My dad bought a 2023 NX (I have a 2017 RX, so I’m familiar with Lexus). This feels like a really dumb question, but I need to ask: if the car can sense when another car is passing behind when you’re trying to reverse out of a parking spot, wouldn’t that mean that the car definitely has the ability to tell when your car is backing up and too close to something? I know there’s a more elegant way to say this…
Basically, my sisters & I are all convinced my dad’s car is a lemon, but he lives across the country so none of us can test it out at the moment. One of the various issues is, assuming I’m right that it can tell when you’re too close to something, that doesn’t see to be working. My car will tell me a good 3 feet away, but I got no more than 18” from another car and no sensor went off. Their dealership is treating us all like dumb women. We’re all over 55, and have driven cars since we were 16, so we know how cars are supposed to work. SMH.

 

Have him double check if PKSA is enabled in the driver assistance settings. Then ask him to try to reverse close to an object like a wall (obviously don't hit it.), and if there are no audible beeps when he's about 2 feet away, take it to the dealership and ask them to test it out.

 

depends if his car has intuitive park option on his car

 

If that does not help... do a CarFax to see if any body work was done or have it independently inspected. Possibly it was worked on and not calibrated or activated . If there is an issue that was not disclosed take legal action. If bought it "as is" not sure how to answer. However if your dad is the second owner on a 2023 it was traded for a reason. Do not trust a car sales person selling a PreOwned ride... and no offense to the professional quality sales people. Sorry to hear and good luck regardless.

 

A plastic trash can or a bush may work better. That way if it's hit, no big deal.

 

Backing out will start the rear cross traffic alert system. This uses 2 sensors behind the bumper (Not visible from Outside) to detect approaching objects. These sensors are used for rear cross traffic alert and blind spot monitoring.

Parking sensors are different. They would be the small round sensors in the bumpers, visible from outside.

If the car has the visible sensors, then it has parking assist. Now that may or may not include the auto brake system, depending on the options on that car.

 

Thanks. I’ll check it out next time I’m there. He’s technically challenged & refuses to believe there’s anything wrong, despite it dying twice.

 

Thanks. I'll check to see if he has it next time I'm there.

 

Sorry if it wasn't clear - he's the first owner.

 

Thanks; I'll look for the sensors next time I'm there. It seems ridiculous to me that it would have moton detection but no parking sensors!

 

thank you, very good explanation. I’m still dumbfounded that even a base model of Lexus wouldn’t come with these sensors.

 

Many/most (maybe even all?) do, but its also very easy to turn the whole thing off. When parking assist is active (and especially with rear brake support option) it can be a traumatic experience for some. The backup cam starts to light up like a rock concert, alert tones start playing like a toddler pounding on a music keyboard, and if the rear brake support triggers, have the defibrillator and oxygen at the ready because its extremely startling. Some people turn that stuff off to cope, maybe he did and forgot?

 

He wouldn’t know how to turn it off; he’s 91. Even if he could’ve reached below his desk, he wouldn’t have been able to figure out how to plug his computer speakers into the amplifier…. Either it was turned off when he bought it new, or (more likely) he bought the cheapest option. To me a complete waste - a 91 year old has no business buying a new car, but if they do, the they damned well better get every safety feature available. Interesting what you’re saying about all of the alerts. While I do find some annoying on my Lexus, I’ve never noticed anything happening on the backup camera when I get too close.

 

I know the feeling, my father is approaching 95 and he has trouble doing things too, but that doesn't stop him from trying and I'm frequently having to fix stuff he's messed up When I ask what he did, "I don't remember". LOL.

Oh yea, the backup cam image will light up all over the place. I back my NX into the garage every day and its flashing yellow bars on the screen in any location that has objects close by (which in my garage is a lot of stuff). And when it senses multiple close by objects the warning alerts start playing faster, and more furiously. Toddler banging on a keyboard, or an orchestra warming up, its a lot of racket and a lot of flashing.