2007 Lexus IS Steering Problems

POWER STEERING STOPPED WORKING WHILE BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE IN A PARKING GARAGE IN TAMPA, FL. IT HAPPENED WITHOUT A SOUND AND WITHOUT WARNING, AND HASN'T WORKED EVER SINCE.

STEERING WHEEL IS HARD TO TURN WHILE DRIVING/ PARKING AND SOMETIMES FREEZES ON THE HIGHWAY IN A RUN AS IF SOMETHING IS HOLDING ON TO IT LIKE A MAGNET, AND YOU HAVE TO PULL ON IT REAL HARD TO GET IT BACK UNDER CONTROL . I THOUGHT MY CAR WAS THE ONLY CAR DOING IT BUT WHEN I WENT ON LEXUSFOURMS I'VE SEEN THAT THERE WAS MANY CAR WITH THE SAME ISSUE STATING THAT LEXUS RACK AND PINION IS FAULTY AND WILL CAUSE YOU TO CRASH IF YOUR NOT USED TO IT

WHILE DRIVING WITH MY 4 YEAR OLD IN THE CAR THE POWER STEERING JUST STOPPED WORKING AT 45 MPH. I WAS ABLE TO MANHANDLE THE STEERING TO A SAFE PLACE. HOWEVER, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN TRAGIC IF MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THIS CAR.

THERE'S A LOUD RUBBING SOUND WHEN I TURN MY WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT WHEN DRIVING MY CAR. I TOOK IT TO A SHOP THAT ONLY WORKS ON TOYOTA AND HONDA. THEY QUOTED ME $3000.00 TO FIX IT. I COULDN'T REEMEBER WHAT PART EXACTLY THEY WERE GOING TO FIX. I WAS MORE STUNNED THAN LISTENING AT THAT POINT. I CERTAINLY DID NOT WANT TO SPEND THE MONEY I DON'T HAVE TO GET THIS TAKEN CARE OF. BUT IT HAS BEEN PROGRESSIVELY GETTING WORSE. I WAS MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN ON A BUSY STREET, AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. I ALMOST SLAMMED INTO A CAR IN THE LANE NEXT TO ME. I HAD TO RESTART MY CAR AND APOLOGISE PROFUSELY TO THE DRIVER THAT I ALMOST WRECKED INTO. I CALLED THE DEALER AND ASKED IF THERE WAS A RECALL THEY KNEW OF WITH THE STEERING WHEEL. HE SAID THERE WASN'T. IT'S PRETTY DANGEROUS TO BE DRIVING THIS CAR. IT'S A SHAME TO ME THAT SUCH A LUXURIOUS BRAND NAME WOULD HAVE THIS HUGE PROBLEM WITH SOMETHING MAJOR LIKE STEERING, AND NOT HAVE ANY TYPE OF ANSWER AS TO WHY THIS ELECTRICAL STEERING IS HAVING THIS ISSUE. I DID GET COMFORT KNOWING THAT I'M NOT THE ONLY CUSTOMER UPSET AT LEXUS FOR THIS...

POWER STERRING STOPED WORKING

PUT CAR INTO DRIVE OUT OF PARKING SPACE AND STEERING WAS LOCKED. SHORTLY AFTER A FEW FEET THE STEERING WHEEL UNLOCKED THEN EXPERIENCED NOTICEABLE GRADUAL INCREASE IN STEERING EFFORT AT LOW SPEEDS WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL TO COMPLETE LEFT AND RIGHT TURNS ALONG WITH A RUBBING SOUND. NO WARNING OR SERVICE LIGHTS!? SSC-9-LC *TR

AS I JUST EXITED THE HIGHWAY AND PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT OF MY WORK, THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY FROZE. I WAS ABOUT TO PARK IN AN OPEN SPOT, SO THE SPEED OF THE CAR WAS VERY LOW. AS I WAS REVERSING INTO THE SPOT, THE STEERING WHEEL JAMMED AND WOULD NOT TURN. I TRIED SHUTTING DOWN AND RESTARTING MANY TIMES BUT THE WHEEL WAS STUCK, AND REQUIRED ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF POWER TO TURN EVER SO SLIGHTLY. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE LEXUS DEALER. THEY WERE ALSO UNABLE TO TURN, AND UPON THEIR REVIEW, THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS A LEAK IN TIMING COVER, WHICH ACCUMULATED OVER TIME AND WENT INTO THE HARNESS OF THE ECU AND BURNED THE ECU, WHICH IN-TURN JAMMED YOUR STEERING. THERE WAS NO PHYSICAL LEAKS ON THE BOTTOM, AND THE DEALER ALSO CONFIRMED THAT BUT SAID IT WAS AN INTERNAL LEAK, YOU WOULD NOT SEE IT ON THE FLOOR. THE CAR IS STILL AT THE SHOP AND ONLY AFTER REPLACING THE ECU THEY WILL CHECK FOR STEERING ASSEMBLY. THE EXPLANATION PROVIDED BY THEM IS NOT VERY ADEQUATE AND IF IT IS TRUE THEN THERE SEEMS TO BE A SERIOUS FLAW IN DESIGN THAT ANY UNSEEN LEAK FROM TIMING COVER COULD CAUSE YOUR STEERING TO FREEZE UNEXPECTEDLY, WHILE YOUR VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. *TR

VEHICLE OWNER OBSERVED NOISE THAT APPEARED TO BE COMING FROM THE STEERING ASSEMBLY. AT LOW SPEEDS SUCH AS BACKING UP, WITH LARGE STEERING MOTION, NOISE IS MOST PRONOUNCED. WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE, AT ANY SPEED, VEHICLE TENDS TO "SKIP" AND "JUMP" TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT, AS IF STEERING BECOMES LOOSE AND JERKS ONE DIRECTION OR THE OTHER. NOISE AND MOTION HAS BEEN GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE SINCE THE INCIDENT DATE. ON OR ABOUT 2/18/13, OWNER BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP FOR DIAGNOSIS. THAT SHOP CONFIRMED THE NOISE, BUT STATED IT NEEDED TO BE BROUGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP. OWNER BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP ON 2/22/13. DEALER STATED THAT THE ELECTRONIC STEERING ASSEMBLY HAS FAILED, NEED TO REPLACE THE RACK AND STEERING SERVOMOTORS WHICH COMES AS ONE PART, BEING LE44200-53151 ELECTRIC LINK ASSEMBLY. THIS IS A PART THAT IS SEALED AND COULD NOT BE MAINTAINED BY EITHER THE OWNER OR ANY REPAIR SHOP. COST TO REPLACE THE ASSEMBLY IS $4472.17 INCLUDING LABOR, MATERIALS AND TAX. OWNER BELIEVES THIS IS AN EXORBITANT AMOUNT, AND REPRESENTS ABOUT 20 - 25% OF THE VEHICLE VALUE. THE FAILURE OF THIS PART IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT, THE VEHICLE OWNER SHOULD BEAR NO RESPONSIBILITY TO REPLACE THIS PART. OWNER HAS BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL IN GETTING THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP OR MANUFACTURER TO PROVIDE RELIEF TO THE OWNER TO MAKE THE NECESSARY REPAIRS. OTHER THAN POSSIBLY THE BRAKES, STEERING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FUNCTION OF A VEHICLE, IT SHOULD REMAIN FUNCTIONAL FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR. INTERNET SEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT OTHER LEXUS VEHICLES OF THIS VINTAGE HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR PROBLEMS, DEALERSHIP CLAIMS THERE ARE NO RECALLS FOR MY SPECIFIC VEHICLE. IT APPEARS THAT A FAULTY PART HAS BEEN INSTALLED IN THIS VEHICLE, DEALERSHIP AND MANUFACTURER NEED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS. THIS ISSUE COULD RESULT IN TOTAL STEERING LOSS, WHICH IS AN EXTREME SAFETY ISSUE. *TR