I had my 2003 LS430 in at the mechanic's to replace a bad speaker. When I got it back, a few things were out of whack, like the clock was off by an hour, the AC vents, normally stationary, were oscillating. The clock fix was easy and thanks to help in the forum I got the vents fixed.

However, it is also making quite a loud beep for a second or so on starting the car, and the red triangle master warning light is on for that long, then the beep stops and the light goes out.

I grubbed through the manual looking for warning information. At first I thought this was maybe normal and of no concern since it only lasts a second. The manual almost seems to say this, although I am not sure, and that doesn't address why it is only happening now (it seems unlikely to be the new speaker making it audible, since when the old speaker was working this didn't happen.)

So I read the manual some more and they mentioned the parking brake being set as a possible cause. I never use the parking brake, but I guessed maybe the guys at the mechanics set it and didn't quite release it or something, so I pulled the release. (The car has not been acting hampered like I assume it would if the parking brake were on and I tried driving it, nor was the parking brake warning message displayed.)

So the next time I started the car it did the beep/master warning light for a second, then was fine. The time after that it did the same thing, but a few seconds later it did the beep/master warning light and the parking brake warning message displayed then all that cleared a second or two later.

Sigh. Any idea what is going on?

Thanks.

 

Hmmmmm..... Which speaker was replaced? If it was one of the front doors they may have loosened or damaged a wire under the dash.

Start with inspecting the wires to the Emergency Brake release handle as occasionally on my ‘01 that alert comes on even if I did not engage the parking brake at all - a quick pull on the lever eliminates the alert and audio chime. Annoying but infrequent so not a big deal....

Wait until you have a tail light go out - the alert chime comes on every time you start the car and the dash board light remains on until it is addressed. I now have spare bulbs handy.

 

Thanks. It was the speaker in the driver's door, so I'll suggest that to the mechanic when I have time to take it in, hopefully this coming week.

This car seems so much more complicated than my ancient Buick and Mustang that it replaced. I knew there were a lot more controls, but now I am thinking, based on this and an earlier situation, that it is harder for mechanics to fix.

 

Every time you start up your LS430, it runs through a number of system health checks. The master warning indicator will remain on while the check is in progress. Some of the items being checked may take longer than usual due to marginal health conditions.

Next time you start your LS430, pay close attention to the "Warning Area" on your display (see circled in red below) and note any warning messages. Report back with which, if any, warning messages you see.

 

I've started the car 3-4 times since then, and watched the warning area. The whole event takes just 1-2 seconds, then the beep, master warning triangle, and warning area error message disappear. The warning error message is first System Check, then that the AC filter needs changing.

Are valid warnings supposed to disappear like that? Also this has just been happening since they worked on the car to replace the driver's door speaker and do the six month inspection...

 

Mine does this and warns me about the Air filter needing to be replaced, even though I re-set that in the infotainment system section for maintenance. I have no idea how to make it go away.

 

 

nice! thanks!

 

Although I don't have a LS. My 4Runner did the beeping noise before the alternator failed. Lights for brakes and abs came on. Lasted about 4 or 5 starts before it stopped working and I needed a tow. The alarm sounded like a smoke detector or carbon monoxide alarm type sound.

 

This worked, thanks!