Major Mystery In My Es350

[pj8708]

I was at the drugstore today. I parked, got out of the car, and locked it using the lock/unlock rocker switch on the drivers door panel.I put the FOB in my pocket and walked in the store. After being the store about twenty minutes, I came out and as I walked toward the car, I could see that all four windows were down half way. Not a 1/3 or 2/3 but exactly 1/2.

My first thought was I've been robbed!! Holly crap. The car was still locked, and nothing had been touched. I started trying to figure out how someone could have gained access to the transmitter codes to mess with the windows, and if they went to all that trouble why not take the damn car!

I next thought about the FOB in my pocket. What could I have accidentally hit to make this happen. Nothing I could think of. I did have the car programed so I could press the unlock button for 5 seconds or so and all the windows and moon roof would open ALL the way to let out the summer heat after it had been parked in a mall parking lot for several hours. In this case, the moon roof was not open and the windows were not all the way down.

This has me stumped. Anybody out there have even a guess as to what is going on here. I would appreciate any arm chair Sherlock Holmes.

Thank you,

Paul

[lenore]

Yep been there on our RX, probably the key fob while in your pocket...If the button is held down a couple of times the windows go all the way down.

[LEXIRX330]

Strange...Strange...Strange!

There is no way you could have had something hit the unlock button for a few seconds? For the windows to go all of the way down and sunroof to open fully you have to continue to hold the unlock button down I think...when you stop pressing the button and if you hit another button the windows stop going down...so this would be my only guess as to what could have happened...

[pj8708]

Well, I just went out again and tried every combination I could think of to try and make the windows go down all at the same time and all at just half way. As you said Lexir, The only way I came up with is to hold down the unlock button. BUT, the windows only go down as Long as you hold the button, and they go down all the way. The moon roof opens as well and will only open as long as you hold down the button. In my scenario, the moon roof never opened.

It appears this is not the solution.

[dcfish]

Was the sunroof tilted up ?

[pj8708]

No it wasn't "dc". I hadn't had it open all day.

[1990LS400]

This problem has also been reported as being a result of a horrible medical condition called "T.P.S.".

T.P.S. = "Tight Pants Syndrome"

Seriously, it has been discussed on Lexus forums and forums for other makes.

I don't think I have ever lowered car windows like that - my pants are NOT that tight! - but I have locked and unlocked our cars numerous times over the years while the cars have been in the garage when a button on a car key in my pants pocket came in contact with something else in my pocket. I suspected that it was a Swiss army knife that was depressing a key button so I have since carried it in my left pocket and car keys in the right pocket.

In just the last week or two I knelt down to use my tire gauge on a tire and "clunk", I heard my wife's car doors lock. The buttons on the key fob or her Camry are especially easy to push so it's usually the car that is affected.

[pj8708]

LOL....yes, the TPS syndrome began with "Saturday Night Fever" and the stretch pants phase..(if your old enough to remember.)

In addition to the other things I've described, I don't understand how a TPS signal could travel thus: The car was parked in the middle of a large shopping center type parking lot. I was inside a typical Walgreen's made with brick and steel I-beam construction. My location was on the opposite side of the store from the parking lot and my estimate puts the store at about 30 yards wide. For a FOB signal to travel that far in those conditions seems to me to be a stretch.?

Paul

[cduluk]

That's really odd, but it definitely sounds like it has to do with the way your dealer specifically programmed the keyfob feature on your ES.

It's weird that by holding down the unlock button on the key fob it will only let the windows go down 100% on your ES. On other Lexus models this handy feature is set as default and you can control how far down they roll based on how long you hold down the unlock button on the remote. This difference tells me that there's a different program built into your cars computer than the one most other Lexus models have.

I don't think there's any way to justify what you experienced on the ES350 using prior knowledge of this Lexus feature, since it's a different program than that used in older models. There's no reason to assume it should behave the same way as some of the older Lexus models. For all we know, the program Lexus uses for the ES350 is the same one used in an Acura... Maybe there's more to this new program we don't know about, maybe new inputs that will result in the windows opening like interior temperature reaching a certain point, or who knows!

I'd definitely let your dealer know about this. My guess is that there's a programming error. Let them "disable" the feature and re-enable it again. I bet that will clear any errors and get it working right again.

[LEXIRX330]

That's really odd, but it definitely sounds like it has to do with the way your dealer specifically programmed the keyfob feature on your ES.

It's weird that by holding down the unlock button on the key fob it will only let the windows go down 100% on your ES. On other Lexus models this handy feature is set as default and you can control how far down they roll based on how long you hold down the unlock button on the remote. This difference tells me that there's a different program built into your cars computer than the one most other Lexus models have.

I don't think there's any way to justify what you experienced on the ES350 using prior knowledge of this Lexus feature, since it's a different program than that used in older models. There's no reason to assume it should behave the same way as some of the older Lexus models. For all we know, the program Lexus uses for the ES350 is the same one used in an Acura... Maybe there's more to this new program we don't know about, maybe new inputs that will result in the windows opening like interior temperature reaching a certain point, or who knows!

I'd definitely let your dealer know about this. My guess is that there's a programming error. Let them "disable" the feature and re-enable it again. I bet that will clear any errors and get it working right again.

CD I think he is saying the same thing that you have to hold the button down and continue to hold to keep the windows going down. The odd thing is that the sunroof didn't open. If it was tilted as DC mentioned that would answer why the sunroof didn't open. But for the windows to be exactly 1/2 way down and the sunroof not opened at all that cant be it.

You sure you didn't leave the windows half down while you were jamming out to your tunes? Paul I think you may need to chalk this one up to CRS (can't remember s h i t) I hear that it comes with increased age! :)

[pj8708]

That's really odd, but it definitely sounds like it has to do with the way your dealer specifically programmed the keyfob feature on your ES.

It's weird that by holding down the unlock button on the key fob it will only let the windows go down 100% on your ES. On other Lexus models this handy feature is set as default and you can control how far down they roll based on how long you hold down the unlock button on the remote. This difference tells me that there's a different program built into your cars computer than the one most other Lexus models have.

I don't think there's any way to justify what you experienced on the ES350 using prior knowledge of this Lexus feature, since it's a different program than that used in older models. There's no reason to assume it should behave the same way as some of the older Lexus models. For all we know, the program Lexus uses for the ES350 is the same one used in an Acura... Maybe there's more to this new program we don't know about, maybe new inputs that will result in the windows opening like interior temperature reaching a certain point, or who knows!

I'd definitely let your dealer know about this. My guess is that there's a programming error. Let them "disable" the feature and re-enable it again. I bet that will clear any errors and get it working right again.

CD I think he is saying the same thing that you have to hold the button down and continue to hold to keep the windows going down. The odd thing is that the sunroof didn't open. If it was tilted as DC mentioned that would answer why the sunroof didn't open. But for the windows to be exactly 1/2 way down and the sunroof not opened at all that cant be it.

You sure you didn't leave the windows half down while you were jamming out to your tunes? Paul I think you may need to chalk this one up to CRS (can't remember s h i t) I hear that it comes with increased age! :)

Actually I usually pull up to a traffic light and roll down all my windows, then turn up my tunes as loud as I can so those around me can enjoy my tunes along with me!!LOL...(I hate people who do that.)

I am a card carrying member of the local CRS lodge, but I think this little incident goes beyond even that. I am going to drop by the dealer tomorrow and let them scratch their heads for a while. They will probably tell me I imagined it all and recommend a good therapist.

[SW03ES]

Try holding the unlock button down and then letting go when the windows are half way down. The windows will stop...

The moonroof is also delayed, it opens only after the windows are about half way down. So what I think happened is somehow you pinned that button in your pocket just long enough for all the windows to go down 1/2 way, but not quite long enough for the moonroof to open. The doors were still locked because if you unlock them and don't open a door within 60 seconds, the doors relock.

[dcfish]

SW, That sounds very possible

[pj8708]

Try holding the unlock button down and then letting go when the windows are half way down. The windows will stop...

The moonroof is also delayed, it opens only after the windows are about half way down. So what I think happened is somehow you pinned that button in your pocket just long enough for all the windows to go down 1/2 way, but not quite long enough for the moonroof to open. The doors were still locked because if you unlock them and don't open a door within 60 seconds, the doors relock.

I'll try that. It makes the most sense. Do you think however, that given the physical description of the building and the distance, that the signal could have have traveled that far?

[LEXIRX330]

Try holding the unlock button down and then letting go when the windows are half way down. The windows will stop...

The moonroof is also delayed, it opens only after the windows are about half way down. So what I think happened is somehow you pinned that button in your pocket just long enough for all the windows to go down 1/2 way, but not quite long enough for the moonroof to open. The doors were still locked because if you unlock them and don't open a door within 60 seconds, the doors relock.

I'll try that. It makes the most sense. Do you think however, that given the physical description of the building and the distance, that the signal could have have traveled that far?

Could have happened while you were walking in to the store? Since you had on your "skinny" jeans!

SW is right about the sunroof not opening up until the windows are about half of the way down too. So that must be it...

[pj8708]

Thank you to everybody for your help in solving the "Mystery of the Half Way Window".

Steve W. played Sherlock for our performance and solved the riddle. It was the depression of the unlock button for about 5 seconds or so that set off the automatic roll down feature on the ES350. Apparently, it was somehow depressed while in my pocket for just the right amount of time to roll down the windows 1/2 way, but not start the moon roof in motion.

As for the signal distance issue, as Lexir pointed out, it could have happened while I was just going in or just coming out of the store.

One footnote: The auto roll down feature on the 2010 ES350 is an option that must be programed by the dealer.

Again, Thanks!

Paul

[peteanello]

Happened to me too on July 4, 2010. I couldn't beleive it. The possibility of bottle rockets flying into my car. It was like a war zone out in the street. Then I remembered having stooped down for several seconds, while in the house, as the key fob was in my right front pocket and that caused the windows down/sunroof open. Forgot to get it reprogrammed on my last service, but will the next time.

[pj8708]

Happened to me too on July 4, 2010. I couldn't beleive it. The possibility of bottle rockets flying into my car. It was like a war zone out in the street. Then I remembered having stooped down for several seconds, while in the house, as the key fob was in my right front pocket and that caused the windows down/sunroof open. Forgot to get it reprogrammed on my last service, but will the next time.

I'm really glad to hear it wasn't all in my head! It's pretty unnerving to walk out to what you thought was a securely locked car, and find it wide open. Hope the bottle rockets didn't zoom through your sun roof.

[SW03ES]

Happened to me one time with the old 300. I walked down to the garage and it was sitting there with all the windows open lol

[rbpetex]

Just to clarify a solution to the problem - your dealer has to remove (deprogram) the feature; or, you have to be very careful about how you carry that little box with the buttons on it that we used to call a key, when they had keys.

[pj8708]

Just to clarify a solution to the problem - your dealer has to remove (deprogram) the feature; or, you have to be very careful about how you carry that little box with the buttons on it that we used to call a key, when they had keys.

I can only speak for the 2010 ES generation. The car comes from the factory without the ability to roll down all windows at once. You must take it to the dealer to have this feature "activated". My 05' ES also had this feature but, the car was pre-owned to me so I don't know if it came from the factory like that or if it was dealer activated.

Paul

[SW03ES]

It came from the factory like that on the '05...