reliability of the air suspension

[onehappydogstl]

Hello,
I did a search on this topic -- but did not see too much. I am a proud new owner and a new forum member. How reliable has the air suspension been? I saw on some other forum a lady talking about how her air suspension has failed 5 times - causing her to bump her head on the steering wheel each time. Seems a bit dramatic, but wondering if anyone here has had any issues?

Thank you

 

[Richard Ft. Lauderdale]

How does someone bump their head because of the air suspension? Did she bump her head on the door frame when getting out of the car as it was lowering? There has been some discussion on another thread as to whether or not the car lowers when the engine is turned off. Apparently all 2011 and 2012 Equus lower when the engine is turned off. My 2013 does not. I believe at least one other 2013 has reported that it does lower when the engine turns off.
As for reliability, mine is only a few months old and so far it has been reliable. I do't know if I will keep it beyond the 5 year warranty. I imagine with all of the gadgets on this car it will be pretty expensive when things go wrong after the warranty expires.

 

[onehappydogstl]

Agreed the bumping of the head story, seemed unplausible.

 

[vasy]

I think that lady was referring to the defective air suspension causing her car to drastically lose damping control. In the most severe case, if she hits a deep pot hole, her car shakes so much that her head hits the steering wheel. Equus has only been on the US market for a few years so we don't know how reliable its air suspension is. But I've read on a Lexus forum that many Lexus LS owners had issues with their air suspension that required expensive repair (~ $1500 each corner) in less than 5 years of ownership. Some LS owners also reported having to replace their control arms to the tune of ~$2000 each repair. In a nutshell, these luxury cars use expensive parts that do not last as long as ordinary cars'. I once looked at and felt with my hand the rubber material used on the air bag (in air suspension) of a 2013 Equus. It doesn't feel like it's going to last more than 8 years without cracking. There are other components of the air suspension (such as electronic sensors) that could fail. On another note, I read the extended warranty booklet my local Hyundai dealer gave me. Air suspension is not covered by the extended warranty.

 

[onehappydogstl]

Hello, this is great info about the warranty. This was part of my concern -- trying to understand what was excluded. Thank you!

 

[snork]

I'd be doubtful of any air suspension's LONG TERM reliability My Dad's Audi All-Road had an air suspension. It was good until 6 yrs, then failed twice in the 7th and 8th years before he got rear-ended and got rid of the car. First time one of the air bags failed, second failure was the air compressor. The worst part was that the air compressor was literally a 12V bicycle pump and it alone cost $800 not including installation labor Also if you read some last-gen S-class MB forums, their air suspensions are notoriously faulty and equally as expensive to repair

 

[mikec]

Not much is going to outlast pure metal parts on a vehicle. Paint wears out eventually, rubber gaskets & o-rings eventually dry out and crack or rot, insulation on wiring eventually gets hard and brittle and starts breaking off like uncooked macaroni, etc. Yet the metal stuff lasts on and on unless it rusts (from bad paint, accident damage flaking the paint, etc). Old style suspensions typically failed by having shocks/struts go bad (rubber seals gave up), having the rubber bushings get worn (and becoming sloppy loose), the rubber "isolators" that connect strut assemblies to the bodywork (black metal + rubber things you see when you open the hood on most front wheel drive cars) crack and sag, etc. Historically the few times real metal suspension parts needed to be replaced was caused by accidents, potholes, or other major stress loads... but rarely just plain old age.

I can't imagine any airbag suspension - with parts made mostly of rubber or other synthetic materials - lasting as long as the rest of the vehicle. Many such items age not by miles either but simple time and/or hot-cold thermal cycles and UV exposure. So a car that accumulates few miles per year may end up requiring new airbags anyway at 6-8 years... just like car that piles on 25,000 miles a year.

edit: so many really high-cost luxury cars are leased too... 3 years is common, over 5 is rare. Folks tossing that kind of money around tend to keep their cars for less time (statistically anyway) but want the absolute "smoothest" ride or whatever for those few years... ergo air bag suspensions. Not something I'd want on a car since I like to keep them many years. I don't have "toss around" money to forever have a big car loan/lease payment; I want cars to last many many years. I doubt I'll own any airbag equipped cars!

mike c.

 

[snork]

That pretty much nails it mike c.! I'm in the same boat as you how I feel about owning cars. I simply drive too many miles to lease a car. And while I'd one day like to upgrade to a top-line vehicle, owning them long term is just too cost prohibitive once they pass their warranty period

 

[OneFunGenesis]

I just warranty the hell out of cars. I'll pay for a massive extended warranty to cover bumper to bumper because it typically pays for itself with one use

But I agree about air. That is why I am on the fence about it.

 

[Kemp]

" I doubt I'll own any airbag equipped cars!"


Mike, You are going to have a hard time finding a car without an air bag. Probably around 1995?

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[scottdk]

" I doubt I'll own any airbag equipped cars!"


Mike, You are going to have a hard time finding a car without an air bag. Probably around 1995?

I'm guessing Mike is reffering to the air suspension (airbags) in the Equus and other cars etc., as mentioned in his above post instead of what you're thinking of.