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I just bought a new-to-me 2018 ES350 last month. If I drive the car for more than 20-30 minutes or so, I start to get a very bad migraine headache. I get a little tingling on my face.
None of my friends or family that ride with me experience any of this. It's just me. I did a visual inspection for mold but didn't find anything. I replaced the cabin air filter but it looked clean in there. The car itself is in incredibly good condition. The engine is not burning any oil.
I'm seriously hoping that maybe this is due to a cleaner the dealership used to detail the car, but I'm doubting it. I have all the doors open and I'm trying to air out anything that could be causing this.
Prior to this purchase, I only drove older cars. My other cars are a 2003 Highlander and a 2006 corolla - and I feel 100% fine when driving these cars.
I'm at a loss here. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this kind of issue before?
Does this car have ANC (active noise control) or automatic noise canceling as a way to decrease cabin noise by canceling out unwanted noise from outside ?
Does this car have ANC (active noise control) or automatic noise canceling as a way to decrease cabin noise by canceling out unwanted noise from outside ?
some people are sensitive to this.
I don't remember seeing anything like this but I will check. I need to check what else this car has than older cars don't have.
Darn, that was introduced in the 2019 and up ES350s. Thanks for the help so far! I just subscribed to a 2 day subscription of techinfo and gonna look for anything odd in the car.
Is the headrest too far forward making your head bend forward? I know that gets to my wife and she uses a back rest thing to move her back forward so her head isn’t jilted so far forward.
Is the headrest too far forward making your head bend forward? I know that gets to my wife and she uses a back rest thing to move her back forward so her head isn’t jilted so far forward.
Hmm no it looks fine.
UPDATE as of today - still getting weird headaches and face tingly only when I drive the ES350.
I took a look through the service manual and read about the DCM which transmits and receives data related to the car. This is probably not the issue, but I'm going to pull the fuse on this (called the "MAYDAY" fuse in the engine bay) and see if anything changes. will report back later.
This might sound stupid. But did they use a cleaner on the front windshield? If there is some minor distortion of the glass you're looking out of for longer than a few minutes (front windshield) it can cause headaches...
I like 703's suggestion: perhaps someone has used some chemical cleaner or deodorizer when "detailing" that car and it's setting you off. My wife will get headaches from (particularly) solvent vapours. She's highly sensitive to any chemical fumes that I can't even detect and whereas I can use a cleaners or paint in the garage she seems to be able to smell it from inside the house, come out and ask what I'm been using.
Do you get migraines at any other time when not driving? Or is this just a bad headache you’ve never experienced before?
yes, could be the cleaner that was used. Are you sensitive to cleaners or chemicals at other times?
has anyone else driven the car and what’s their experience?
airing it out will take a long time, you’d need it cleaned again with a mild detergent, and rinsed well with water.
I had a car stolen once and the insurance co had it completely cleaned before it was returned to me. The smell was awful, and made me nauseous. I had to have it cleaned twice again including the carpets, before the smell dissipated.
Suggest asking the dealer what they used to clean the car, and ask to see the actual product and do some research on it.
Hello - to answer some of the questions:
1. I got my hands on a '14 GX460 and drove that for about 30 minutes and felt 100% fine.
2. I tried both recirc/non recirc, no change.
3. No I do not get migraines in any other situation. I've never been sensitive to anything like this before in my life.
4. I wiped everything with a baby wipe and let the car air out for a day or two.
5. Pulled the MAYDAY fuse. All that did was disable the SOS button and stopped the data updates to my phone.
I'm still getting the same headaches/tingling.
However, I did find something interesting in the lexus drivers service history:
I'm guessing that this is not a normal service done at 30k miles right?
I have a lead! I'll get a mold test done again, and perhaps I have a mold sensitivity and will see if I can get that tested.
Really, really, really hoping this is the cause of my headaches.
11-17-22, 03:56 AM
Migraine headaches while driving car?
