I have a new 2016 ES 350 Lexus that has been giving me starting problems, what should I do?

chathamwoman

chathamwoman

The car has been in the shop twice in the month that I have it and now they tell me I don't drive it enough to charge the battery so I should get a charger to plug in when I come home, insane right? Should I explore "lemon law? Or is there a fix? I like the car otherwise, but when I look back to 2000 it seems like a recurring Lexus problem.

texases

How many trips per week? How many miles per week? This has happened every two weeks?

I would look into your state's lemon law, and keep all paper work. But first I would ask them to replace the battery, just in case it is bad.

I would also make a habit of taking a half hour highway drive once a week during the daytime to charge up the battery, if your normal driving is lots of short trips. I've had something similar with our less-driven car, but not as bad as you're experiencing.

chathamwoman

My driving habits have not changed since I owned a Cadillac CTS with a keyless starter for the last four years. I do make a lot of short trips and yes they changed the batteries in our key fobs and checked the battery in the car. I find it inconceivable that I would have to change my driving habits to accommodate a new car. Dealer has contacted engineers in CA for answers, there is a problem that needs to be solved here.

rickmn

It doesn't matter what your driving habits were in an older car. That's irrelevant. Newer cars are different. They must be driven regularly to keep the battery charged. This applies to ALL newer cars. If you drive short trips with blower, rear defroster, headlights and seat warmers on full blast, you'll never generate enough power to recharge the battery. You don't have any claim for a "Lemon Law."