totalstu

What a morning!

I go out to start the car and it is somewhat snowy and all icy. I get in, start the car, and put on both the rear and front defrost. Within a few minutes the ice starts to melt from the mirror and I can see the rear window just starting to de-ice. I wait a few more minutes and then decide to get out and scrape the ice off the windows. That's done and it's time to get back in the car. I pull the handle and the door doesn't open. I'm freaking as the car is not supposed to be able to lock while it's running. I check the passenger door and same thing, can't open the car. I come back to the drivers side and notice on the gauges there is a flashing orange like triangle. I'm also able to read "no key dectected" on the message screen. Now I don't know what to do. I remember skimming over the section in the manual about how to unlock the doors with the key. I obvioulsy didn't pay enough attention as I can't get the piece off that exposes the key whole. I finally give up and call Lexus.

They decide to dispatch a tow truck. The guy shows up about 1/2 hour later. By now the car has been running for like 1.75hrs. He tries to get it open but can't. It seemed like the first car with this type of lock that he had ever seen. Anyways, he decides to call for a flat bed so the car can be taken to the dealer. The flatbed driver shows up 1/2 hour after the call. So now my cars been running for over 2hrs. I tell the flatbed driver what is going on and he says that he must get into the car and put it in neutral to get it on the bed. I ask him how since we can't unlock the doors. He then determines that it may be possible going thru the ski opening thru the trunk. Somehow the trunk can easily be opened so we open the little door, fold down the arm rest and with some long tool like hook device he's able to position it thru the whole and unlock the rear door. Once we get in the back we reacdh over and unlock the door. I give him the keys and he gets in the drivers seat and the display still says "no key detected" and the triangle is still flashing orange. He pushes the start button to shut the car off and then pushed it again, with his foot on the brake, to start it and it starts. They triangle is no longer flashing the key not detected message does not appear. We decide to take it to the dealer and have them check the computer to see if it shows anything that happened. We also decide to flat bed it over since Lexus is paying and he is already there.

I get to the dealer and they can't believe the story. They say it's impossible. The tow truck drivers back up my story. After 1.75 hrs at the dealer they come to me and say the find no codes, errors, anything. They opened a case with Lexus Technincal and will let me know what, if anything, they discover. They may want the car back for further diagnoses but will leave it to Technincal to decide that.

The good news is I got back a clean car and now know how to unlock if the doors won't open.

IS_Mine

So... you couldn't open the door with the key fob? I mean you tried to hit unlock and nothing?

Thats crazy.

totalstu

I tried using the FOB, and while the little red light would flash nothing happened. If I pressed the black rubber thing on the door, like you would if you got out and wanted to lock the door, it would beep but that's all.

RaZoRaMoN

Did you try both key fobs...did you try using the keyhole underneath the handle? I'm sure you probably did...

Evitzee

So why didn't you use the auxiliary metal key and manually open the driver's door?? Remember, you can always get into the car if you have that key. It would have been a five minute operation. Strange that the trunk button still worked. This is one of those things that probably won't be solved. Just a quirky gremlin which probably won't happen again.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

So you didn't lock the doors when you got out to scrape the ice, they locked on their own? Bizarre. Yeah, they need to open a case on that one for sure.

I've got out lots of times with the fob, but it's never locked the doors on me.

yaro1

I agree that it is difficult to remove the outer pieces on the door handle (I have an IS as a loaner now and I tried it out), but if you had continued to try, you could have saved a lot of time and aggravation.

I just used the key as a wedge to pull if off, and then it was like a normal key.

On the ES350 loaner, I recall the removal of that piece being much easier, since it seemed that by simply pushing the key upwards it ejected the outer piece.

However, I am interested in how the car locked by itself and remained locked.

Very interesting.

kensteele

that would be my question. who locked the doors in the first place? when you got out of the car, did you hear the car beep or did the doors lock?

when you were standing on the outside of your car looking inside to see the triangle and then you removed the key fob from your pocket and pressed the little unlock button on the key fob itself, what happened?

Haiko

I've had an issue with the Key not detected as well ... If I and my GF are in the car (we both have keys) and she gets out (usually for starbucks ) then I see "key not detected" which keeps blinking for a few minutes until it apparently resets itself [before she gets back]. Sounds like the same issue, only that it didn't reset and acknowledge totalstu's key. Weird tale nonetheless.

Dj_AmtraX

iTrader: (2)

Why did you leave the key fob in the car to begin with? The whole point of keyless entry/start is so you don't have to take the key fob out of your pocket. If you had the fob, you could have used the key.

t.is350.h

iTrader: (3)

If the engine is running, you can't open or lock the door with the key fob.

totalstu

Sorry, work got in the way. Let me see if I can answer some questions.

I tried both fobs and they did the same thing. Neither would open the door and pressing the buttons did nothing other than make the small red light, on the fob, flash. I tried the keyhole thingy but couldn't exactly remember how to get at it so that didn't help. Like I said, I remember skimming over that section in the manual but couldn't really recall how it worked.

I did not lock the door when I got out to scrape. Nor did I hear a beep when closing the door. I've done it a few times this winter and the car has never locked itself.

I didn't leave the fob in the car. The fob was in my pocket where it always is when I leave the house. Aside fromt the technincal glich my biggest issue was not knowing exactly how to get to the key part of the door handle so I could use the metal key.

Optimus

All you do is stick the key up the door handle and twist, the little piece of plastic falls off and your key hole is right there. It takes less force then opening a can of Ginger Ale.

Dj_AmtraX

iTrader: (2)

I wouldn't let the dealer mess around with the car. You should wait to see if it does it again.

totalstu

The dealer is not messing around with the car. They put the diagnotic tool on to try and see if there were any codes or anything to illustrate what happened. There weren't so the opened the case with Technincal. They gave me my car and said they will let me know what they find out. Only if Techincal wants to see the car will they need it back.