Lhduran

The battery in my 2014 Lexus IS 250 suddenly died and I had to replace it.....after the battery was replaced I started my car to find that my navigation screen was black with no response. I have searched and can't seem to find anything in regards to it!

premier3IS

have you tried to disconnect it again, wait for a bit, and reconnect?

Roffles

Anyone get this problem... what was the fix?

Roffles

I've actually got it at the dealer now.. Battery died overnight, jump started and navigation didn't work. Drove immediately to autoparts store and replaced battery and navigation still didn't work. Removed negative battery terminal connection overnight still didn't work so went to dealer. I'm hoping It's something as simple as a blown fuse.... but I always kept the positive grounded during the jump start and battery replacement so not sure it would be that. I'm not willing to investigate the fuse box with my car being under a service contract because these guys will find any reason to deny warranty work. I'll post the conclusion.

edit: should also mention when driving at night there was the slightest flicker of dim white light that would flash on the screen every 5-10 seconds.

edit2: got a call from the dealership. they ran a diagnostic tool and determined the radio receiver unit had failed. it's a rather expensive piece of hardware so fingers crossed it will be accepted as warranty work. service manager seems to think there will be no issue having it covered (i have a CPO extended warranty... glad I bought it now because i've had more problems with this car than I'm used to having in a lexus. this will be the last time i buy the first year of a new generation)

Roffles

yep, grabbed the manual... grounded it to the positive then lifted the engine cover and connected the negative to the part on the engine block as per the diagram. i did a jump and then a battery swap in my old lexus ISF and it was not that difficult. it's definitely a pain in the butt compared to older cars.

edit: So my end theory now that it's been diagnosed is simple: The receiver took a dump, and in its malfunctioning state did not shut down properly when I cut off the engine power... resulting in full battery drain. I was suspicious about this because usually you'll have warning signs of a dying battery.... long cranks, battery indicator lights, slow windows etcetera, but everything was perfect the day before i woke up to a dead battery.

Roffles

i posted the dealer findings in my edits above. they troubleshooted a few different things and ultimately determined the radio receiver unit had failed. manager was like "we pulled the navigation screen and installed it in another car to make sure it was working"... which annoyed me because they could have tested it by placing the gear position into R and seeing the backup camera. with parts and labor this will be a 4-figure repair.

Roffles

My service advisor did not mention a blown fuse or any other electrical problems, just a failed radio receiver. And because fuses are designed to blowout as a failsafe to protect electrical components from overvolting, I don't believe the jumpstart or the battery swap itself was the cause. I do think is has something to do with the original dead battery that died: either the receiver failed and drained the battery -or- the battery was failing and somehow caused a voltage irregularity that faulted the receiver. But there's always so much more going on behind the scenes that the techs don't tell you... i can only report what is being said to me and make assumptions on anything else.

swtjen101

Sorry I know this response is late BUT here is the fix for this. I too had this happen twice. The first time my car sat for a couple of weeks and again yesterday after I had a new battery put in. Everyone at the dealership could not fix it. Even Lexus said they had never heard of this happening (though you see it on several threads). The first time this happened another dealership ended up unplugging my radio and plugging it back in. They thought it was a loose connection. Yesterday they didn't have time to do the same fix so I went home with a black navigation screen (though my radio, climate and etc. worked). I was told I probably needed a new radio to be installed which didn't make sense to me. I actually think it's a software bug or safety thing that is keeping the screen from turning on. I was told I'd have to go to the dealership to get them to reboot the radio but I found an easier way that I hope can help someone in the future if this happens to them.

Here is how to reboot the navigation/display screen:
1. Remove the battery terminals for positive and negative
2. Leave the battery unplugged for 30 minutes to an hour (may actually require less time but this is how long we waited)
3. Press the Start button once to turn on the accessory/battery mode (DO NOT HAVE YOUR FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND START THE CAR). *If you start the car the screen will still remain black and you will have to start over
4. Press the PWR/VOL button to turn on the Radio
5. The display screen will light up and show a progress bar showing it is loading the information from the SIM card. Once this completes the system will reboot and the display will light up as normal.

Hope this helps!

HOMER350

Nice write-up.

I've read in multiple places the suggested battery disconnect time is +10 minutes.


I wonder if there would be any gain in following this reboot even without the blank screen issue.
It all works fine in my '14 but screen will flash blue for a fraction of a second only when using Nav.
Seems like the kinda thing a reboot may fix.

nacoleon

Thank you! This took care of the NAV on my 2016 IS350

konichiwa3

Thanks!! You are a life saver! Took care of the RCF after loosing battery power.

jnesss

i'm going to have to replace my battery soon, this malfunctioning radio worries me.

unrelated - last time i was at the dealer, they quoted me something like $250 for the gateway ECU replacement. can anybody chime in if they've had this done to rectify their battery issues?

Rogue2215

Thanks swtjen101! This worked and you saved me time and probably $$$ from the dealer. Wasn't able to find the information on other searches!

wdwinder

Darn, didnt work for me on a 2013 IS250. Gave it over an hour of disconnect. Kind of odd there are 4 or more of posting this in the past week.

When I did try to turn on PWR/VOL I could hear some faint mechanical noise of something cycling a few times. but then nothing. Trying fuses tomorrow.

wdwinder

OK, checked fuses. all are good. Still no luck.
Did I read someone saying to ground the positive lead (once detached from battery) ? I imagine that should be harmless and just speed up the draining of any caps that might keep electronics alive for a bit. Anybody know otherwise?
just noticed this thread is for 3rd gen. Sorry