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Navigation And Bluetooth Voice Recognition Problems


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Anyone else have a bad experience with the Nav and Bluetooth in your Lexus?

When my wife and I went to purchase a brand new 2007, fully loaded RX350, our expectations were high.

In addition to some luxury, she wanted reliability in both the vehicle and a Nav and Bluetooth system.

While we were taking delivery, the customer service rep (part of the sales team), began showing us the various details of the features. The Voice Recognition (VR) of the NAV system was not recognizing some simple commands. My wife became relly nervous and wanted to stop the deal. One of the sales manager calmed her down, indicating that they would work with her on the VR (it was late in the evening) and he also hand-wrote a note on a Due Bill, indicating they woud take back the vehicle if the VR did not work to our satifaction. The next day, they sent a sales rep out to our house to assist with the VR. None of the adjustments he attempted worked. We then brought the vehicle to a Lexus dealership closer to our home. The tehcnicians that worked with my wife indicated that there is a known problem with the VR and the NAV system in general and there was nothing that could be done. The problem was, and is, that my wife really likes the car! So we followed up with Lexus corporate. The customer "satisfaction" rep informed my wife that they would provide an updated DVD at the time of our choosing.

To make a long story short, we didn't return the vehicle, but gave Lexus additional opportunities to fix the problem.

BTW.. I work with VR systems and whomever programmed the Lexus (Toyota) system should be fired... it is very poor at voice recognition ( you can say "Upland" and it will keep saying back "Hopland"). Also, the inability to use the touch screen to enter an address or number while driving, is BS; you can do that in a Hond (or Acura) as well as many other cars. Yes, I know there is an override out there.

It is bad enough that the Voice is a "chatty Cathy"; the route and directions sometimes take you out of the way. Example, the route to Las Vegas is very easy in Southern California. Basically, just take the I-15 North until you get to Vegas. Our route preferences indicated to allow highways, yet the NAV system kept telling us to exit the freeway and take side and/or frontage roads!

Come July, we had had enough, since the VR for the Bluetooth is the same as for the NAV. Not recognizing names, etc.; this is especially important given that in July 2008, hands-free use of cell phones in vehicles is mandatory. It then becomes a safety issue, if the vehicle can't connect you while driving. The system has difficulty recognizing both names and numbers; and yes, both my wife and I tried it, we do not have accents, I enunciate clearly, and we've had other friends and family try it.

We contacted (via mail) the West Cost Lexus Corporate division with our complaints and concerns. They offered us the 10k and 15k service at no charge, plus the new DVD. We wrote back that was unacceptable (and insulting) and requested they repurchase the vehicle. After a couple of weeks, I received the paperwork to complete (asking me for copies of documents they and the dealership should already have); they also indicated it would be a 4 - 6 week process. Over the next three months, we had to contact them, they never contacted us.

To make a long story short, we are now scheduled for an arbitration hearing; we want them to either repurchase the vehicle, or reimburse us for the NAV package.

The moral? If NAV and Bluetooth are important to you and you must have a Lexus (or Toyota for that matter) DO NOT purchase the NAV system as an option. An aftermarket system (such as the Garmin NUVI) works a great deal better.

If you're not in love with the Lexus, then look at the Acura; it's a bit more money, however, the NAV system works great.

BTW... the VR systems in the Mazda and the Infiniti (Nissan) are just as bad.

My biggest beef with Lexus is their attitude towards customers who have legitimate complaints. If I do not receive a satisfactory outcome from the arbitration hearing, I may considering filing a class action suit.

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Anyone else have a bad experience with the Nav and Bluetooth in your Lexus?

When my wife and I went to purchase a brand new 2007, fully loaded RX350, our expectations were high.

In addition to some luxury, she wanted reliability in both the vehicle and a Nav and Bluetooth system.

While we were taking delivery, the customer service rep (part of the sales team), began showing us the various details of the features. The Voice Recognition (VR) of the NAV system was not recognizing some simple commands. My wife became relly nervous and wanted to stop the deal. One of the sales manager calmed her down, indicating that they would work with her on the VR (it was late in the evening) and he also hand-wrote a note on a Due Bill, indicating they woud take back the vehicle if the VR did not work to our satifaction. The next day, they sent a sales rep out to our house to assist with the VR. None of the adjustments he attempted worked. We then brought the vehicle to a Lexus dealership closer to our home. The tehcnicians that worked with my wife indicated that there is a known problem with the VR and the NAV system in general and there was nothing that could be done. The problem was, and is, that my wife really likes the car! So we followed up with Lexus corporate. The customer "satisfaction" rep informed my wife that they would provide an updated DVD at the time of our choosing.

To make a long story short, we didn't return the vehicle, but gave Lexus additional opportunities to fix the problem.

BTW.. I work with VR systems and whomever programmed the Lexus (Toyota) system should be fired... it is very poor at voice recognition ( you can say "Upland" and it will keep saying back "Hopland"). Also, the inability to use the touch screen to enter an address or number while driving, is BS; you can do that in a Hond (or Acura) as well as many other cars. Yes, I know there is an override out there.

It is bad enough that the Voice is a "chatty Cathy"; the route and directions sometimes take you out of the way. Example, the route to Las Vegas is very easy in Southern California. Basically, just take the I-15 North until you get to Vegas. Our route preferences indicated to allow highways, yet the NAV system kept telling us to exit the freeway and take side and/or frontage roads!

Come July, we had had enough, since the VR for the Bluetooth is the same as for the NAV. Not recognizing names, etc.; this is especially important given that in July 2008, hands-free use of cell phones in vehicles is mandatory. It then becomes a safety issue, if the vehicle can't connect you while driving. The system has difficulty recognizing both names and numbers; and yes, both my wife and I tried it, we do not have accents, I enunciate clearly, and we've had other friends and family try it.

We contacted (via mail) the West Cost Lexus Corporate division with our complaints and concerns. They offered us the 10k and 15k service at no charge, plus the new DVD. We wrote back that was unacceptable (and insulting) and requested they repurchase the vehicle. After a couple of weeks, I received the paperwork to complete (asking me for copies of documents they and the dealership should already have); they also indicated it would be a 4 - 6 week process. Over the next three months, we had to contact them, they never contacted us.

To make a long story short, we are now scheduled for an arbitration hearing; we want them to either repurchase the vehicle, or reimburse us for the NAV package.

The moral? If NAV and Bluetooth are important to you and you must have a Lexus (or Toyota for that matter) DO NOT purchase the NAV system as an option. An aftermarket system (such as the Garmin NUVI) works a great deal better.

If you're not in love with the Lexus, then look at the Acura; it's a bit more money, however, the NAV system works great.

BTW... the VR systems in the Mazda and the Infiniti (Nissan) are just as bad.

My biggest beef with Lexus is their attitude towards customers who have legitimate complaints. If I do not receive a satisfactory outcome from the arbitration hearing, I may considering filing a class action suit.

Thanks for the excellant writeup. I have owned 10 lexus vehicals and just looking at another but sounds like Toyota corp has gone way downhill. I also have a 07 Camry with the bluetooth and very disatisfied with it also. No wonder they got to be #1 the last year, it all came in building a cheaper car and poorer service. You just reassured me of what I have thought. Thanks!!!

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  • 5 weeks later...

I feel that the voice recognition system in my 2008 RX350 is terrible too. I could understand if the words sounded vaguely similar, but it is rediculous. I really wished I shopped further on this vehicle instead of relying heavily on the Lexus reputation. The back up lights don't light the road and I have also found it to be uncomfortable on much of a drive. There are much less expensive, more nicely equipped & up to date vehicles out there. The navigation system is more obsolete than my 2005 Chrysler 300 when it comes to road recognition and mapping. Names of roads are different that I have ever heard of in the 25 years of living in my area. I have also noticed quite a bit of wind noise around the mirrors at hwy. speeds. The Tampa Lexus dealership did not bother to even come in and ask me about any problems on my first service. I guess they felt that cookies and latte' would solve the problem.

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I feel that the voice recognition system in my 2008 RX350 is terrible too. I could understand if the words sounded vaguely similar, but it is rediculous. I really wished I shopped further on this vehicle instead of relying heavily on the Lexus reputation. The back up lights don't light the road and I have also found it to be uncomfortable on much of a drive. There are much less expensive, more nicely equipped & up to date vehicles out there. The navigation system is more obsolete than my 2005 Chrysler 300 when it comes to road recognition and mapping. Names of roads are different that I have ever heard of in the 25 years of living in my area. I have also noticed quite a bit of wind noise around the mirrors at hwy. speeds. The Tampa Lexus dealership did not bother to even come in and ask me about any problems on my first service. I guess they felt that cookies and latte' would solve the problem.

I was seriously considering buying an RX350 but have since changed my mind. During my test drive the salesman tried to show me the voice recognition and it didn't work. I found the seats very small and uncomfortable. He stunded me when he said that an oil change costs $75. The RX is very dated and has old technology. I have since looked at the 2009 Nissan Murano. This vehicle is $5000 less in MSRP and has features that are option on an RX350 MSRP of $45000. Lexus doesn't even offer XM or Sirus radio as factory installed. I fouind the Murano's seats to be very nice as well as the entire interior. Lexus has fallen in quality and technology. Hopefully their 2010 model will address these issues.

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Gee I will have to go check my 08 rx-350...maybe it's not a Lexus....mine is perfect...all systems work...rides, runs snd looks beautiful...this is te second rx I have owned so I am not uninformed...oh yes it is a Canadian produced vehicle.

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I have the same problem along with many others. I did however research and find a Bluetooth/voice menu inthe diagnostic screen in the NAV unit. You can adjust volume in and out as well as quality level and one other item that I have no clue waht it does. I changed the volume levels and quality level a few times and during my test calls others saw a marked improvemnt. Ask the dealer to adjust it for you. Yes, I have an 08 with v7.1 software, and no I have not found an override only two levels of diagnostics menus. One actully allowes you to do a 30 sec voice recording test to see how the changes work. I would suggest not changing to many things in the menu with out a shop manual.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Anyone else have a bad experience with the Nav and Bluetooth in your Lexus?

When my wife and I went to purchase a brand new 2007, fully loaded RX350, our expectations were high.

In addition to some luxury, she wanted reliability in both the vehicle and a Nav and Bluetooth system.

While we were taking delivery, the customer service rep (part of the sales team), began showing us the various details of the features. The Voice Recognition (VR) of the NAV system was not recognizing some simple commands. My wife became relly nervous and wanted to stop the deal. One of the sales manager calmed her down, indicating that they would work with her on the VR (it was late in the evening) and he also hand-wrote a note on a Due Bill, indicating they woud take back the vehicle if the VR did not work to our satifaction. The next day, they sent a sales rep out to our house to assist with the VR. None of the adjustments he attempted worked. We then brought the vehicle to a Lexus dealership closer to our home. The tehcnicians that worked with my wife indicated that there is a known problem with the VR and the NAV system in general and there was nothing that could be done. The problem was, and is, that my wife really likes the car! So we followed up with Lexus corporate. The customer "satisfaction" rep informed my wife that they would provide an updated DVD at the time of our choosing.

To make a long story short, we didn't return the vehicle, but gave Lexus additional opportunities to fix the problem.

BTW.. I work with VR systems and whomever programmed the Lexus (Toyota) system should be fired... it is very poor at voice recognition ( you can say "Upland" and it will keep saying back "Hopland"). Also, the inability to use the touch screen to enter an address or number while driving, is BS; you can do that in a Hond (or Acura) as well as many other cars. Yes, I know there is an override out there.

It is bad enough that the Voice is a "chatty Cathy"; the route and directions sometimes take you out of the way. Example, the route to Las Vegas is very easy in Southern California. Basically, just take the I-15 North until you get to Vegas. Our route preferences indicated to allow highways, yet the NAV system kept telling us to exit the freeway and take side and/or frontage roads!

Come July, we had had enough, since the VR for the Bluetooth is the same as for the NAV. Not recognizing names, etc.; this is especially important given that in July 2008, hands-free use of cell phones in vehicles is mandatory. It then becomes a safety issue, if the vehicle can't connect you while driving. The system has difficulty recognizing both names and numbers; and yes, both my wife and I tried it, we do not have accents, I enunciate clearly, and we've had other friends and family try it.

We contacted (via mail) the West Cost Lexus Corporate division with our complaints and concerns. They offered us the 10k and 15k service at no charge, plus the new DVD. We wrote back that was unacceptable (and insulting) and requested they repurchase the vehicle. After a couple of weeks, I received the paperwork to complete (asking me for copies of documents they and the dealership should already have); they also indicated it would be a 4 - 6 week process. Over the next three months, we had to contact them, they never contacted us.

To make a long story short, we are now scheduled for an arbitration hearing; we want them to either repurchase the vehicle, or reimburse us for the NAV package.

The moral? If NAV and Bluetooth are important to you and you must have a Lexus (or Toyota for that matter) DO NOT purchase the NAV system as an option. An aftermarket system (such as the Garmin NUVI) works a great deal better.

If you're not in love with the Lexus, then look at the Acura; it's a bit more money, however, the NAV system works great.

BTW... the VR systems in the Mazda and the Infiniti (Nissan) are just as bad.

My biggest beef with Lexus is their attitude towards customers who have legitimate complaints. If I do not receive a satisfactory outcome from the arbitration hearing, I may considering filing a class action suit.

Let me know how you make out. Count me in if you go ahead with a class action suit. I don't understand why they will let you access 17 numbers of speed dial but not the rest of your phone book! My e-mail address is cgiacobbe@hotmail.com

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I have the same problem along with many others. I did however research and find a Bluetooth/voice menu inthe diagnostic screen in the NAV unit. You can adjust volume in and out as well as quality level and one other item that I have no clue waht it does. I changed the volume levels and quality level a few times and during my test calls others saw a marked improvemnt. Ask the dealer to adjust it for you. Yes, I have an 08 with v7.1 software, and no I have not found an override only two levels of diagnostics menus. One actully allowes you to do a 30 sec voice recording test to see how the changes work. I would suggest not changing to many things in the menu with out a shop manual.

Where could I find instructions on how to navigate to this menu?

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  • 2 years later...

I have absolutely opposite experience with my GX 470 (2005). It's just AWESOME! Yes, the VR is a little stubborn to recognize my commands, but I speak with an accent. When my daughter gives the command (her English is flawless) - the VR works like a charm. BTW, we found a funny workaround - when I try to speak with British accent - it actually works :).

Now about Nav system. My honest opinion that it worth every penny I spent on it. Starting with the voice itself - it's a human voice, not that creepy computer voice coming from Garmin or other after-market devices. Next, the directions. Don't know about Las Vegas, but we go skiing to lake Tahoe almost every weekend during the season. And our Nav saved us so many times by giving us directions to bypass traffic on a main roads and summits. Last Christmas I bought latest and greatest Garmin for my daughter and we took it with us to Tahoe for the testing. OMG... If we wouldn't have our Lexus Nav as a backup, we definitely would end up somewhere unpleasant.. Few times Garmin was trying to threw us off the bridges! It was constantly lost in a mountains. Stuff like that..

So I am a very happy customer, truly love my Lexus :).

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