lexus gx550 premium driver door rattle/cabin noise

[rrk]

Exactly what I’m dealing with. It’s either coming from the flimsy door or the B pillar, right by my left ear. Please let me know what the dealer can do for you.

I brought it up at my 5K service and they said they were able to replicate the noise and they put insulation tape in the b-pillar area. they said it doesnt make the noise anymore, but soon after i left the dealership it made the metallic clicking noise. I brought it back at my 10k service and they said they were unable to replicate the noise. which is frustrating because i can hear it everytime I drive, especially in colder temperatures. They said they had multiple technicans, service advisors, and managers drive the car and they couldn't hear it, but as soon as I picked up my car I could hear it lol. Im bringing the car back next Monday to go on a drive with a technician because they wont even touch ur car if they cant replicate the noise.

 

[SALVATION:H20]

I brought it up at my 5K service and they said they were able to replicate the noise and they put insulation tape in the b-pillar area. they said it doesnt make the noise anymore, but soon after i left the dealership it made the metallic clicking noise. I brought it back at my 10k service and they said they were unable to replicate the noise. which is frustrating because i can hear it everytime I drive, especially in colder temperatures. They said they had multiple technicans, service advisors, and managers drive the car and they couldn't hear it, but as soon as I picked up my car I could hear it lol. Im bringing the car back next Monday to go on a drive with a technician because they wont even touch ur car if they cant replicate the noise.

just started hearing the same exact noise today on 2024 Overtrail+ ... definitely annoying and more annoying that will now have to bring it in.

 

[ToyCruiser]

FYI, mine was rattling too. Took it into my dealership and they found that the dealership I purchased the car from broke a few clips when doing the window tint! Replacement of all of the OEM clips fixed it. I suspect that all 3 other doors have the same but no rattles.

 

[SWFL 94]

I have a metal rattle sound in the pillar of the rear door. it did not rattle all the time. I recorded the sound with my phone. I had a very good technician that figured out the problem. apparently Lexus uses liquid welds in some areas along with real welds. My liquid weld failed causing the rattle. I waited months for a Lexus field engineer to fly down and look at the car. He gave approval to repair the car and it has been in the shop for 3 weeks now. I am glad they are fixing it but I have serious concern. What happens when the rest of the welds fail.

Did the fix work or are you still seeing the same issue?

 

[SWFL 94]

Jumping in here with my own issue.. ‘24 GX 550 Premium bought July of ‘24. Had an issue similar to others late last year (brakes squealing in reverse - replaced/fixed) and had a rock chip my windshield in May (replaced/fixed) but no other issues until a few a few weeks after the windshield replacement I noticed a metal ticking noise when going over rough surfaces.

Fiancé and I tried our best to locate where it was coming from and landed on the passenger C pillar, towards the top of the roof. Of course, it’s hard to pin point given how the sound travels. I brought into Lexus (Naples FL) when going in for normal service and they couldn’t replicate, so I went back down, drove with a tech, and replicated the noise in 2 seconds. He agreed C Pillar passenger side, I drop off and leave in my loaner, get a call a few days later to pick up.. they told me it was diagnosed as the license plate not being perfectly straight and making contact with the back hatch when going over rough roads. They said when driving it w/o plate on the noise went away. Their fix was to apply adhesive to the back of the plate to act as a buffer. I leave thinking I’m an idiot and this was a waste of their time… I’m no more than 5 minutes on my drive home and I hear the noise. Get home, take the plate off, drive in my community and noise is still there. Here’s the kicker, the adhesive they applied was blue, so when washing the car a few days later, between the FL heat and the water, the adhesive color ran down the back hatch - thankfully caught immediately and rinsed to avoid a disaster, but what a shallow train of thought by their techs….

I have a friend of a friend in Service at other Lexus dealer and am going to try there hopefully with better luck.

I gather from here that it may be the faulty door latch mechanism, liquid welds being faulty, or a larger issue with the door clearance..? Any updates from others who’ve successfully had this addressed would be greatly appreciated. My minor OCD goes off when I hear this ticking noise and it drives me insane.

 

[NWorker]

Jumping in here with my own issue.. ‘24 GX 550 Premium bought July of ‘24. Had an issue similar to others late last year (brakes squealing in reverse - replaced/fixed) and had a rock chip my windshield in May (replaced/fixed) but no other issues until a few a few weeks after the windshield replacement I noticed a metal ticking noise when going over rough surfaces.

Fiancé and I tried our best to locate where it was coming from and landed on the passenger C pillar, towards the top of the roof. Of course, it’s hard to pin point given how the sound travels. I brought into Lexus (Naples FL) when going in for normal service and they couldn’t replicate, so I went back down, drove with a tech, and replicated the noise in 2 seconds. He agreed C Pillar passenger side, I drop off and leave in my loaner, get a call a few days later to pick up.. they told me it was diagnosed as the license plate not being perfectly straight and making contact with the back hatch when going over rough roads. They said when driving it w/o plate on the noise went away. Their fix was to apply adhesive to the back of the plate to act as a buffer. I leave thinking I’m an idiot and this was a waste of their time… I’m no more than 5 minutes on my drive home and I hear the noise. Get home, take the plate off, drive in my community and noise is still there. Here’s the kicker, the adhesive they applied was blue, so when washing the car a few days later, between the FL heat and the water, the adhesive color ran down the back hatch - thankfully caught immediately and rinsed to avoid a disaster, but what a shallow train of thought by their techs….

I have a friend of a friend in Service at other Lexus dealer and am going to try there hopefully with better luck.

I gather from here that it may be the faulty door latch mechanism, liquid welds being faulty, or a larger issue with the door clearance..? Any updates from others who’ve successfully had this addressed would be greatly appreciated. My minor OCD goes off when I hear this ticking noise and it drives me insane.

I just got my 24 GX PP back from being fixed a couple weeks ago for this same ticking noise. My dealership has fixed two GX's now including mine. I would think there would be a bulletin by now on this issue. The issue is spot welds that have come loose from the factory in the c-pillar where several pieces of metal come together. My dealership found 3 loose weld spots in my GX. They had to take head liner out to fix. I have heard some dealerships using using silicone instead by my dealership fixed the welds. Here are some pics taken by another that had a similar issue and fixed with some sort of silicone. Also included description of my work order. They fixed the issue. My GX is completely quiet now and I love it. That tick drove me crazy. Show your dealership this information. I also made a recording of the noise and shared with my dealership. lol

 

[NWorker]

I just got my 24 GX PP back from being fixed a couple weeks ago for this same ticking noise. My dealership has fixed two GX's now including mine. I would think there would be a bulletin by now on this issue. The issue is spot welds that have come loose from the factory in the c-pillar where several pieces of metal come together. My dealership found 3 loose weld spots in my GX. They had to take head liner out to fix. I have heard some dealerships using using silicone instead by my dealership fixed the welds. Here are some pics taken by another that had a similar issue and fixed with some sort of silicone. Also included description of my work order. They fixed the issue. My GX is completely quiet now and I love it. That tick drove me crazy. Show your dealership this information. I also made a recording of the noise and shared with my dealership. lol

Forgot to mention this issue is heat related. My ticket only occurred when it was extremely cold or very warm. I would leave for work and not hear a thing, then drive home for lunch after it sat out in the sun and it would tick all the way home. I told dealership to keep it in the sun until they drive it. Luckily they heard it fine.

 

[SWFL 94]

I just got my 24 GX PP back from being fixed a couple weeks ago for this same ticking noise. My dealership has fixed two GX's now including mine. I would think there would be a bulletin by now on this issue. The issue is spot welds that have come loose from the factory in the c-pillar where several pieces of metal come together. My dealership found 3 loose weld spots in my GX. They had to take head liner out to fix. I have heard some dealerships using using silicone instead by my dealership fixed the welds. Here are some pics taken by another that had a similar issue and fixed with some sort of silicone. Also included description of my work order. They fixed the issue. My GX is completely quiet now and I love it. That tick drove me crazy. Show your dealership this information. I also made a recording of the noise and shared with my dealership. lol

A sincerely huge “thank you” for this. Sounds exactly like what I’m experiencing. I will share this with my new service advisor. And, to your second comment, same here - FL doesn’t get cold per say, but on cooler days I wouldn’t notice it, but on scorching hot days (like today) it was very noticeable. Again, thank you. Will report back what is found…

 

[NWorker]

A sincerely huge “thank you” for this. Sounds exactly like what I’m experiencing. I will share this with my new service advisor. And, to your second comment, same here - FL doesn’t get cold per say, but on cooler days I wouldn’t notice it, but on scorching hot days (like today) it was very noticeable. Again, thank you. Will report back what is found…

Its a bit concerning this is an issue at all. I don't know if this issue is only certain trims or only 2024s but is kind of a big issue with welds not holding. I made sure they heard it so they know. I also printed out these pictures and even took a recording. Tried to unload my recording here but its too large. I definitely enjoy my GX more now.

Here is another pic of the area I found on another thread.

 

[SWFL 94]

Its a bit concerning this is an issue at all. I don't know if this issue is only certain trims or only 2024s but is kind of a big issue with welds not holding. I made sure they heard it so they know. I also printed out these pictures and even took a recording. Tried to unload my recording here but its too large. I definitely enjoy my GX more now.

Here is another pic of the area I found on another thread.

Unfortunately these little annoyances are either common across cars or I have terrible luck. 2020 BMW M340 I leased had a similar ticking noise which was heat related but it came from the sun roof area - took the dealer 3x to address. Had a Tesla M3 before the GX and that was the worst built car I’ve ever owned - rattles / noises galore after 6-12 months of ownership.

The GX build quality seems sturdy to me overall, and I try to remind myself I chose to buy a car that was totally redesigned, so some issues are expected. Only other annoyance I have is a creaky center console cover - when my elbow rests on it, there’s a noticeable noise from the weight. Dealer said all are like this. I don’t see how and plan to push the agenda forward… but OTHERWISE it’s a great SUV I plan to own for at least 5-7 years.

 

[3rdCoastGX]

Unfortunately these little annoyances are either common across cars or I have terrible luck. 2020 BMW M340 I leased had a similar ticking noise which was heat related but it came from the sun roof area - took the dealer 3x to address. Had a Tesla M3 before the GX and that was the worst built car I’ve ever owned - rattles / noises galore after 6-12 months of ownership.

The GX build quality seems sturdy to me overall, and I try to remind myself I chose to buy a car that was totally redesigned, so some issues are expected. Only other annoyance I have is a creaky center console cover - when my elbow rests on it, there’s a noticeable noise from the weight. Dealer said all are like this. I don’t see how and plan to push the agenda forward… but OTHERWISE it’s a great SUV I plan to own for at least 5-7 years.

So, we both share the C-pillar issue AND the center armrest squeek. Glad to hear your C-pillar was fixed like mine was. They told me they couldn't replace the armrest, but rather had to replace the entire center console / coldbox... It's on order.

 

[NWorker]

So, we both share the C-pillar issue AND the center armrest squeek. Glad to hear your C-pillar was fixed like mine was. They told me they couldn't replace the armrest, but rather had to replace the entire center console / coldbox... It's on order.

I haven't noticed the armrest issue yet. Hopefully I won't. I had the break and C-pillar issue and glad that is behind me. Now I'm wanting to get my windshield protected. We just broke our RX 350 windshield and there is a back order for those as well. They put in an after market windshield but its not the same. Tons of glare where you can see the whole dash on the window and there are ripples on each side. Luckily they are ordering us an OEM but we are waiting. I don't want the same issue with my GX.

 

[vraa]

Wow nice find, I have the exact same problem, just sent it to my sales lady to start the scheduling process

 

[SWFL 94]

Update - I passed the intel from @NWorker to the Service Mgr when dropping off and within 2 hours I got a call saying the tech was able to identify the issue to be the same thing. Service Mgr said they had to contact Lexus (Corporate?) who provided guidance on what was needed to fix but it appears the fix is identical to what @NWorker provided. I asked them to proactively check the drivers side C Pillar to ensure no issues while they have the headliner dropped, which they seem happy to do.

I also asked them to look at the ‘squeaky’ center console and replace under warranty if they found the same thing - I should hear back on that before end of week. First dealer said ‘all are like this’ which I’m gathering is BS.

More to come…

 

[NWorker]

Update - I passed the intel from @NWorker to the Service Mgr when dropping off and within 2 hours I got a call saying the tech was able to identify the issue to be the same thing. Service Mgr said they had to contact Lexus (Corporate?) who provided guidance on what was needed to fix but it appears the fix is identical to what @NWorker provided. I asked them to proactively check the drivers side C Pillar to ensure no issues while they have the headliner dropped, which they seem happy to do.

I also asked them to look at the ‘squeaky’ center console and replace under warranty if they found the same thing - I should hear back on that before end of week. First dealer said ‘all are like this’ which I’m gathering is BS.

More to come…

Nice. Glad it’s getting fixed. I wonder if corporate monitors things like this and makes changes at the factory to prevent these welds from breaking on newer vehicles.

 

[3rdCoastGX]

Nice. Glad it’s getting fixed. I wonder if corporate monitors things like this and makes changes at the factory to prevent these welds from breaking on newer vehicles.

I sure hope so (and can't imagine why they wouldn't) - currently waiting on my 2025 "replacement".

 

[SWFL 94]

Fina update - picked it up today and the C Pillar noise was fixed. It was exactly what @NWorker mentioned. They also replaced the center console armrest and it no longer creaks! All covered under manufacturers warranty. Attaching the service notes for any others who might need.

 

[NWorker]

Fina update - picked it up today and the C Pillar noise was fixed. It was exactly what @NWorker mentioned. They also replaced the center console armrest and it no longer creaks! All covered under manufacturers warranty. Attaching the service notes for any others who might need.

I haven’t experienced the arm rest issue yet. Glad they took care of everything.

 

[NWorker]

Hi all! I got linked to this thread because it sounds like I might be having the exact same rattling issue, with intermittent rattling coming from somewhere up high on the passenger side. I'll be THRILLED if this is the fix and the dealership can take care of it.

Does this sound like the noise ya'll were/are experiencing? (heard at 0:25, 1:10 and 1:30 in this video):

Sounds similar. Mine was louder when the sunroof cover was open. Here is what mine sounded like.

 

[SFLGX]

Just to chime in, I had a rattle somewhere in the rear, it was the bottle jack not being fully secured. I could still tighten it by hand, so I did that until it stopped and then used some pliers to do a 1/4 turn more and sound gone.