOGNIZE. THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE THE OTHER VERY COMMON PROBLEMS SUCH AS THE NAVIGATION SCREEN MELTING IN THE SUMMER TIME SO THAT IT IS INOPERABLE. NOW THE DASHBOARD BECOMES STICKY AND SHINY MAKING IT HARD TO SEE IN THE DAYTIME AND IT CHIPS SO EASILY. IM EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED DUE TO THE FACT THAT LEXUS USUALLY MAKES SOLID VEHICLES. MANY OTHER OWNERS ARE FACING THE SAME ISSUES AND THEY NEED TO BE RECOGNIZED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10680937

Incident

Dec 1, 2013

Mileage

85,000 mi