A/C Compressor "Thud" at Idle?

[legaleagle]

Hello,

Last week, I picked up the LC 250 in the "Adventure" trim (Land Cruiser Prado as it's known here). It has currently less than 500KM on it.

This is actually my wife's Toyota (our first one yet) — we've mostly driven Mercedes and Lexus vehicles before — so still getting used to some of the quirks of this car.

One thing that’s really stood out (and not in a good way) is the noticeable vibration and accompanying sound when the A/C compressor kicks in while the car is idling. It’s quite jarring — more of a "thud" than anything — and definitely not something I’ve experienced in our GLE or E-Class Mercedes where the compressor engages almost silently.

I took it to the dealership and they did some work to reduce the noise by installing a spacer between the magnetic clutch and the compressor, which helped a bit with the sound — but the vibration is still very much there. They claimed that this is within the agreed technical parameters and there is nothing to worry about.

Is this normal for Toyota vehicles? Would love to hear if anyone else has experienced something similar.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Yousef]

Many owners here of the new Prado are noticing the same noise myself included and I have the 2.8 diesel variant so I'd This say this is a normal characteristic of this car/ AC compressor.

I've heard the same complaint from the land cruiser 300 owners as well and it could be because of the compressor size and design for our hot climate market.

US spec land cruiser/Prado have different electric variable AC compressor linked to the hybrid system and I'd be surprised if they have the same complaints with regards to the ac compressor harsh on/off cycle .

 

[legaleagle]

Thank you, Yousef. You might be right — I’ve learned that the vehicles sold in the Middle East are factory-tweaked and do come with larger A/C components (including, I assume, the compressor), among other changes.

Unfortunately, we don’t get the diesel variant here in the UAE. I imagine it would be a fun truck to drive! Enjoy yours!

 

[GP486]

I have the exact same issue. Sometimes it's so noticeable that I’ve actually checked if someone hit my car while stopped in traffic because the whole car shakes. Other times, it’s barely noticeable. I did observe that the thud seems to become less prominent as you put more miles on the car? or maybe I just got used to it and don’t feel it as much anymore.

I’ve test-driven several other LC250s and they all have the same issue, so yes, your dealer’s answer is correct. However, I do think it’s an oversight by Toyota..