Dead Battery Under Warranty

[jc350]

I have a 2009 RX350 with 43,000 miles. (still under warranty) I've had to jump the car off four times in the past 3 weeks and have taken it to the dealer twice. Both times they said the battery checks out and can't find anything wrong. They suggested that maybe we left the key on ACC and that drained it. That's not the case. The battery is shot, I replaced it today and they agreed that the battery was bad. My question is that: 1) could something else be draining it? The dealer said that they couldn't find a parasitic drain or 2) Is Lexus service incompetent and dishonest? This is our first Lexus and so far, I'm totally unimpressed. Thanks.

[1990LS400]

This is our first Lexus and so far, I'm totally unimpressed. Thanks.

Are you "totally unimpressed" because of this battery problem or have you had lots of other problems?

I've gotten more than 43,000 miles out of a battery in a Lexus vehicle only once in almost 21 years of driving them. I'd say you are doing pretty good. Also, a battery can test "good" but still be weak.

If you are keeping your headlight switch in the "Auto" position and letting the headlight ECU turn your lights off automatically, try turning the switch to the "Off" position each time you park you car. As explained to me by a Lexus tech, the headlight ECU checks every nanosecond whether your headlights are on and whether they should be turned off -- eating up battery power. Once we started turning the headlight switches in our Camry and Lexus to the "Off" position, our car batteries no longer seem to run down.

If it hasn't already been done, clean your battery terminals with one of those 3-dollar abrasive battery terminal cleaners and use some baking soda, water and an old tooth brush to clean away any corrosion and gunk. Reconnect the terminals and coat them and the battery cable ends with petroleum jelly or a substance designed for that use.

Is Lexus service incompetent? Does a bear !Removed! in the woods?

[rx350guy]

This is our first Lexus and so far, I'm totally unimpressed. Thanks.

Are you "totally unimpressed" because of this battery problem or have you had lots of other problems?

I've gotten more than 43,000 miles out of a battery in a Lexus vehicle only once in almost 21 years of driving them. I'd say you are doing pretty good. Also, a battery can test "good" but still be weak.

If you are keeping your headlight switch in the "Auto" position and letting the headlight ECU turn your lights off automatically, try turning the switch to the "Off" position each time you park you car. As explained to me by a Lexus tech, the headlight ECU checks every nanosecond whether your headlights are on and whether they should be turned off -- eating up battery power. Once we started turning the headlight switches in our Camry and Lexus to the "Off" position, our car batteries no longer seem to run down.

If it hasn't already been done, clean your battery terminals with one of those 3-dollar abrasive battery terminal cleaners and use some baking soda, water and an old tooth brush to clean away any corrosion and gunk. Reconnect the terminals and coat them and the battery cable ends with petroleum jelly or a substance designed for that use.

Is Lexus service incompetent? Does a bear !Removed! in the woods?

I have over 50,000 miles on my 08 RX 350, and the original battery is still going strong. I've never had my headlights on auto..

[Messerchmidt]

the stock batteries seem to be buggy (those and the stock front rotors seem to warp).

they replaced my battery under warranty. at 73,000km my front rotors went kaput. swapped them for some raybestos first line and new pads, problem solved

[alxservice]

It sounds like your bad battery had bad cell which drains battery at night. As soon as you jump started it , battery is started to recharged and when you arrive to dealer , you dont have a fully but some charged battery.when it is tested probably it was in specs so they ve called it was a good battery. There wasnt any misdiagnose at this point, dealer should ask you to leave the vehicle overnight and test the vehicle in the morning when it was cold, most of the time if the battery is really bad it fails at that time.

[pj8708]

Is Lexus service incompetent? Does a bear !Removed! in the woods?

In absolutely no way has this been my experience!. My Lexus service has been exceptional and that way consistently. I know that this is not the case for everyone in every city, but let's not paint with such a broad brush stroke.

Jim, let's lighten up.

Paul

[LEXIRX330]

Is Lexus service incompetent? Does a bear !Removed! in the woods?

In absolutely no way has this been my experience!. My Lexus service has been exceptional

Have to agree with Paul my service is fantastic. Now don't get me wrong at $140 + for a oil change it should be but I have had no problems...and I don't mind paying the extra money for it. I use an independent shop for my BMW and my other Lexus after the warranty had run out and he is great as well.

[yustle]

I have a 2009 RX350 with 43,000 miles. (still under warranty) I've had to jump the car off four times in the past 3 weeks and have taken it to the dealer twice. Both times they said the battery checks out and can't find anything wrong. They suggested that maybe we left the key on ACC and that drained it. That's not the case. The battery is shot, I replaced it today and they agreed that the battery was bad. My question is that: 1) could something else be draining it? The dealer said that they couldn't find a parasitic drain or 2) Is Lexus service incompetent and dishonest? This is our first Lexus and so far, I'm totally unimpressed. Thanks.

Your dealership provided you with poor service. No doubt about that. Once you told them that you had to keep giving your battery a jump, they should've replaced your battery under warranty (battery is covered for four years). Once you jump a battery and drive around for a bit, the battery can test just fine. The issue is, can the battery hold a charge and that's something that can't be tested unless they hold your car overnight.

I had the same exact problem as you did back in November of 2010 on my 2008 RX350. It had about 42,000 miles (about three years). I had to jump it every time I wanted to drive it. When I took it to the dealership and explained the problem, they gave me a new battery under warranty quick and easy.

I've also googled this problem and it isn't as uncommon as you would hope. Other owners' batteries have also died at around the three year mark.

[JonesS6]

I have a 2009 RX350 with 43,000 miles. (still under warranty) I've had to jump the car off four times in the past 3 weeks and have taken it to the dealer twice. Both times they said the battery checks out and can't find anything wrong. They suggested that maybe we left the key on ACC and that drained it. That's not the case. The battery is shot, I replaced it today and they agreed that the battery was bad. My question is that: 1) could something else be draining it? The dealer said that they couldn't find a parasitic drain or 2) Is Lexus service incompetent and dishonest? This is our first Lexus and so far, I'm totally unimpressed. Thanks.

I have a 2010 Lexus R350 with identical mileage and identical issues. I had the battery checked and asked to have it charged at a local garage. They reported that the battery was bad and wouldn't charge fully. I immediately drove the 60 miles down curvy mt. roads to nearest Lexus dealer. This is the second battery to go bad. The first was the one that came pre-installed with the vehicle. This was the warranty replacement battery 1 yr. & 9 mos. ago. Greenville, SC, Lexus mgr. claims nothing wrong with battery. Says he won't replace battery even though it says 84 mo. warranty (Lexus 00544-MF24f-575). Says if he has to "replace a replacement," I have to pay for it. It's nighttime now, I'm over a barrel. I put out the $115+ for the new battery. I ask to hold onto the old battery. Dealer seems mildly shocked. Firm inadvertently(?) tries to charge battery recycling fee. While all this is going on, I decide to report the problem to Lexus' customer service line. Case manager won't be back to me for days. Phone lady politely suggests that I could request a loaner battery until this is resolved. Dealer refuses. I do the arduous drive back up the mt. I'm asking the same question you are. Something just doesn't "smell" right. I wonder if the dealer pawned off a used battery on me for the warranty replacement a year ago, which is why it went bad so fast. Or is there something amiss in the inherent electrical system that Lexus is failing to own up to?

[RX400h]

Whenever you are buying a battery, make sure you understand the date code on it. That code should show that the battery is fairly fresh - no more than a month or two old, if possible. Costco and Walmart sell lots of batteries, so very recently made ones are likely to be available.

In any case, if a dealership insists that as battery isn't good, ask to witness a load test on it. If you or they suspect that a drain caused by the vehicle is causing the battery life to be shortened, have them run a quick current draw test.

You must know which area is at fault - the battery or your vehicle. Our factory battery lasted about 5 years and our current Costco battery is now 4 years old and doing well.