keziah23

I've had my 2012 RX 350 since February and really like it, but it seems like the electronics have some quirks.

One that really annoys me is that if I turn my bluetooth on after the car is already start 90% of the time it will fail to connect to the car. Going into phone and clicking connect does not work either, just sits on the "connecting" screen. You have to turn the car off and back on to get a connection. I know one solution is to leave bluetooth turned on on my phone but it drains my battery

Same problem with bluetooth audio, btw.

Anyone else have these issues?

I have a Galaxy Nexus phone by the way.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I recommend leaving BT on. But here's a nice little troubleshoot for you should you ever encounter more problems:



BLUETOOTH TROUBLESHOOTING:

How to set-up Bluetooth; With Navigation:

We’ll use an iPhone4 for ex. Go to
- Settings
- General
- Bluetooth
- make sure bluetooth is on (slide on/off)
- Below that is "Devices" or "search device"
- On the phone, select the "hands-free" 2009 below or “Car Multi Media” 2010+ under search device. It should begin paring and prompt you for the passkey. Enter it and select "pair". It may say it's paired but not connected. If this is the case, then select "hands-free" one more time.

From the car:
- Car on/acc mode
- Info
- Telephone
- Settings
- Register phone
- it'll bring up a menu that has a passkey and looks like it's ready to pair
- Pair

Just to double check that the phone is paired to the car, from info-telephone-settings-select phone. The phone should be in the system now with a little "BT" symbol next to it.

For Non Navigation Models:
Use the push to talk switch and the voice should layout some commands. One of which is "phone set-up". Say phone set-up and continue with the voice instructions by hitting the push to talk switch and saying "yes" "pair phone" etc... Meanwhile from the bluetooth menu in your phone (probably under settings, make sure the phone is set to "discoverable mode". Once the phone is searching, "Hands Free" should show up on your phone. Select the pair button and you should be prompted with a pass key (four digits + enter) it's usually 1111 or 1212 etc...

________
Other Troubleshoots:

UPDATE YOUR SMARTPHONES:
Make sure your smartphones are turned off every now and then. They are just like a computer and need to be updated. Sometimes if a phone misses an update, the result is the Bluetooth connection unpairing with the car.

With BlackBerry’s, the most common troubleshoot is to remove the battery from the phone, blow on it and turn the phone back on. Yes it’s a PITA because BB takes forever to load, but it typically works. If this doesn't work either, you can try repairing the phone:

MY PHONE HAS BEEN PAIRED BUT NOT WORKING:
If the phone is not working (but already paired), a common troubleshoot is the bluetooth on the phone could be turned off (happens on mine from time to time). Set the phone to discoverable mode and make sure the bluetooth is set to "on". You should see the bluetooth symbol somewhere on the phones top banner.

keziah23

I appreciate your reply but I have no problem pairing my phone either for audio or phone. My phone is up to date as well (I'm a geek, tech is my way of life).

The problem is with the Lexus not "seeing" the phone if the bluetooth is not on when the power is turned on to the car.

sanjose200

I have this exact problem on my 2012 CT200h, using a Samsung Galaxy S-III. If I forget to turn on my bluetooth on the phone before starting the car, it is impossible to get it connected without 'rebooting' the car. Very, very infuriating.

Thanks for posting about your problem. At least we know now that the problem is not isolated to just certain Lexus models with certain phones...

I might reach out to my dealership to see if they know anything, but I'm sure the fix isn't going to be quick or easy. Let me know if you find out anything.

Thanks!

dougef

FWIW, my 2012 RX does the same thing. If my iPhone does not have BT turned on when I start the vehicle, it does not connect.

Cruiter

Since you have to use bluetooth anyway, just turn bluetooth on the phone phone on 1st. Problem solved. I have the EVO 4GLTE and drain from Bluetooth isn't an issue.

Magsqoti

My RX 350 seems to have lost blue tooth capability after having my car battery replaced the other day. The BT symbol at the top of one screen has a red line going through it and the option to auto connect or connect is grayed out now on another screen. No one seems to think this is the problem why I can't use the phone hands free through the car. Anyone have any experience in this. Lexus is baffled, dealership is baffled. HELP PLEASE

klwagoner

Me too and I've had no luck either trying to get it to connect after the car is running. Black mark against Lexus.

paulpan

My ES 350 has this same problem. When I am driving and the phone is not connected, I use the voice button to navigate to Setup - > Phone Setup -> Select Phone -> my phone name. This will trigger the car's hand free system to initiate a connection to my already paired cell phone. I think the reason we have to do this way is that the connection can only be initiated from the car, not from the phone. When the car is started, it does one initiation. If it finds a paired phone it connects it. If it does not, it gives up until you go to the setup to select your phone.

lexusrus

I have tried (after car starts and I forget to turn BLUETOOTH on my phone) and worked. Just turn on your BLUETOOTH on and off it should connect just fine. I have multiple Lexi cars so I label each Lexi on my phone instead of the generic MULTIMEDIA label so I (and the car) can tell which one is which one. I just need to click on the corresponding Lexus car on my phone I'm in when I switch Lexi cars.

coopd

I know this is a very old post but did you manage to solve this?

I have the exact same issue on my GS250

mcomer

The Lexus system searches for 1) the last device it was paired with, then 2) any device it has been paired with
and if none are found during this start up it stops looking. Easy work around without restarting the whole vehicle
is (on vehicles with Navigation) to press and hold the On/Off/Volume button in for 4-5 seconds until the screen
goes black. Release the button and the nav reboots and finds your phone.

I am not sure the OP's observation that having BT turned on takes a significant amount of phone battery is correct.

Clutchless

I am going to try mcomer's recommendation as my 2010 RX with Nav and Motorola G4 with BT always on consistently fail to connect at least half the time. I even park the phone next to the screen, makes no difference. It used to be a bit better in my wife's HS250h, but now that too appears to often fail to connect BT. Not sure if I need a new phone or car....

coopd

I got back to my car after work and it was working perfectly! Must have been a strange glitch?

Thanks for your response though

mcomer

Other conditions to check and eliminate include:
1) regular full on/off cycling of the phone. Myriad difficulties solved simply with this
2) What else is paired to the phone? Fitbits and hearing aids pairings play havoc with BT.