Cjack00

Thanks for sharing spoogenet...I'll check into this!

jonathancl

I had this exact issue w mine when I bought it: manual lock would turn but not lock or unlock. I had to remove the lock mechanism and reseat it, and it's lucky I learned that before a battery dead situation.

Advice to everyone: test your manual locks to make sure they work, esp after service.

tejanp

Damn, CJack00 got Lucky Whiteheaded in this thread.

russola73

I replaced my subwoofer in my 04 LS430 and now none of my memory features will work.
All the doors were open during this process and I think this is the factory battery.
The car had only 36K miles on it when I bought it. Has 61K now.
It starts and runs fine but It will not recognize my smartkey so I have to open the doors and start the car with the key.
It will not automatically fold in the mirrors or move the steering wheel when I enter/exit.
And once the car is off I cannot operate the power locks. Oh and the overhead light doesn't come on when I open the door.
I guess I'll have the battery checked next day off.

natedawg

gsrsx13

never liked the idea that Lexus only had one key hole on the driver side, they should maybe do both front passenger and driver side key holes for this exact type of emergency!

MDXED

First, thanks to this 2017 post I was able to figure out how to resolve the issue quickly and inexpensively!

The fix: Replacement battery (3 years old)

The problem(s): Remotes would not open doors AND manual key would also not open driver’s door (about 2 yrs ago I did a DIY ... replaced the door actuator and apparently didn’t align it properly). I wasn’t able to access the inside of the car to release the hood!

The warning: At the last maintenance interval 3 weeks ago) the battery measured 533 CCA out of a 700 CCA rating (showing signs of weakening due its 3 yr age or extreme temperature). Per the service report, the battery was good, but definitely a watch item ... the car showed no signs of apparent weakness and started up just fine).

The solution: As suggested by Cjack00, I used the manual key to open the trunk (under the trunk lip on the left hand side). The access “hole” through the back seat was closed but I was able to pry it open easily with a screwdriver. Using a typical wire hanger, I positioned my cell phone’s camera so I could see where to position the hanger in order to open one of the back doors from the inside. After some contortions, I was able to somehow flick the lock to the unlock position (pulling on the interior door release handle was not working for me). From there, it was a matter of climbing through the car to unlock the driver’s door and manually open the hood to change the battery.

Lesson learned: Seems that the battery only lasts about 3 years, so I may preempt a future failure by changing the battery regularly. I also need to open up the driver’s door panel to see if I could “align” the door actuator mechanism so the manual key will work properly.

Note: I was hesitant to buy a battery at Walmart, but a coworker swore by the price so I bought my first replacement battery from Walmart 3 years ago (3 year replacement warranty and 2 additional years prorated). After testing the battery at Customer Service, Walmart credited me the full price of what I paid 3 years ago, but the current replacement cost increased by $30 plus tax). Not bad for a now $129 battery with another 5 year warranty.

In contrast, my wife’s 2014 IS350 still has the original battery (her car is garaged everyday and driven half as much as my 2014 GS350 that doesn’t get the garage).