tomli777

First time Lexus owner here...I bought my new 2020 ES 350 about two and a half months ago and have been driving it moderately since then (2000 miles) and there have been no issues. Today I went to start it and the first time the screens were flickering and lights came on but engine would not start. Tried several more times and each time the engine would not start but occasionally there would be a fast clicking sound.

Is it possible that the battery died already?? I have never had this issue with any of my past cars and really astounded that this would happen in a new ES. Doing some searches online I've also not seen anything like this. No extreme weather, car was not left on, there is no possible reason I can think would remotely even cause this.

I called the dealer but unfortunately they were already closed....hopefully they can send someone from service to my house tomorrow morning.

lesz

What you have described does show all of the symptoms of a dead battery.

irobot2090

Got my 2020 ES around 3 months and 3K miles and haven't had any issue yet. Did you leave anything on or maybe the door is open that might cause the problem. I don't have any issue for now but will monitor.

tomli777

nope. I check everything twice because I usually go get wipes to wipe everything when I get home and I also get alerts if something is even unlocked from the app. The concerning thing is every time I tried to start it it was different. Sometime there was a clicking sound, sometimes the monitor flickered ....

irobot2090

I'm in CA weather isn't cold yet but will monitor and hopefully it's not die on me. It's brand new car and brand new battery can't be dead that early.

MikeP

Maybe Lexus Roadside Assistance can get your car started so you can drive it to the dealer.

nightsh

I left my key in a room above the garage, and my 3 month old ES350 died with similar symptoms. Called roadside service to jump the car. Since then I have always kept my keys inside a tin box and everything’s fine.

mikemu30

There's some history of bad batteries with the 2020 MY. I doubt leaving the key nearby is the issue. Our 2017 RX is still on the original battery and the key is frequently within 20 feet and not shielded. Same with my 19 ES but that key I often place in a protective sack.

lccgl479

i had the same issue with my 2020 ES 350. There was an active thread concerning this issue. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/www...age=2&t=946759

Mine did exactly as you describe, and while at the dealer for another issue, told them about the battery. They checked it and discovered it had a dead cell. They replaced it, under warranty of course, and I’ve not had any troubles yet. Knock on wood. I’m sure once you get it to the dealer they’ll get you taken care of. Good luck.

SW17LS

This is more common than you think. Batteries are discharged and recharged and discharged and recharged when the car is in transit and at the dealer and sometimes go bad and need to be replaced. Lexus will put a new battery in under warranty and all will be well.

tomli777

so it turns out the battery was dead, but not from anything I did. The dealership told me the ES had a software update they had to do, because what was happening to new ES was that when you turned off the car, it still wouldn't completely shut down (I believe the EC?) and that would drain the battery. they said they had four cases of that just this week.
As glad as I am that this is hopefully fixed, it made me feel unsettled that this happened to a brand new Lexus. I called Lexus customer service (I think it's called vehicle experience or something) and the lady was extremely unhelpful and pretty rude. Her exact words were "well...you would have found out about the need about the software update if someone contacted you or in this case...if you car won't start. that's on the customer to figure out" I was shocked at this and asked for a case manager to talk to. hopefully they reach out next week and I have better luck.

lccgl479

The battery in my 2020 ES 350 began acting up with just 1200 miles on it. I had owned it for almost exactly 5 months when it happened. There have been numerous posts of battery issues on this forum. I told my dealer about the problem, clicking, lights flickering and acting crazy, but finally started. BSM and other issues weren't working and I had warning triangles lit up on my dash. I told them I had read, on these forums, that there had been a significant number of folks with similar issues and that it was found that their battery had a bad cell or cells. They checked mine and sure enough, a bad cell. Someone on here mentioned that the Kentucky plant may have received a bad batch of batteries. I haven't had any problems since they replaced it, under warranty of course.

KDiggity

Be sure to check out this thread if you haven't already. Seems like it's been happening to quite a few owners of 2020 ES cars.

FranCM

I am having the same problem! Brand new 2020 Es purchased in November 2020. This has happen 3 times always on a Monday morning, dead battery when the car hasn't been driven since Friday evening. 1st time I figured I may have left something on. 2nd time exactly a week later again on Monday morning. This time I insisted Lexus come change the battery, they did. All was well for about 1 month then yesterday good ole Monday again, dead battery! The service manager of course asking if I left a light on, fey fob too close to car. None of the above. Still waiting for follow up. It is a little unsettling to spend this much money on a car having these issues and feeling like they are not taking this seriously.

KDiggity

I’m pleasantly surprised they helped you as much as they did! My dealer told me to use a battery tender to keep my battery from going flat...