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

- Port Orchard , WA, USA

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.

- Gaithersburg, MD, USA

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.

- Quakertown, PA, USA

The power steering stopped working when the parked car was started. When we tried to drive it, it was extremely hard to steer.

- Midlothian, TX, USA

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.

- Fitchburg, MA, USA

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.

- Draper, UT, USA

The car was driving normally all day on main roads around town until the steering wheel started to feel kind of loose. Than the steering wheel began making a whining noise while turning and sometimes lose the center position and drag one way or the other. It seems like the power steering wants to give up but it catches itself. Braking seems fine and driving at low speeds seems okay until I get up to 30-40 mph. I believe this has to do with the power steering since in this Lexus model it is electric power steering. Feels very unsafe to drive, I'm worried it will loose power steering at a turn and cause an accident.

- Falmout, MA, USA

Power steering failing to assist extremely heavy to turn hard to drive causes delayed response in ability to steer car happened during driving city streets also on free way no real improvement been recalled on other Lexus models but not this one this is a safety issue.

- Sandiego, CA, USA

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.

- Cypress, CA, USA

There have been multiple accidents due to the electric P/S failing, including a near miss when my frail wife lost the assist. In my search for the cause, I have found that Lexus is replacing the entire steering rack as the "fix". Lexus is simply installing a replacement steering rack that has the same manufacturing defect as the original steering rack, costing some owners $1000 plus. After a few years, the replacement power steering rack will fail, just as the original did. When I purchased my Lexus, it was already 10 years old. That caused me to decide to find the cause of the P/S failure and repair it myself, if at all possible. Each time there was a failure of the P/S assist, I found that if I shut the power off and restarted the engine the problem would be gone. However, it was just a temporary fix. The more often the problem recurred, the interval between failures was less. I found that one particular electrical connector on the P/S rack has 4 very small pins in it. In fact, they are too small for the female part of the fitting. The mating of the 2 parts of the connector should have a snug fit. They don't! without a snug connection, oxidation occurs. That prevents the current from going through the connector as well as it should. Cleaning the connection will temporarily allow the P/S rack to function properly, but only until the oxidation recurs. De-mating and re-mating the connector will have the same effect. That will only work for a short period of time, eventually causing multiple failures in a single day. My repair was to snug up the 4 fittings by inserting a small strand of copper wire in each of the four female connections. It has now been 3.5 months without a failure. Lexus should modify the faulty parts and initiate a recall before someone is killed!

- Lompoc, CA, USA

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.

- Gaithersburg , MD, USA

The Lexus 2006 IS350 has electric power steering problems. The problem caused by defected ECU component. I brought it to Lexus car dealer and they requested $500 just to look at it. It's too expensive. This car company is irresponsible. Don't buy Lexus car!!!! they can't make Lexus steering reliable. Request: Lexus must fix this issue.

- San Jose, CA, USA

The electrical power steering failed. It's hard to make turn. Diagnositics indicate failure due to faulty electrical components. Asked Lexus dealer fix but refused.

- San Jose, CA, USA

When I left my home for work, I of course used my door handle to pull the door shut. I didn't realize that my hand transferred the residue to the wheel. When I made my left turn, I expected my wheel to glide through my hand, as it normally does, when coming out of the corner. Instead, as the wheel slid through my hand it caught the sticky patch and kept my car in a left turn. There was a car immediately next to me but slightly behind me(both lanes make a left) and as I crossed into his lane (completely cutting him off) he slammed on the brakes and hit his horn.

- Oxford, MS, USA

Had ssc 9lc (electric power steering link assembly replacement) performed and the steering feel has been adversely affected, where the on-center steering feel at freeway speeds is vague. Furthermore, when turning the wheel on gradual turns, I feel a non-linear resistance moving from the on-center position to one side or the other. The sensation makes the steering feel disconnected with the wheels, where I'll turn the steering wheel an amount that I feel is appropriate to negotiate the gradual turn, yet the vehicle will continue to track on its original course.

- Honolulu, HI, USA

Lost the ability to steer the vehicle there was an internal power steering failure which resulted in the replacement of the power steering rack assembly.

- Barnegat, NJ, USA