VGRS Light On and Off (5 Viewers)

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Joined
Jun 24, 2020
Threads
28
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156
Location
Charlotte, NC
Wondering if anyone has experienced what I experienced last night with the VGRS and whether or not I should be concerned....I tried reading old threads but can’t quite piece it all together; sounds like there was a recall for certain VINs awhile back.

So here’s what happened:

Started the car in the driveway
Put it in reverse and backed down the driveway sloping downhill
Turned the wheel to the left when exiting the driveway
Shifted to drive, turned wheel back to the right and drove off
Drove 100 yards max in the neighborhood when I noticed to keep the car the straight the steering wheel had to be 90 degrees to the left
VGRS light on dash was on (solid, not blinking)
Put it in park, straightened the steering wheel, turned the ignition of and then back on
VGRS light was gone and the steering wheel was back to normal
No issues the remainder of the 5 mile drive home
 
Just started it up for the first time today. Backed out of driveway, VGRS light came on solid. Steering wheel has to be 180 degrees turned to keep the car going straight. It’s literally upside down. Light won’t go off this time...should I run up to autozone and have the codes pulled?
 
Just started it up for the first time today. Backed out of driveway, VGRS light came on solid. Steering wheel has to be 180 degrees turned to keep the car going straight. It’s literally upside down. Light won’t go off this time...should I run up to autozone and have the codes pulled?
Think you sbould take to a qualified technician. Autozone won't help you here.
 
Just started it up for the first time today. Backed out of driveway, VGRS light came on solid. Steering wheel has to be 180 degrees turned to keep the car going straight. It’s literally upside down. Light won’t go off this time...should I run up to autozone and have the codes pulled?


i am running into the same thing, here are a few pics..

someone said disconnect the negative ground, then try and recalibrate it with tech stream not sure I know how to do that..

167226E6-DCA7-493D-8BBB-CB4FCB2BA316.jpeg


CAEF9B4D-9C91-44A4-8D5E-7E114F7420C2.jpeg


DE973615-45CC-4CCE-AD98-37FDF7C1BEA1.jpeg


01F93848-FAE0-4DE3-AC81-EBC347F7C5A4.jpeg


CFC267CE-FDDB-4F08-8792-58B7FB9B89AD.jpeg
 
Just started it up for the first time today. Backed out of driveway, VGRS light came on solid. Steering wheel has to be 180 degrees turned to keep the car going straight. It’s literally upside down. Light won’t go off this time...should I run up to autozone and have the codes pulled?


i am running into the same thing, here are a few pics..

someone said disconnect the negative ground, then try and recalibrate it with tech stream not sure I know how to do that..
 
Good luck! I only have the vgrs light and not the others and the only code that’s been pulled is c1522. I’m waiting to get in to see my fifth mechanic that hopefully can figure it out for me.

I’ve read all the old threads on here and I recall many of them having all three lights like yours. Hopefully the ecu hasn’t gone out on you 🤞
 
I just fixed this last month. The root cause was worn bushings in the steering assembly. It's a relatively straightforward repair, and the assembly is about $450. You will need a wheel alignment afterwards, though.

The downside of having drive by wire (or anything close) is that the controllers only know what the sensors tell them. In this case, the sensor(s) report the wheels are not tracking (because they aren't on the wheels but on the steering assembly which is wobbly), and the controller is trying to do what it was designed to do, namely apply independent control at the wheel that it is told isn't behaving. Mine was so bad that on a winding road, the wheels would alternately lock up and release, sending the truck into a skid.

You really should check this out/have this checked before it gets to that point.

I bought my LX470 a couple of months ago, and the PO (a true genius) wired a kill switch into the VGRS to prevent the wheel lockup. I would not recommend solving the symptom; the problem is very likely a real one and needs to be fixed.
 
I just fixed this last month. The root cause was worn bushings in the steering assembly. It's a relatively straightforward repair, and the assembly is about $450. You will need a wheel alignment afterwards, though.

The downside of having drive by wire (or anything close) is that the controllers only know what the sensors tell them. In this case, the sensor(s) report the wheels are not tracking (because they aren't on the wheels but on the steering assembly which is wobbly), and the controller is trying to do what it was designed to do, namely apply independent control at the wheel that it is told isn't behaving. Mine was so bad that on a winding road, the wheels would alternately lock up and release, sending the truck into a skid.

You really should check this out/have this checked before it gets to that point.

I bought my LX470 a couple of months ago, and the PO (a true genius) wired a kill switch into the VGRS to prevent the wheel lockup. I would not recommend solving the symptom; the problem is very likely a real one and needs to be fixed.
Great info - thanks! What code were you getting?
 
Didn't check; the intermittent wheel lockup was code enough for me. I do usually check for diagnostic codes, but in this case, I felt I knew what the problem was, since it was primarily mechanical, and fairly obvious, I just swapped the steering assembly and all is now well.
 
Didn't check; the intermittent wheel lockup was code enough for me. I do usually check for diagnostic codes, but in this case, I felt I knew what the problem was, since it was primarily mechanical, and fairly obvious, I just swapped the steering assembly and all is now well.
Hope my fix is that easy...haven’t had my wheel lockup on me yet.
 
I would guess mine had been beyond serviceable for some time by the time I bought it; the problem is there's no way to tell how bad the bushings are until you look at them. By the time you're seeing controller malfunctions, it's pretty bad, though.
 
Finally found an experienced mechanic that solved my riddle. I was getting the open circuit code (C1522) in the actuator. Turns out there was no continuity in the flat ribbon inside the actuator. It was actually torn; was able to go in there and solder it back together, straighten the steering wheel and recalibrate. So glad I didn’t do what Lexus recommended by replacing the actuator with a new one which would’ve run me $4500 just for the part. Hopefully this resolution helps someone else in the future; I sure benefit from the input here on the forum when diagnosing my problem!
 

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