I bought a Lexus GX470 in April 2003. Around Dec. 2006, sometimes when I would put on the brakes, I would hear a thump on the driver's side in the rear. It feels like something hits the bumper. This does not happen every time, but it happens enough that it is very, very noticeable. I have not taken the car to the dealership. I just recently found out that other people have had this same problem.

- Sainte Genevieve, MO, USA

I purchased a 2003 Lexus GX470 and have been having problems with a serious clunk/thump in the rear transmission. I brought it into my Lexus dealership and they lubed the driveshaft. After this it was fixed for approx 3 months but this thump/clunk is back. I am afraid that this may be a safety issue and it seems that Lexus is avoiding a fix action, only performing a temp fix.

- Columbia, MD, USA

Purchased gx 470 July 03, began noticing thumping while driving and accelerating from slowing down and/or stopping approvximately 5 months, 9000 miles later. Dealership was able to finish my sentence when first attempting to describe the problem & volunteered to replace the driveshaft, which did not fix the problem. Service techs acknowledged that replacing the driveshaft doesnt resolve the problem. Returned truck again, dealership kept truck for 10 days without one word, did nothing and then said there was nothing wrong with it. Sent letter to manufacturer who is pushing arbitration thru ncds. Based on the experience of others, I have no faith the Lexus will accept reponsibility for this defect for which they are fully aware of.

- Waldorf, MD, USA

The transmission design is defective. The vehicle lunges and thrusts forward while the brake is firmly engaged as a result of the defect which is quite startling. The rear drive shaft allows the full weight of the vehicle to slide forward causing a loud thump and propelling the vehicle in a forward motion several inches despite having the brake engaged. The splines on the slip yoke for the rear drive shaft are not designed appropriately.

- Jupiter, FL, USA

I bought the 470 gx with 7 miles on it. It began to "lurch" at about 2500 miles. When I reported it to Lexus, they agreed that this was a problem on some of the new gx's. the problem became worse, and they received authorization to replace the driveshaft. This has not corrected the problem and they are again ordering a new drive shaft. The reason I believe this is a safety issue is because it always happens at a full stop, and it feels like someone is hitting the car from behind. The safety concern is the sensation of movement of the car, this is startling and could potentially cause a driver to remove their foot from the brake. I can't tell if the car actually moves, however if it does, this could possibly lead to an accident (ie. "fender-bender" or worse at a pedestrian crossing).

- Columbia, SC, USA