I have a question for my fellow IS owners who live in a hot climate like I do here in AZ. I have a 2014 IS250 FSport with only 27k miles. Recently I have noticed that if my car has been sitting in the sun, I go out and get in the car, the moonroof won't open. I have my car set that if I hold down the unlock button on the keyfob, the windows will roll down, and the moonroof is supposed to open. It will open when the temperature is cooler, but not if it's hot outside. The temps here in AZ right now are around 110F. I'm just wondering if anyone else has had this same issue?

 

When I press on the button to open the moonroof, nothing happens. There's no noise like you would hear if the motor was having issues. It's like the car isn't even on. At 1st they thought it might be a fuse, but that was ruled out because it works when it's cooler outside. This is my 4th summer with this car and the 1st time this issue has come up.

 

Yes they will go down, but the moonroof won't open.

 

They have the car right now. They were gonna let it sit in the sun until midday I believe and then see if it happens while they have it. I was able to show one of the advisers who was there on the weekend what was happening. I just couldn't drop it off until today due to work and the holiday.

 

Just throwing it out there...but I wonder if the motor is overheating.
All electronics have a operating temperature range based on their construction. It's possible that constant heat of 110F causes the motor to overheat and not want to function.
From everything mentioned it's obvious it's not a programming issue, and when it functions, it functions properly, so the motor and circuit are fine too.
Up here in the north when we get below -30C things tend to struggle to work...usually that's the threshold i find on the cold end.
We definitely don't hit 110F...yikes!

 

The motor should be right above the front map light...that's typically where Toyota puts it.
The only downside is that if it is the motor overheating, replacing it may (or may not) temporarily fix it until that motor gets a little older, and then behaves the same way under the extreme heat.

 

That's a good point. We'll see what the guys at Lexus come up with. This is the 1st summer that I've had the windows and moonroof programmed to roll down by pressing the keyfob.
I'll take my 110-115 weather over -30 all day long. That's crazy.

 

Well I got the car back from Lexus today, and they did replace the motor. When I got into the car, it had been sitting out in the hot sun, it was hotter than hell inside. It was about 113 today in Phoenix. I opened up the moonroof without any problems. We'll see how it holds up. Thanks for everyone's input.

 

Glad it worked out...happy motoring!!

 

No doubt. I just never got a firm answer from my service adviser as to why it was happening. It did happen to them yesterday, so I'm thinking they just made the decision to replace the motor. What is weird is that it never happened with my 2011 2IS and I was here in AZ then too.

 

i don't think i'd ever know if my moonroof was malfunctioning as i rarely if ever use the moonroof at all. it's just there sitting pretty.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one this has happened to! Same situation, '14 is250 22k miles (bought it used in Jan of this year) and i live in TN with days averaging 90-95 degrees! And i noticed the same thing with my moonroof only opening after the sun had gone down. Do you care to share how much the motor replacement cost; because it sounds like that is my only option. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Mine was covered under warranty. If your car only has 22k miles, it should still be covered by the warranty.
If you can, leave the car with them for a day or two to see if they can replicate the problem. Or take it there as soon as you notice it happening again. That's what I originally did on a Saturday just as the service dept was closing. Then came back on Monday and left it with them for 2 days.

 

Sorry to hijack your thread, but how did you program the key fob to do that?

 

Your local Lexus Dealership will do it for you for free.