2016 Lexus RX350, engine quits running

20

Asked by Jerry May 03, 2020 at 09:31 PM about the 2016 Lexus RX

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My name is Jerry and I'm helping a friend to figure out this problem that is happening on their car. The following information is from the car owner.

The engine has quit running four times now. It seems to happen once every 2 or 3 weeks. Each time it has quit running the message 'Charging System Malfunction' displays on the screen at the same time the engine quits.Once the engine is restarted the 'Charging System Malfunction' message is gone.

When the problem happened five days ago I had stopped to talk with someone. The engine was idling normally for a minute or so. Then I noticed a moment of rough idle, the engine died and the 'Charging System Malfunction' message displayed. I waited a moment and then restarted it.IIt seemed to crank slightly different, but it restarted and ran normally

This is the same scenario that happens each time. The first time I was driving down the road at highway speed when it died.

The Lexus dealer replaced the battery after first instance. No code information could be found related to the 'Charging System Malfunction' message

Lexus dealer could not find any code information after the 3rd instance. Said it might be the alternator. Said to bring it back when the light came on.

Tried independent mechanic that works on Lexus vehicles after the fourth instance. He also could not find any codes related to the problem. Put some fuel cleaner additive in the tank.

The above description is from the owner of the car. My guess is that the voltage regulator inside the alternator is intermittently malfunctioning and signaling to the alternator to go to full output. The engine computer sees a high battery voltage and shuts down the engine to avoid damage to the electrical system. This would account for the engine running rough for a moment before it quits running at idle. The alternator would be putting a large load on the engine.

The dealer wants approx. $1,000.00 to replace the alternator. The Lexus mechanic wants approx. $600.00 to replace it.

Has anyone had a similar problem as this? It's a lot of money to make a wrong guess.


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7 Answers

25

I just purchased a used 2016 RX350. During dealer prep (Lexus Dealer) they said they were having charging issues. Tried replacing battery, did not help. They ended up replacing the alternator. All this at no charge to me. Car has been working fine. It very well may be the alternator.

2 people found this helpful.
20

A little update. We bought an OBD2 Blue Driver diagnostic tool that is connected while driving and it connects to an app on the phone. When the engine quit running on 5/27 last week we got the following codes: P1603-00 Engine Stall History. No Sub Type Information P1014 LT Connection (GND Short) P1014 signifies a problem with a cam actuator or its control circuit. Armed with the above information the car owner has taken the RX350 to a mechanic that works on Lexus vehicles and is waiting on their analysis and estimate for repair. Thank you Martin for replying to this post. This has been a difficult problem to run down. its usually 2-3 weeks between engine stalls. I believe the diagnostic tool has led us to the area of the problem.

Hey 2016_Lexus_Owner, I'm experiencing similar problem with my 2017 Lexus RX 350. None seems to understand the problem and code is not available for proper diagnostics. Can you please share your final resolution? It would help me tremendously.

20

Problem was overfilling the gas tank which caused a problem with the vapor recovery system. Dealer repaired under warranty. Do not know what parts were replaced in the vapor recovery system. Problem might not reoccur if you stop filling the tank when the fill nozzle automatically shuts off.

1 people found this helpful.

Thank you Jerry. It was indeed overfilling the gas tank. The issue hasn't happened since then. Dealer kept it for 2 days and founding nothing wrong but things are good so far

20

A note of explanation. I wasn't getting much of any feedback on this forum so I went to a Lexus forum with the problem as well. On that forum I received some helpful feedback and I did post what was causing the problem once it was found and the problem was fixed. I will complete what was left out on this forum as well now. The owner took it to the mechanic that works on Lexus vehicles and he wasn't able to help. Then armed with all of the documentation from the Lexus forum, and all of the diagnostic information from the OBD2 Blue Driver diagnostic tool she took the car back to the Lexus dealer that wanted to replace the alternator. That dealer then got in touch with her after a few hours or it might have been the next day. The owner conferenced me in. The service person told us that the mechanics now thought the problem was with the vapor recover system. I debated with them about why and how much . . . but quit arguing when it was pointed out to me that this work was being done under warranty. Apparently a Lexus mechanic somewhere had come across this problem before and knew how to solve it. Whatever they did ended the nightmare on this RX350 Lexus. I believe that this same problem exists on certain model Toyota's as well.

1 people found this helpful.

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