Hi - I am having exactly the same problem!!I didn't hear a whine, but more of a fuzzy blowing, at first it was really faint and I thought it was feed back from the speaker. It was coming from the driver side, behind the steering column and was louder when turning the wheel at slow speed or when stationary. It gradually got louder and it was taken to a garage where they suspected the belt was slipping.
The day after collecting it from the garage, I heard a pop and my power steering went!! The power steering specialist garage I took it to said the hose had become corroded and needed replacing. The snag was only a Lexus part would fit costing over £400 with VAT. Unfortunately this did not fix the problem, the steering was still not right. After recovering it to a Lexus garage, to get a Lexus specialist diagnosis, I was told my rack and pump have also gone..!
The car is a 53 plate BUT has only done 48K miles..!! It's serviced annually and never driven hard, looked after and loved! Should a rack and pump both be worn out? I expected more from Lexus to be honest!
Whilst researching the fault I discovered some identical instances in the UK and U.S. Could there be a problem with the seal on the rack/piston (as there was with the Brake Master Cylinder)?? Its seems more then coincidence that the same fault has happened at the same mileage globally?? Obviously not enough for a recall! It's has left me with some reservations on getting another RX.
So I am now waiting for the rack and pump to be refurbished. A new set of each plus labour was going to cost over £3k - not economically viable on a nearly 10 year old car that is due to be traded in.
I LOVE my car - I feel safe in it, I feel safe with my family in it, but what a head ache when it goes wrong!!
Glad you have got your's fixed though - such a relief!
