GM had this with onstar many years ago, they were able to offer an updated module, at a discounted rate with a subscription commitment, not sure if there is hope for something like that or not. its 2 years away, maybe something will come together.
i see, the 18rx is not effected. just to 17.

hmm, Lexus Enform Safety Connect 2010-2017 all models; 2018 GX thats a lot of vehicles... and the remote is 2015; 2016-2017 all models; 2018 GX

 

Did you see that no Canadian is complaining? We had no connectivity nor Enform until the 2020 model on the RX.

I use third party remote start, you can do the same in the US. But I feel your deception, I am with you guys!

 

Guys, I've visually compared "old" (3G) and "newer" telematics units and they are different in dimensions, the number of connectors and the format of the connectors. It's not going to be possible to slide the old unit out of its slot inside the dashboard and replace it with the newer supported unit.

Something similar happened when the original Lexus Link service was discontinued when cell phone companies discontinued analog cell phone service in February 2008. Back then, Lexus Link was a fairly expensive option and it was sold almost up to the time that analog service was discontinued. Owners were pissed back then too but not many people bought the analog Lexus Link option back then.

At least the 2018 RX got the newer telematics system. The 2018 GX and a number of 2018 Toyota models and one 2019 Toyota model still got the 3G system.

 

^^^^^^

But making the units a different size/different connections was a choice that Lexus made. They could have made the new 4g units interchangeable with the old 3g units. They knew what they were doing.

 

Very disappointing that a 3yr old vehicle has unsupported features so soon. Thought that manufacture support suppose to be for 8yrs please correct me if I'm wrong.
Anyway Lexus should at least give free subscription services until the unsupported date, and special trade-in deals for the 2016 & 2017 imo. Glad I traded my 2016 for a 2020.

 

By October 2022 the 2017s will be six model years old. Six years of support doesn't seem too bad to me. I think the Enform services on my 2020 are included for 10 years. If they are still functional and useful past 6 years, I'll be surprised.

Some on this thread have apparently canceled their Enform subscription already in response to the letter, even though the services are viable for more than two years. If they are so valuable, why cancel them early?

 

There is no legal requirement for a car maker to provide support or replacement parts after the warranty period expires. For example, there were no map updates for the navigation system in the 2000 LS400 after the 2004 map update which satisfied the four year basic vehicle warranty requirement.

In this case, Toyota could likely successfully plead that the discontinuation of 3G service so soon was unforeseen and beyond their control.

We've got two vehicles affected by this. I'm not happy about it either but I don't think there's any point in raising a stink about it.

I also wonder if new features were introduced in the newer telematics version that could not be supported by the old 3G system. It's becoming increasingly common for car makers to implement software changes that modify basic vehicle features "over-the-air" instead of requiring owners to take their vehicles to dealerships to have it done. Tesla has been doing this since their beginning and I know that GM is doing it on the Corvette C8 I should be getting in 2021.

 

The "service connect" function of the 2018 and newer RX-350s already does this -- I've had two updates including the recent ECU reprogramming come in "over the air".

 

I have a 2015 Chevy SS sedan with Onstar, and never had a problem or got a GM notice to discontinue support.
Wonder what system they're using. While curious, and disappointed how Lexus is handling this I didn't rely on this feature when I had my 2016 anyway, but I hear ya....

 

3G is being shut down by most wireless carriers in early 2022. Do you think in 2016 Lexus knew this was going to happen? I agree it would have been nice if there were a replacement module but there isn't. Buy another auto/brand if that's the most important feature in the car that you MUST have.

 

I don't know when the 3G service end target date was set but everyone who was even on the margins of the industry knew long ago that it was going to happen by the early 2020's to recover the frequency spectrum for other purposes. Even service for a variation of 4G is ending soon, i.e. 4G devices that don't support HD voice.

What's odd about the older Toyota/Lexus telematics system is that that it appears to have supported only one communication protocol - 3G. After all, 4G/LTE has been around since 2010. Most cell phones from the early 2000's supported multiple protocols. Gosh, the phone I bought in 2003 supported digital, TDMA and GSM frequencies for both the U.S. and Europe. My current, albeit new, Samsung phone supports 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE, 5G, CDMA, GSM - virtually all the frequency protocols used in the world. Toyota could have done much better and I hope they did do better with the newer telematics version they started installing in Toyota and Lexus vehicles for the 2018 model year - but I wouldn't count on it. Car makers don't seem to look very far ahead.

 

I agree, don't think technology really give consumers an heads-up on up coming changes when current models are still on the shelf. In this case think Lexus got the heads up because they started the mods in 2017 I guess. You're correct about just replace the car which that's what they want or go with some aftermarket device if you can't live without that feature.

 

I, too, am disgusted that nothing in the Lexus purchase info warned me that the costly LEXUS ENFORM system was so out of date when I purchase my 2016 RX 350. Simarly, I was unaware Lexus would terminate GPS updates for my 2007 SC 430 after 10 years or so. Now, six sun roof/panorama roof trim pieces have warped and jammed the sun roof and the panorama roof. At the recommendation of my Lexus dealer (which informed me this is a common problem), I removed all six trim pieces to prevent damage to the sun roof/panorama roof. These developments have persuaded me to abandon purchasing an LC 500.

 

There is a bright side to all of this. Samsung doesn't make cars and Toyota does not make cell phones. Thank goodness for small favors.

 

Toyota has had a deal with Verizon up until 2020. There is a difference between retail 3G discontinuance and the 3G network used for IoT. It is very likely that Toyota/Lexus is a Verizon Connect connected vehicle service customer. According to this report (https://www.automotive-fleet.com/332...ns-3g-shutdown), Verizon Connect 3G vehicle support will extend to the end of 2022. That matches the October 31, 2022 end of service date for affected Lexus vehicles. They aren't going to wait until the network goes dark to discontinue the service.

2020 model year Toyota and Lexus vehicles have an AT&T connection, according to https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/t...wifi-ces-2019/. My anecdotal experience matches what this story says. I frequently visit an area in the WV mountains that only has AT&T service. My 2020 RX generates vehicle alerts that work fine there.