acheparev

I came back to my HS, after it being parked for 3 hours, and the lights were blinking, like the alarm had gone off. I was able to open the doors and got into the car. When i tried to start the car, it said "Key Not Detected". I checked the battery on the Key and it seemed to be fine. The light lit up when pressing the lock unlock buttons, but the doors would not respond anymore. One thing I noticed right away is that the break could not be pressed, pressure in the break lines.

I called Lexus Roadside Assistance and they tried some troubleshooting. Pressing the Key on the power button and trying to start the car. It would sometimes say "Key Not Detected" but now had stopped responding completely. It tried to see if the battery was dead. I turned on the Interior lights, they worked but were very dim. I tried Hazzard Lights, which would flutter and only light up on the Left Side of the car. Sometimes they would stay on, sometimes they would blink a couple times and then turn off.

Lexus thought the battery was dead. When AAA came, they tried to give the car a boost. It didn't take. It didn't respond at all to the boost. BTW, I waited an hour and a half for AAA to get there. AAA could not tow the car until they had confirmation from the dispatcher and the driver would not wait for the confirmation and left telling me he had another call. Lexus called back and told me they had confirmed with AAA and they will tow the car. I told them the driver had left. I had to wait for another Tow Truck, which did only take a half hour.

The guy got there and actually told me he saw the same thing happen recently to a Prius. He said it wasn't a battery problem but that he tried some combination with the power button and break and key presses and was eventually able to start the car. Nothing worked with mine.

This happened on a Saturday at 6:00pm. All the Lexus dealerships were closed. At first Lexus was asking me where they can leave the car. I told them I live in an apartment building with an underground parking garage. There is no way they would be able to get my car into my spot with a tow truck. The operator told me I would have to pay to store the car at AAA until Monday, and then have the car towed to a Dealership for service. This was while still waiting for the first Tow Truck. I called back when the Tow Truck arrived and this time Lexus agreed to pay to store the car until Monday and tow it to a dealership for service, but, because it's a Saturday, I don't have a loaner! I have to go to work this morning with no car! The car has 5,000 miles on it and was just in for service for 5K maintenance last Saturday!

I got a new car for the Peace of Mind that things like this would not happen. I got a premium car so that I would have good roadside assistance and a loaner car. This Sucks!

One more thing. I tried the SOS button in my car, since I have Lexus Assist. IT WOULD NOT WORK. It had no power. It's a good thing I have a smartphone and was able to find a number online.

acheparev

And are there any options if your car breaks down Saturday after the dealerships are closed? The car can't be taken in for service and there is no way to get a Loaner. It's a pretty big gap in service I think, especially since I mostly drive my car only on the weekend.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

My daughter had a new '06 IS250 AWD that I later bought from her that had a push button no start problem.
She only had the car two weeks.The car was flatbedded to the dealer and sat there for two weeks.
Dealer service couldn't find the problem.Lexus sent somebody to the dealership and that person found a faulty circuit board or at least that's what we were told.

As far as your question about the push start dying and dealerships being closed,I'd rent a car and ask Lexus to pay for it.

GiantsFan

iTrader: (9)

The only time mine didnt start was when my fob's battery was dead. I had to hold it up next to the button before it would start.

Ice350

iTrader: (1)

Same here. When that key fob battery dies, car no start.....unless you hold fob next to the start button.

acheparev

I tried that many times, sometimes it said "Key Not Detected", other times it would not respond at all.

GiantsFan

iTrader: (9)

If it said key not detected when you pushed the start button it sounds like a dead fob ... Not sure about the non-response though, thats kinda weird...

acheparev

Well, with all the dealerships being closed, the car is in storage with AAA. Will find out tomorrow what's wrong. The key had at least some power, as the LED lit up when I would press the button. I tried holding it on the power button, but it never registered. Also, I was using the car just 3 hours before it happened and it never gave me Low Key Battery warning like it should if the the battery was running low. They key is also only a few months old and the car has only 5,000 miles on it. Those keys should last quite a lot longer then the time I had it.

One more thing, the Red Security Light on the dash did not blink like it is supposed to, which perplexed the Lexus Support on the line.

Will post what I find out tomorrow.

Ice350

iTrader: (1)

If the fob sat unused a long time that also drains the battery.

TorontoIS

When the battery is really really low, but not yet dead, if you take it out and put it up very near or against the start button, it can often get the car started. But once it is completely dead, it is gone.

YotaCarFan

If the lights were blinking when you came back to the car after leaving it for 3 hrs, perhaps the hazard lights were left on, draining the battery? Another thing to note is that while the dome lamps will automatically shut off after 20 min to preserve the battery, the map lights do not, so one must be careful not to leave them on.

The symptoms (dim dome light, SOS feature not working) would seem to indicate a dead 12V battery in the car. It's possible that the AAA person did not connect the jumper cables correctly or the battery has a shorted cell preventing it from taking a charge.

LexFather

Curious to see what the cause was but it might be a dead key fob. Also I do believe if you get a rental and the car is under warranty Lexus will reimburse you considering the circumstances.

Good luck.

JamesDemo

I would have had the car dropped off at a Lexus dealer. Leave the keys under the mat and leave. No one will take the car because it won't start. Go rent a car for the weekend. Call Lexus on Monday and tell them your story and say fix the car. Return the rented get a copy of that bill. Bring the bill to Lexus get a car till your is fixed. The car is under guarantee. I am sure they will make you happy. They want NO more bad press!

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

if the fob sat unused AND close the car (car has proximity sensor which detects the smart key), it will drain the battery since the car is communicating with the key.

there's a button to turn off the smart key if it's not in use for awhile

sorry I don't have any other input.

as for rentals, the car rental that is open on sundays around here are at the airports.

acheparev

OK, Got the answer from the dealership. I have a "Bad" Accessory battery. It's not the hybrid drive battery, but the battery that starts the car and operates the electronics in the car. They could not recharge the battery.

Apparently this is a special order part, it's a gel type battery that is not standard and not kept in stock and will not arrive for about a week. Getting a loaner in the meantime.

The key was not the problem.