Adaptive Variable Suspension issues on 150

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I have a 2010 VXL (in the Middle East market it is the full option Prado) and am concerned about the suspension on my vehicle. Particularly the ride is very stiff regardless of the setting (sport, standard or comfort) initially when I purchased the vehicle the right rear was low and the ride felt like I was riding on the rear axle. I was told the computer had to be reprogrammed and since I had the first one sold in Riyadh I waited for them to get the codes. After programming I am left with a very uncomfortable ride. As I write this the vehicle is back in the shop and the not so comforting news from the work shop floor manager is that when he drove my car he felt his older Prado drove much better the current plan is that they are going to try and reprogram the computer. OK, so the vehicle is not an Australian model but hopefully someone might have some ideas or has anyone had similar issues? I have written up my experience with my Prado at myprado.com. Thanks

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Re: Adaptive Variable Suspension issues on 150

This weekend when we were out in the desert my Prado looked like this when I stopped:

I understand I am on a bit of a slope but is this much correction normal??
Here is the underside view:

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Re: Adaptive Variable Suspension issues on 150

Wow there is definitely something wrong with that. Is it stuck like that, or has it levelled out after your trip in the desert?

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Re: Adaptive Variable Suspension issues on 150

"Houston we have a problem"

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Re: Adaptive Variable Suspension issues on 150

Can't really tell from the 1st picture but was the front left wheel on higher ground to cause the rear right to drop like that? If all 4 wheels were on relatively flat ground, then the rear suspension looks very abnormal

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Re: Adaptive Variable Suspension issues on 150

Wow there is definitely something wrong with that. Is it stuck like that, or has it levelled out after your trip in the desert?

It leveled off after cycling through height adjustments. Actually the vehicle is never level - I have not seen one 2010 Prado with KDSS that is level. I am told by the dealer that a 20mm lean to the right is normal and has no adverse effects. It is remarkable to see all the Prados in the showroom with KDSS leaning to the right - what was Toyota thinking? Today I picked up my Prado from the dealer - 6th trip to the shop in the last 3 months - this time at least I went to the main shop here in Riyadh. They told me they bled the system and I should have no more problems - as it was 6:30pm I haven't been able to check it off road. I will say though that the suspension was definitely softer. Whether it will forget what is level we shall see. Has anyone else noticed the lean to the right?

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Re: Adaptive Variable Suspension issues on 150

Can't really tell from the 1st picture but was the front left wheel on higher ground to cause the rear right to drop like that? If all 4 wheels were on relatively flat ground, then the rear suspension looks very abnormal

No, the left front wheel was more or less on flat ground. The right rear wheel though was on a bit of a mound. It seems to have made the system over correct and raised the left side much higher then it should have. Settings were set for a soft ride and height level set at high. Just prior to parking I went through a narrow wash where the two vehicles in front of me had wheels off the ground - to credit the Prado i had no difficulty navigating the path. Just when we parked my Prado garnished a little more attention then necessary

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Re: Adaptive Variable Suspension issues on 150

i got to take the kakadu model offroad a couple of weekends ago. It always had an odd lean to the drivers side but not as bad as that pic. it got better throughout the day- not sure what we did to improve the lean (if anything).

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Re: Adaptive Variable Suspension issues on 150

i got to take the kakadu model offroad a couple of weekends ago. It always had an odd lean to the drivers side but not as bad as that pic. it got better throughout the day- not sure what we did to improve the lean (if anything).

Yep - same for me -- at times it seems OK other times it really leans. What I have decided is that the KDSS system with its one damper on the left side in the rear has made it impossible for the vehicle to be level. This is confirmed by Toyota stating that 20mm lean to the right is normal. Unfortunately whether it actually effects the driving characteristics or not I don't know but it sure feels different when you turn to the left or right.

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Re: Adaptive Variable Suspension issues on 150

MUST READ - After driving this vehicle for almost 30,000 km I know it has a problem. Consumer reports now confirms it. GX460 is the US equivalent of Prado.
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2 ... -risk.html

Consumer Reports has judged the 2010 Lexus GX 460 SUV a Don’t Buy: Safety Risk because of a problem we experienced during our standard emergency-handling tests. When pushed to its limits on our track’s handling course, the rear of the GX we bought slid out until the vehicle was almost sideways before the electronic stability control system was able to regain control.

We believe that in real-world driving, that situation could lead to a rollover accident, which could cause serious injury or death. We are not aware, however, of any such reports.

All four of our auto engineers who conduct the test experienced the problem in an exercise used to evaluate what’s called lift-off oversteer. In the test, as the vehicle is driven through a turn, the driver quickly lifts his foot off the accelerator pedal to see how the vehicle reacts.

We perform this evaluation on every vehicle we test, which includes the 95 SUVs in our current auto Ratings. No other SUV in recent years slid out as far as the GX 460, including the Toyota 4Runner, which shares the same platform as the GX.

To confirm our results, we paid for the use of another GX 460 from Lexus and experienced the same problem.

In real-world driving, lift-off oversteer could occur when a driver enters a highway’s exit ramp or drives through a sweeping turn and encounters an unexpected obstacle or suddenly finds that the turn is too tight for the vehicle’s speed. A natural impulse is to quickly lift off the accelerator pedal. If that were to happen in the GX, the rear could slide around far enough that a wheel could strike a curb or slide off the pavement.

Either of those scenarios can cause a vehicle to roll over. And because the GX is a tall SUV with a high center of gravity, our concern for rollover safety is heightened.

Like almost all current SUVs, the GX has standard ESC. That system is designed to prevent a vehicle from sliding out in a turn and has generally worked very effectively in the vehicles we’ve tested. It does that by applying individual brakes and cutting engine power to help keep the vehicle on its intended path. But the GX’s system doesn’t intervene quickly enough to stop the slide, and the rear end swings around too far.

As a result, we are urging consumers not to buy the GX 460 until the problem has been fixed. The GX 460 has been on sale for about three months and about 5,000 vehicles have been sold. We have notified Toyota, Lexus’ parent company, of the problem. We urge the company to develop a remedy as quickly as possible and implement it in new vehicles produced at the assembly plant and those already purchased.

In an e-mail response, Toyota spokesman Joe Tetherow said, “We’re concerned with the results of Consumer Reports testing on the Lexus GX 460 and their suggested buyer recommendation. Our engineers conducted similar tests during the development of the new GX and had no issues. However, we will try to duplicate the Consumer Reports’ test to determine if appropriate steps need to be taken. Please keep in mind that the 2010 GX 460 meets or exceeds all Federal Government test requirements. Customer safety and satisfaction remain our highest priorities. We take the Consumer Reports’ test results very seriously and appreciate them bringing it to our attention.”

We have also informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The designation is rare for Consumer Reports; the last time we judged a vehicle’s performance not acceptable was with the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Limited in the August 2001 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.

Current GX 460 owners: If you own a 2010 Lexus GX 460, we recommend exercising care when exiting the highway or traveling twisty roads. Obeying the speed limit and being alert for potential road hazards should limit the risk of experiencing a problem, like that recorded at the test track. We hope that Toyota can quickly develop a software update for the stability control system and update current models with revised programming.

Customers who have any questions or concerns can contact Lexus Customer Satisfaction at 1-800-255-3987.