JiggsHall

Hello folks ! I'm new and just picked up my LS 460 on Monday.

Today when I came home I parked my car in front of the house and decided to go back out to park it in a better position. When I tried to start the car nothing happened, I couldn't turn on any interior lights, the doors won't lock, trunk wouldn't open. I did notice the indicator saying that the key fob battery was low, so I replaced the battery and that didn't fix the issue.

I don't believe it's the car battery because the the car has been turned on and off numerous times throughout the day , never hesitated while starting I also noticed that the battery was showing as having a charge on the dash while I driving.

Has anyone else experienced this problem ? Is this part of the theft deterrent system possibly ? Could the battery in the car die that suddenly ?

Right now I'm upset at the fact that I have an expensive paper weight parked in front of my house.

Thank you for any help you can provide

roadfrog

Start with a new battery. NOT a charge.....NEW battery. They're under a hundred bucks from Walmart, Costco, etc.

JiggsHall

I'll try it and hope that it works. It's odd that the battery would die without giving any indication.

ShahG

I am not sure if its the Theft system acting up, Because I had a Land Cruiser with a similar problem, but it would crank, just not start, and that was the theft deterrent system. I ended up going to Toyota and they said it was a bad fuel pump and they reprogrammed the key to the car. It could be the starter. Or the alternator. You sure the battery is good? Check the terminals.

Another tip would be to Start the car by putting the Key Fob on the Push Start and see if it works as your key battery was dead.

And probably as roadfrog said, new battery might be a solution too, as I am getting it replaced tomorrow.

JiggsHall

The battery could be the issue, I can't even lock the doors. Everything worked normally until I shut the car down for the last time earlier.

roadfrog

You COULD try jumping the car to see if it starts, but still.....I'd start with a new battery and then go from there. Even if it proves to be other than the battery, you'll know that you have a fresh battery that will give you good service for the next 5 yrs+

The thing with these cars (and any newer electronics heavy car), they really need strong batteries. I know that on the BMW forums, any electronics issues etc are usually battery related - EVEN with a battery that will reliably start the vehicle. Same with our LS'.....many strange issues similar to yours and others have been solved with a new battery.

JiggsHall

Thanks roadfrog, I'll try that and I hope that it works.

Nospinzone

Welcome to Club Lexus!

Is the car brand new, or just new to you?

If it is a new car and the battery is good, then it appears you may have drain somewhere. Is it possible that before leaving the car you pushed the START button twice, shutting off the engine but then leaving the ignition on? If you have never had a START button before you may not be used to its operation.

JiggsHall

The car is not new, just new to me. It is possible that I hit the start button twice without realizing it . I'm still getting acclimated to the car.

JiggsHall

This morning I decided to jump it, literally within 5 seconds the headlights and stereo came on, as well as the interior lights. It was very strange. Maybe I did hit the ignition button twice.

wbrian63

You said "I don't believe it's the car battery because the the car has been turned on and off numerous times throughout the day , never hesitated while starting I also noticed that the battery was showing as having a charge on the dash while I driving."

If you've got a battery-shaped indicator that is on while the car is being driven, then the alternator isn't putting out sufficient voltage and you're running off the battery.

The battery light should come on when you press the start button without your foot on the brake - all warning lights should come on. Put your foot on the brake, see the green light and start the car. The battery light should go out along with all of the warning lights. If it doesn't the alternator is in need of replacement.

When the battery voltage gets low enough, the car will literally be "dead" - everything - Everything is controlled by computers. When the battery voltage is too low, the computers won't come on line and nothing will work.

In the "old days" everything electrical was controlled by switches that were mechanically activated. When you turned the key to start the car, you were activating a mechanical switch that was sending battery voltage to the starter solenoid (in itself a switch) which would cycle, pulling battery voltage to the starter motor and start the car. If the battery was low, the solenoid might engage, but the car would barely turn over due to the low voltage, or the solenoid might just "click".

With modern cars, especially the complex ones like the LS, pressing the start button connects a circuit on the input of a computer module, which then sends a request to the starter motor to start the car. The computer module won't even "boot up" below a certain voltage, so pressing the button has zero effect.

I'd try to get the battery charged enough to get the car running and see about the alternator. Again - the red battery warning indicator should Not be on when the engine is running.

JiggsHall

This morning once I got it started none of the indicator lights remained on past startup.

Tee

Like some members said I also recommend you buy a new battery to solve the issue.

7milesout

Sounds like it's the ole double-push-and-walk-away issue. A battery may or may not be needed. Get it running and take it to Advance Auto or the like, and have the battery / alternator checked. Afterwards a follow up here again, would be interesting.


7milesout

jmcraney

Is "the ole double-push-and-walk-away issue" when you leave the car with the engine off and the ignition on? That's easy enough to do - done it myself. It will definitely draw the battery down to zero. The car should sound an external alarm for that condition, but when you don't know what it is and you ignore it for 1 minute it goes away. However, the external alarm is defeated when the driver's door jamb switch is defective. A defective door jamb switch will cause the headlights Auto-Off to not work in certain situations and that can cause the battery to be discharged too.

So, as you suggested, it is always best, if you have time, to determine whether the battery is defective, or just discharged. For a defective battery, a new battery is the solution. For a discharged battery, a new battery will get you going most of the time but may soon be discharged too.