About once a month I get a "Hard Drive powering up. Do not shut off" message when I start up my 2013 GS 350 F Sport. About 10 seconds later the normal Lexus animation comes up and then everything is fine. Has anyone else experienced this, and if so have you found a solution?

I took it to the dealership about 2 months ago and had the nav system software updated because the whole system (navigation, HVAC, entertainment) shut down and wouldn't come back on. The whole system shutdown hasn't happened since , but this issue still happens with the same frequency

When this issue doesn't happen the Lexus animation comes up as soon as the car starts.

 

That's strange! I'm not experiencing this issue but what did the dealership say when you brought it in? You mentioned they updated the Nav system software but did they not say what could be causing it? Hopefully it's nothing major.

 

That's odd. You're coming close to that factory warranty expiring (if it hasn't expired yet) so have it checked out as thoroughly as possible.

 

The service writer at Northside Lexus here in Houston said his technician couldn't repeat the problem so they updated the firmware and said that should solve the problem.

At least they documented that the nav screen goes blank for 10 min at a time, I am hoping this should be sufficient if the issue persists after the warranty ends.

 

Update: the whole system shutdown went away for about 6 months, then started happened a couple times but would start back up after 10 minutes. Just yesterday it wouldn't start back up so now it seems to be permanently shut down.

I've called Northside Lexus and scheduled an appointment, the service advisor said he believes it WON'T be covered under warranty because it's been over a year since I reported the issue.

I'm going to try politely to say this isn't a wear and tear issue, this should never happen, so the firmware update they performed last year apparently did not resolve the issue.

Any suggestions on what else I might say / advise?

 

See what the diagnosis is. I would contact Lexus Corp and politely ask to be reviewed.