hziemba

I was running some errands today and all was fine...until it wasn’t.

Got back into the car, and pressed the Start button, but nothing happened...no engine cranking, no lights at all. Tried again and again, nothing. Tried a third time, and this time it started, but died after a second or two. Tried again, and this time it started, and kept running. However, I saw a message display onscreen:
system loading do not turn off power.
That message lasted a few seconds before going away, on its own, and I drove off.

Later, I noticed that some things had reset, like the climate system turned off. Radio presets were OK.

One good thing was that my text messaging connection started working...In almost 7 years of ownership, I couldn’t get that working at all, in spite of iPhone reconnection, O/S updates, etc., ad nauseum. Now it’s alerting me of new texts, reading them to me, etc.

I did an internet search on this and came up empty-anybody here who can explain what happened?

bclexus

Owners of both Toyota and Lexus vehicles have reported this happening on rare occasion since about 2010. No one that I know of has determined with certainty what causes it. Many people think it has to do with the vehicle's battery heath, and others think it has to do with the navigation system.

Personally I would have the battery load tested to make sure it is healthy.

davyboygs

It sounds like a battery issue, either due to a bad battery or a bad battery cable connection. It sounds like the vehicle lost electrical power, when power was restored all systems reset themselves. I would have the battery and your battery cables checked.

peasodos

iTrader: (1)

You car battery is probably on its last leg, get it tested, and replace it before the car leaves you stranded.

hziemba

Thanks to all for chiming in.

I’ll be getting an oil change at the dealer before the end of the year, so I’ll ask them when I take it in. The cable connections seem fine, and I’m on my second battery...this one is maybe 2 yrs old...but I don’t want to be stranded, so I carry one of those jump start batteries in the car.

I just remembered that I have the Carista app on my iPhone and the ODBII dongle...perhaps something will show up there.

While it was a puzzling event, I’m glad it happened because I really like having the text messaging onscreen after all these years!

charley95

I think I'd want to get the battery tested ASAP. Just because it's 2 years old doesn't necessarily mean the battery is still good. I've had batteries last a year and had one that lasted 9 years.

peasodos

iTrader: (1)

Just go to any auto parts store like autozone and they can test your battery for free. Go to two different places to double check the test.

JeffKeryk

Batteries don't die, leave a "loading" message, and then instantly fix themselves.

jonathancl

All batteries die. But not every battery truly lives.

imjohnphan

I've had a few that only lasted 2 years. I was very surprised too but sometimes when you buy them brand new off the shelf they've been sitting there for a while and have some permanent sulfation on them already so its like you're starting with a partially dying battery from the beginning.

hziemba

The Carista report from OBD showed only one error code P1604 Startability Malfunction, but that basically says that the engine has cranked without starting...not very helpful. When this happened, the car was warmed up and there was plenty of gas. I tried to start again after a few minutes, and this time, it started with no problems and ran fine...for about 10 days. ��

Yesterday, tried to start in the morning, and everything dead - no dome lights, no display, no door locks using remote key, etc.

Tried again a few hours later, and still nothing. I left the WiFi OBD dongle plugged in for about 2 days, but I can’t imagine that drained enough power from the battery to cause yesterday’s problem...it certainly didn’t cause the first failure 10 days ago.

The battery is a Bosch Platinum Series AGM purchased in Feb 2018, so it’s not quite 2 yrs old. The warranty is still in effect (4 yrs free replacement and prorated after that.

I’m planning to get a jump start, and hopefully that will be enough to start the engine, but questions remain. What happened and why? How do I keep it from happening again? If I am able to jumpstart, then I can go to PepBoys (where I bought the battery) and let them test it under load.

I’ve had dead batteries before that were accidentally drained, and they were just dead. Here, the car successfully started after a few minutes (the other day), and this time, the “key” appeared, but then everything went black, and time didn’t ”bring it back”.

A final thought, doesn’t the OBD data stream include things like low voltage, which should be there if the battery was the problem.

peasodos

iTrader: (1)

Yeah just go back to pep boys get the battery tested and replaced under warranty. Did you check the date on the battery when you bought it? In any case I'm 95% sure it's the battery.

hziemba

RESOLVED

Problem was a loose battery cable connection.

I was removing the terminal post/clamp cover to jumpstart my GS, and as soon as I did, the lights came on. The car started instantly when I pressed the Start button. The last time this part of the car was worked on was Feb 2018, when I replaced the original battery. I find it had to believe that I didn’t secure this cable, but I find it even more surprising that everything seemed OK for almost two years!

Thanks to all who chimed in.

bclexus

I'm a bit surprised you didn't discover the loose battery cable by just putting a little pressure on the cable with your fingertips as you looked around under the hood at the battery for what may have been causing the mysterious behavior. Nevertheless, glad you found out what the culprit was...and glad it wasn't an electronic gremlin buried deep inside a CPU somewhere.

hziemba

Me too! I saw the price of a CPU....over $1200, and that’s just the part!!