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Due to the storm, my 3-year old RX350h sat in an unheated garage for 5 days, with its original battery. Yesterday it started instantly and went on a small uneventful shopping trip.
Had no trouble starting and stopping on unplowed roads, with the Goodyear tires. Texas appears to have zero equipment to cope with snow and ice.
Snow is not a very significant factor, but prolonged single digits temperature certainly is. You may have a different experience when your RX sat for 5 days in an unheated garage when outside temp is consistently in single digits or below.
ACC mode = 25-30 amps
Following include ACC amps
Headlights on = 40-45 amps
Heated steering wheel or seat = 34 amps
HVAC = 36 amps
Immediately after starting, I observed a 12v charging current of 56 amps, which tapered down quickly. The video below sees 46 amps charging current, tapering quickly.
Yes, referring to this exact point in time in the screenshot below.
This is obviously with a perfectly functioning 12 Battery in this Prius. This would indicate that the total current flow out of the (perhaps miserly, relative to Lexus) Prius' DC-DC converter at the point of turning the car on is actually 84 Amps at the very least. Now if the 12 V battery were degraded or nearly dead with having 0 - 3 V in a dead car - such that the 12V battery acts as a bigger current sink than the 44 Amps its drawing in the screenshot - one can easily see how the value of current draw out of the external cable easily try to go above 44 Amps for a few seconds. Now add on the fact that Lexus very likely has a higher electrical load than a Prius at starting, may have fan/heat/etc on, its easy to see how the draw can be far higher than 100 Amps for a few seconds.
Also, the car may actually try to draw higher than normal current from the DC-DC converter during that in-rush period as well (in the absence of actual jump-starter-source of current - which provides very high Amps for a few seconds), potentially damaging the DC-DC converter in the process. Seems like a very bad idea to even try.
I am so sorry you are having this experience as it is both scary and outragious that we spend this kind of money on cars with this potentially dangerous issue. Not driving every day does not produce this problem in most other vehicles and one should not have to add chargers or maintainers. I do not know but a handfull of people who even know what a batterycharger or maintainer is. If batteries in all cars went dead requireing this kind of maintenance we would see tow service trucks parked on every block!
However, as suggested by WellsB, and if you choose to keep the car, you can find a mechanic who will add a charging cable to the battery and/or look into purchase and installation of the Ionic jump starter (about $100) . You can activate it from your phone app and get going. If you have had that 5 AAA visits almost weekly, I would think there is a battery problem regardless of what they say, or a serious parasitic drain or other serious issue. I am also about 100 miles from the dealer but if you are under warranty, I would have them pick up the car and demand a free rental, get them involved and have a serious sitdown discussion. In most states you have lemon law protection so seek legal advice if no results from the dealer.
This a known problem with Lexus and I fear that the dead battery issue will eventually result in harm coming to a person or pet stuck in the cold or heat. I've listed possible scenarios in previous posts that include a mother getting an infant locked in the car, and my wife and I stuck in a freezing parking lot. Again I am truly sorry and I hope we hear find successful resolution. Stay safe!
I have driven a Lexus since 2008 and have come to rely on safety and reliability. I have now leased an RX 450h+ for one year. I left the car for 3.5 weeks, yesterday battery dead. Lexus RA sent AAA, young kid jumped wrongly and blew the fuse and damaged the computer. This after spending an hour on the phone with the dealer talking me through the manual key entry. Besides the obvious terrible day, I am shocked to hear this is a known issue! The safety concern to me is huge- even after opening the driver's door I was unable to open the back or take the plug-in out. Getting a child out of the backseat would have been very scary as a grandmother! I am very disappointed and may likely turn this car in and get back to an older car. 75K car, this is BS. Previous cars could sit long periods easily. Car at dealer, I have loaner, waiting for estimate. As much as AAA should know better, I feel Lexus bears some responsibility for creating the risk of a bad jump, clearly knowing about it, and not mitigating immediately with CLEAR warnings on engine!!
While you're driving with friends who may be unfamiliar, be sure to remind them every few miles, just in case they forget in an emergency. I'm surprised that Lexus didn't put in a screen warning for this reminder.
I have driven a Lexus since 2008 and have come to rely on safety and reliability. I have now leased an RX 450h+ for one year. I left the car for 3.5 weeks, yesterday battery dead. Lexus RA sent AAA, young kid jumped wrongly and blew the fuse and damaged the computer. This after spending an hour on the phone with the dealer talking me through the manual key entry. Besides the obvious terrible day, I am shocked to hear this is a known issue! The safety concern to me is huge- even after opening the driver's door I was unable to open the back or take the plug-in out. Getting a child out of the backseat would have been very scary as a grandmother! I am very disappointed and may likely turn this car in and get back to an older car. 75K car, this is BS. Previous cars could sit long periods easily. Car at dealer, I have loaner, waiting for estimate. As much as AAA should know better, I feel Lexus bears some responsibility for creating the risk of a bad jump, clearly knowing about it, and not mitigating immediately with CLEAR warnings on engine!!
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Lexus RX450h+
LEXUS is responsible for the damage to the car was a Lexus contractor who did the damage.
But you seriously should learn a little about the basics of your car.
LEXUS is responsible for the damage to the car was a Lexus contractor who did the damage.
But you seriously should learn a little about the basics of your car.
The Road-side assistance is done by separate, AAA or other outsourced, small businesses that roam the highways and jump any car they get a call about for a per-incident fee. They are neither trained by Lexus, nor expected to know any specific car's idiosyncrasies - they simply follow muscle-memory.
When you are designing a car that sells especially well to seniors, retirees, and a demography of people who blindly trust your brand for reliability - there is a higher expectation of making the product's features at least intuitive, and if not, obvious - rather than stupidly copy a certain "T" on making electronically operated doors, while not having a fail-safe against 12 V battery death that happens based on weather, car-usage and simply keeping the car in ACC mode for minutes. One cannot expect the buyers to read-over the car manual every weekend, as if they are reading the bible at church-service every Sunday - regardless of what some posters in this forum like to be doing. Most people have their lives to go about.
While you're driving with friends who may be unfamiliar, be sure to remind them every few miles, just in case they forget in an emergency. I'm surprised that Lexus didn't put in a screen warning for this reminder.
Obviously, some people don't get it, but that hasn't been my personal experience.
Almost every passenger I've had in the RX has intuitively pulled the lever once, not had it open, then pull it again and open it, even after I've explained that its a push-button door opener.
I even had a passenger defeat the safety to prevent opening the door into oncoming traffic by pulling it twice after the button would not let them out because there was iterally oncoming traffic.
I've never had a passenger not be able to get out. Many have been elderly.
The Road-side assistance is done by separate, AAA or other outsourced, small businesses that roam the highways and jump any car they get a call about for a per-incident fee. They are neither trained by Lexus, nor expected to know any specific car's idiosyncrasies - they simply follow muscle-memory.
When you are designing a car that sells especially well to seniors, retirees, and a demography of people who blindly trust your brand for reliability - there is a higher expectation of making the product's features at least intuitive, and if not, obvious - rather than stupidly copy a certain "T" on making electronically operated doors, while not having a fail-safe against 12 V battery death that happens based on weather, car-usage and simply keeping the car in ACC mode for minutes. One cannot expect the buyers to read-over the car manual every weekend, as if they are reading the bible at church-service every Sunday - regardless of what some posters in this forum like to be doing. Most people have their lives to go about.
So Lexus is responsible for everything.
I agree. Lexus/Toyota should make things more user-friendly, not more complicated. I am not sure if burying all the physical buttons from the past into the new infotainment screen saves money, but it certainly is not user-friendly nor convenient. New technology should go forwards, not backwards!!
The Road-side assistance is done by separate, AAA or other outsourced, small businesses that roam the highways and jump any car they get a call about for a per-incident fee. They are neither trained by Lexus, nor expected to know any specific car's idiosyncrasies - they simply follow muscle-memory.
When you are designing a car that sells especially well to seniors, retirees, and a demography of people who blindly trust your brand for reliability - there is a higher expectation of making the product's features at least intuitive, and if not, obvious - rather than stupidly copy a certain "T" on making electronically operated doors, while not having a fail-safe against 12 V battery death that happens based on weather, car-usage and simply keeping the car in ACC mode for minutes. One cannot expect the buyers to read-over the car manual every weekend, as if they are reading the bible at church-service every Sunday - regardless of what some posters in this forum like to be doing. Most people have their lives to go about.
So Lexus is responsible for everything.
Well said wrinkle. I don't feel we should shame or "victim blame" as a diversion for an obvious Lexus failure.
I have driven a Lexus since 2008 and have come to rely on safety and reliability. I have now leased an RX 450h+ for one year. I left the car for 3.5 weeks, yesterday battery dead. Lexus RA sent AAA, young kid jumped wrongly and blew the fuse and damaged the computer. This after spending an hour on the phone with the dealer talking me through the manual key entry. Besides the obvious terrible day, I am shocked to hear this is a known issue! The safety concern to me is huge- even after opening the driver's door I was unable to open the back or take the plug-in out. Getting a child out of the backseat would have been very scary as a grandmother! I am very disappointed and may likely turn this car in and get back to an older car. 75K car, this is BS. Previous cars could sit long periods easily. Car at dealer, I have loaner, waiting for estimate. As much as AAA should know better, I feel Lexus bears some responsibility for creating the risk of a bad jump, clearly knowing about it, and not mitigating immediately with CLEAR warnings on engine!!
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Lexus RX450h+
I feel for you and could not agree more. Let us hope that we do not see a tragedy occur after this seemingly unending and documented series of issues reported to Lexus by owners.
My RX450h+ seems to be charging the battery at 14.28 volts the entire time I am driving the vehicle. I believe this behavior is new but maybe I am confused.
If you look at the chart below you can see when I left my home at 8:09am and drove until 9:25am. The dip is when I stopped for coffee and then drove a short distance to my final location. You also can see at 10:41am that I began my drive back home until stopping for gas at 11:31am then drove home after that. It appears that the entire time that I was actually driving the vehicle the battery was getting charged like an old school alternator.
Good to know, thanks. My 350h does the same thing; a horizontal line. It has to charge or else car wouldn't last 20min.
I think we can agree the perfect storm is:
1. Car isn't driven enough during the week
2. Leaving the doors/trunk open/headlights on during an install or detailing
3. Using ACC music/headlights while waiting for mcdonalds with engine off as an example
4. Cold weather has an effect on topping up to get pass the threshold
Fair to say we have now established the solutions to jump start the vehicle now.
For comparison, here is a graph of a road trip from July. It shows a short charging session at 14.17 volts then the usual 12.8 volts for the remainder of the trip with occasional short peaks.
The one thing that I just read was that having your headlights on will force the 14 volt charging. My drive yesterday was in the middle of the day with the headlights on Auto so I don't know if they were on or not. It was maybe partly cloudy...
