2024 GX 550 hood ripple at highway speed.

[Yrag57]

When I spoke with my Service Manager earlier this week, he told me they have all the parts to fix the flutter problem except for some special clips. Once those clips arrive they will schedule the fix. Every dealer is probably a little different in their preparedness on this.
I also tried another workaround on my 2024, suggested by another forum contributor in a similar thread. There are two hard rubber or plastic ribbed stops affixed to holes in the frame on each side under the front portion of the hood. They contact the hood when closed. If you unscrew them (counterclockwise) they get taller. Make certain to keep them even with each other. If you go too high, the hood won’t close. But turning mine to where the hood just takes a firm thump to close took the flutter out of the front half of the hood. It still flutters from midway back though and those front contact points are the only ones that are adjustable.
There are two rubber grommets at near halfway back, but they don’t adjust. I have contemplated placing some sticky pads (like those felt things for chair legs, etc.), but haven’t had time to experiment yet. I don’t want to do anything that might warp the hood. It’s a big wide hood that we already know is flimsy, so be careful with any mods you try. I just cannot help worrying about how long this beautiful black metal flake paint can last with all that movement. And although not noticeable below 60 mph, that doesn’t mean it’s not flexing to some extent at much slower speeds.
Get on it, Lexus. Folks should be on forums to learn the finer points or exchange ideas about their purchases, not to try troubleshooting issues that should have been caught by engineers before production. We’re talking either one or two mils thicker metal, a center crease for strength, or underside bracing. It ain’t rocket science. I can’t speak for anyone else on this forum, but I bought my Lexus because I’ve consecutively owned and driven five Toyota vehicles since 1988. I’m retired and love to travel. Spending so much time on the road, my bride and I thought we would travel a bit more luxuriously in a Lexus (and overall we’re very impressed), but a flopping hood is poor doings. That’s all I have to say about that…

 

[incognito.gx]

When I spoke with my Service Manager earlier this week, he told me they have all the parts to fix the flutter problem except for some special clips. Once those clips arrive they will schedule the fix. Every dealer is probably a little different in their preparedness on this.
I also tried another workaround on my 2024, suggested by another forum contributor in a similar thread. There are two hard rubber or plastic ribbed stops affixed to holes in the frame on each side under the front portion of the hood. They contact the hood when closed. If you unscrew them (counterclockwise) they get taller. Make certain to keep them even with each other. If you go too high, the hood won’t close. But turning mine to where the hood just takes a firm thump to close took the flutter out of the front half of the hood. It still flutters from midway back though and those front contact points are the only ones that are adjustable.
There are two rubber grommets at near halfway back, but they don’t adjust. I have contemplated placing some sticky pads (like those felt things for chair legs, etc.), but haven’t had time to experiment yet. I don’t want to do anything that might warp the hood. It’s a big wide hood that we already know is flimsy, so be careful with any mods you try. I just cannot help worrying about how long this beautiful black metal flake paint can last with all that movement. And although not noticeable below 60 mph, that doesn’t mean it’s not flexing to some extent at much slower speeds.
Get on it, Lexus. Folks should be on forums to learn the finer points or exchange ideas about their purchases, not to try troubleshooting issues that should have been caught by engineers before production. We’re talking either one or two mils thicker metal, a center crease for strength, or underside bracing. It ain’t rocket science. I can’t speak for anyone else on this forum, but I bought my Lexus because I’ve consecutively owned and driven five Toyota vehicles since 1988. I’m retired and love to travel. Spending so much time on the road, my bride and I thought we would travel a bit more luxuriously in a Lexus (and overall we’re very impressed), but a flopping hood is poor doings. That’s all I have to say about that…

Thought it had to do with the adhesive not bonding? Engineers likely wouldn’t have experienced these issues pre-production

 

[DJ’s Sled]

I added my 2 cents in another thread, but to summarize:
My OT VIN is past the stated TSB range. VA dealership actually inspected mine, then did the same with a new 2025 on their lot. The production line ‘fix’ was same on both. Nothing was de-bonded on mine. Mine still flutters, beginning by 35mph. Pretty ridiculous.

 

[BETN]

@RickBullotta - the service bulletin indicates a Production Change Effective VIN of JTJTBCDX#R5020717. So theoretically, yeah it was addressed starting with that VIN, and anything later doesn't qualify for this fix. However, whatever they did obviously didn't eliminate the issue entirely according to @wlfkfgkwlak. Unless some 2025s are in that VIN range, i'm not sure.


If your service manager doesn't know about the flutter fix, ask them to lookup bulletin L-SB-0013-25 by number, or show them the PDF I posted above. They may not have got the memo, but it is out there.

My VIN fits in that range. I haven’t noticed any hood flutter. I got mine at Thanksgiving and have 10k miles on it, tons of highway driving.

 

[BackRdRnr]

Hood flutter usually does not bother me however we passed an oncoming semi in a 70 MPH crosswind and I thought the hood would flip open. Most vehicles have open edges around the hood which allows air flow. The GX is sealed around the entire hood...........maybe too much pressure under the hood with no outlet. Maybe I can temp remove some of the weatherstrip and try that. But I do think I will have something done to secure improvement in the extreme conditions.

 

[rth_wrm]

I dropped my GX off yesterday morining for the fix. I'm fortunate to have a really great relationship the guys at my dealership. They had me already to go, but after hearing from the area parts and service manager (who just happened to be on site yesterday morning), they called and said they weren't so confident in the fix. It had been applied with some bad outcomes by a number of other dearlerships in the area, and they didn't want to take the chance on mine. I guess the sealant that is squirted in through all those voids with the intent of connecting the flimsy top expanse of the hood to the rigid under section may expand ever so slightly, which ends up not just bridging the gap between upper and lower, but actually pushing the top up from below. This can deform the top creating little peaks across the hood.

The bulletin itself identifies this potential problem, drawing specific attention to the care needed to dispense just the perfect little amount. But sounds like even when being quite careful, there's a risk of ending up with less flutter, but more static ripples and unevenness. They wanted to see it performed with no issues a few times before doing it to mine.

So, more waiting until I'm able to report back on how this does.

The little hack of backing those bumpers out a turn has seemed to reduce the intensity of the flutter in the meantime.

 

[nartmot]

I just picked up my Overtrail a couple of weeks ago, my VIN falls outside that TSB range with a production date of March 2025, but I still have hood flutter about the same as this video:

It is about the same as my 3rd Gen Tacoma, which a lot of people complained about that as well. However, it doesn't really bother me enough to do anything about it. I get it, though, its a new vehicle and you want everything to be perfect and you want a luxury vehicle to feel...luxurious.

I am personally more bothered by how short the OEM rock sliders are and how shitty the wireless charger is. Could they not spare a couple more inches of tubing to give the front of the rockers more protection? Why is it that I can buy an excellent wireless charger from AliExpress for about $10, but my $85K SUV can't reliably charge my phone?

 

[AtomicEric]

My 2024 is in for the hood fix now. Hope it works better and does not create a new problem to sort out. My shop has hardly worked on these so I've got my fingers crossed. I took some before photos for reference.