Rear Tailgate

Richard1200 · September 4, 2019

Anybody mastered the art of getting the tailgate to open and close every time with your foot. I have had some success with a kicking movement in the middle. Lexus say a circular movement going in as far as your ankle in a clockwise arc. Lexus admit it’s not consistent.

logician · September 6, 2019

Easiest and least fuss method:-

Stand with chosen foot laterally close to center of rear bumper leaving room to easily extend same longitudially underneath rear of car but without making contact with any bodywork.

Move said foot forward smoothly whilst comfortably just off the ground and retract. i.e. make a slow soft air kick under the bumper. Use the reverse momentum to swing kicking foot a little behind you then rest on ground and follow back with other foot i.e. take a small, safe, easy backward step away from the vehicle.

For entirely obvious but slightly technical reasons this last part seems to be perhaps the most essential of them all?

... > A small central kicking motion followed by a short step backwards works every time for me <...

Although perhaps not what the designers originally intended it may well apply that various alternative methods are equally successful and would likely be far more entertaining to watch? Perhaps by employing the odd element from an olympic standard gymnastic routine? Possibly combined with some high level martial arts manouver? Either of which maybe even more effective in conjunction with an advanced yoga asana or two? Probably all best done during deep meditation whilst enjoying the inevitable health benefits?

Otherwise; just follow the above <... simple instruction ...>

Hope it works just as well for you too?

Scoops1964 · September 11, 2019

mmm, this is the one feature that I simply don't use as I don't wanna look a right idiot in a car park with a handful of shopping etc doing olympic type moves! I have had the sensor replaced on my car and even still it's rubbish. The car is up for a service soon so it will be reported again. I suspect every service it will be reported...

Richard1200 · September 12, 2019

I have tried all the various foot movements without consistent success. Yesterday I tried again and found the “step back” from the car seems to be the answer. Unsure how it knows I have stepped back but I will try again today.

logician · September 12, 2019

8 hours ago, Richard1200 said:

I have tried all the various foot movements without consistent success. Yesterday I tried again and found the “step back” from the car seems to be the answer. Unsure how it knows I have stepped back but I will try again today.

OK. Were Making Some Progress...

So. Now; for the painfully obvious but trivially technical and somewhat predictable legal parts.

Sans any Olympic bits etc. Here's how I worked it out from first principles. This after watching various random attempts from the first few sets of local Lexus franchise's sales guys showing me how they thought it worked by basically floundering around without much of a clue and failing time after time:-

Given other product feature decisions and public announcements already made by Lexus it would seem sensible to assume that this particular safety interlock sytem. As with much else similar from this class of modern vehicle is motivated by a corporate desire to avoid any legal pursuit from a user having suffered harm or worse either by their own or by their appointed representatives errors or omissions i.e. always follow the money first...

Thus for entirely pragmatic reasons. The immediate foregoing suggests that the the step back part is likely the most crucial aspect, primarily because (all) the rear (ultrasonic) sensor(s) is(are) likely resolving, at the very least, one pair of entirely separate phenomena, i.e. pair part one: an Event, E1 and part two: an Elementary user position mapping, E2. These, and probably some others, seemingly evaluated strictly in one order:-

Simplified Input Condition List:-

E1 - Has there been a tailgate lift open request from the rear underbody sensor i.e. an air kick?

E2 - Is the users elementary position safe? i.e. located clear beyond the horizontal extent of the vertically swept arc from the tailgate's lower edge?

Compacted Truth Table:- Minimalised Output Action List:-

If E1 = YES AND E2 = YES; then actuate the tailgate opening.

If E1 = YES AND E2 = NO; then ignore the E1 request and bleat?

If E1 = YES AND E2 = NOT SURE; then do nothing to aviod user injury.

If E1 = NO AND E2 = NO OR YES; then do nothing until E1 changes.

As the above generally holds true in practice, then the step back part is far more necessary to successful operation than the kick part

i.e. kick at it all day but for reasons now made plain. Until you step away then nothing much should or will happen. Save perhaps for very occasionally causing random, temporary and unrepeatable confusion of the sensor and software suite with potenialy hazardous results.

On 9/11/2019 at 9:52 AM, Scoops1964 said:

mmm, this is the one feature that I simply don't use as I don't wanna look a right idiot in a car park with a handful of shopping etc doing olympic type moves! I have had the sensor replaced on my car and even still it's rubbish. The car is up for a service soon so it will be reported again. I suspect every service it will be reported...

Re post #2: Why not try this <... simple instruction ...> just for fun, perhaps in private and let us know?

No surprises then that, for even more obviously apparent reasons, when returning the tailgate to its closed position. Similar fundamentals, but with a critically enhanced input event set and management matrix providing a well matched expansion of the closed loop output control functions likely applies even moreso i.e. closing the tailgate is, at a deeper level of analysis, even more fraught than opening. But if this extra complexity for closing has to be in place then why not make good use of it on the opening cycle?

Any useful recountings from other owners,

i.e. what works best on your UX?

All relevant experience welcome...

Richard1200 · September 14, 2019

Where has my reply gone?

ColinBarber · September 15, 2019

20 hours ago, Richard1200 said:

Where has my reply gone?

A mod pulled it due to breach of the forums T&Cs (Treat your fellow members with respect) and a complain by another forum member

Richard1200 · September 15, 2019

1 hour ago, ColinBarber said:

A mod pulled it due to breach of the forums T&Cs (Treat your fellow members with respect) and a complain by another forum member

Omg, has no one on here got a sense of humour.

Read the post and tell me it’s a normal reply to a simple question.

royoftherovers · September 15, 2019

Just now, Richard1200 said:

Omg, has no one on here got a sense of humour. Have the moderators read the reply and understood it?

never read it....................................give us a laugh !

Richard1200 · September 15, 2019

38 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

never read it....................................give us a laugh !

It’s 4 posts up, the long one. Read from the start of the conversation to understand it.

royoftherovers · September 15, 2019

15 minutes ago, Richard1200 said:

It’s 4 posts up, the long one. Read from the start of the conversation to understand it.

Not found anything funny in this post......must be me !!

Richard1200 · September 15, 2019

4 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

Not found anything funny in this post......must be me !!

My original reply that was removed from the conversation said that “it was a good job I did not ask a really technical question and said I lost interest after the first paragraph”

This was considered not treating forum members with respect and a complaint from a member.

I WAS JOKING

royoftherovers · September 15, 2019

26 minutes ago, Richard1200 said:

My original reply that was removed from the conversation said that “it was a good job I did not ask a really technical question and said I lost interest after the first paragraph”

This was considered not treating forum members with respect and a complaint from a member.

I WAS JOKING

Yes, I remember reading that and thinking "my thoughts too"

I`d have had my contribution removed too Richard ? Perhaps the mod had a headache ?

Takes all people to make a world.

Onwards and upwards, as they say.

P M R · September 15, 2019

Does this video solve the issue??

logician · September 17, 2019

Yes, obviously it does as well. But only after and exactly per the earlier same method description.

Precisely as in post #2. Where safe hands-free operation is exhaustively explained!

But is there yet another even more interesting question set under the surface of it?

That video demonstrates and illustrates the what while eliding the how entirely!

The actual details of the entire solution are far more complex than post #5.

As is now more widely well known...

Initial failure to consistently operate the tailgate handsfree was sufficiently annoying to motivate very briefly thinking it through from first principles. Having discounted any vehicle fault on the basis that all the dealerships UX's were behaving similarly and having dismissed any serious notion of Lexus's sheer incompetence. It was quite pleasing to get such a repeatable result by following only one

<... simple instruction ...>.

Regardless of the actual control loop functions or how they are implemeted. ⚠️

Proof is the bottom line.

logician · September 17, 2019

On 9/4/2019 at 2:07 PM, Richard1200 said:

Anybody mastered the art of getting the tailgate to open and close every time with your foot...

Who is this Anybody anyway and how did they get anyone else's foot? 🤣

On 9/12/2019 at 7:36 AM, Richard1200 said:

...Unsure how it knows I have stepped back but I will try again today.

Did we all miss the part where an unclear statement of uncertainty constitutes any form of an actual question? 😧

Perhaps as none was asked, nor was any answered? What's written here on the core of this subject, and the only aspect of it which matters, in fact, is its veracity. All else is of no consequence to anybody's anyone anyway and never mind who's foot they're using! 🙃

Perhaps that's a little bit like a joke; which, even in shared repetition, somehow still lacks the essential point of humour? Maybe it just needs a bit more personal insult on the side or a sharper offensive edge on the bounce back?

With the keenest of regards to any respect owed to such commentary. Both compliments and commiserations are quite possibly well overdue. Partly for the somewhat arbitrary and clearly confusing meanings in the limited scope and scale of their content. But largely for the tediously all too normal nature of these tiny but plainly ill formed and outstandingly poorly written little posts.

However, trust entirely upon this:-

Life really is far too short for any snide judgemental nonsense from a forum with postings of this calibre. Particularly when they're fancifully dressed up as casually brutal, innocuously offensive, smoothly uncaring and opaquely disrespectful attempts towards passing off insult as humour at someone else's expense. That truly is way beyond any decent definition of a joke. But such small stuff; as we each know, any said minded individual can copiously produce.

In all fair conscience and on balance, please do feel completely free to keep this last post here on this thread! If such a peculiarly twisted little mess of questionable motivation is the best this place has to offer? Who could possibly care less?

To those who have been kind and considerate. Thank you and good luck in all of your life's endeavours.

Seems some Lexus folk may well not be meant to suffer gladly.

Think it'll be a Tesla next...

Richard1200 · September 18, 2019

I apologise for any offence caused, just trying to put some humour into the site. As I only achieved English level 3 GCSE 54 years ago I am out of my depth in understanding or replying to your comments. Logging out now. Goodbye all.

9 hours ago, logician said:

Yes, obviously it does as well. But only after and exactly per the earlier same method description.

Precisely as in post #2. Where safe hands-free operation is exhaustively explained!

But is there yet another even more interesting question set under the surface of it?

That video demonstrates and illustrates the what while eliding the how entirely!

The actual details of the entire solution are far more complex than post #5.

As is now more widely well known...

Initial failure to consistently operate the tailgate handsfree was sufficiently annoying to motivate very briefly thinking it through from first principles. Having discounted any vehicle fault on the basis that all the dealerships UX's were behaving similarly and having dismissed any serious notion of Lexus's sheer incompetence. It was quite pleasing to get such a repeatable result by following only one

<... simple instruction ...>.

Regardless of the actual control loop functions or how they are implemeted. ⚠️

Proof is the bottom line.

9 hours ago, logician said:

Who is this Anybody anyway and how did they get anyone else's foot? 🤣

Did we all miss the part where an unclear statement of uncertainty constitutes any form of an actual question? 😧

Perhaps as none was asked, nor was any answered? What's written here on the core of this subject, and the only aspect of it which matters, in fact, is its veracity. All else is of no consequence to anybody's anyone anyway and never mind who's foot they're using! 🙃

Perhaps that's a little bit like a joke; which, even in shared repetition, somehow still lacks the essential point of humour? Maybe it just needs a bit more personal insult on the side or a sharper offensive edge on the bounce back?

With the keenest of regards to any respect owed to such commentary. Both compliments and commiserations are quite possibly well overdue. Partly for the somewhat arbitrary and clearly confusing meanings in the limited scope and scale of their content. But largely for the tediously all too normal nature of these tiny but plainly ill formed and outstandingly poorly written little posts.

However, trust entirely upon this:-

Life really is far too short for any snide judgemental nonsense from a forum with postings of this calibre. Particularly when they're fancifully dressed up as casually brutal, innocuously offensive, smoothly uncaring and opaquely disrespectful attempts towards passing off insult as humour at someone else's expense. That truly is way beyond any decent definition of a joke. But such small stuff; as we each know, any said minded individual can copiously produce.

In all fair conscience and on balance, please do feel completely free to keep this last post here on this thread! If such a peculiarly twisted little mess of questionable motivation is the best this place has to offer? Who could possibly care less?

To those who have been kind and considerate. Thank you and good luck in all of your life's endeavours.

Seems some Lexus folk may well not be meant to suffer gladly.

Think it'll be a Tesla next...

St Chit · October 11, 2019

I've always loved the car hires I've had in America that had this 'power trunk' function, but equally wondered how it would practically work when at home.

Dose anyone recall the Top Gear/GT episode where the gang try and get a dog in their SUVs and then shut the tailgate electronically - far better watching that the instructional video above 🙂

I've got a puppy who's too small to get anywhere close to the boot lip at the moment so I'm more bothered with how I will shut it with her safely inside, than how to open it anyway...

Jimbat · February 5, 2022

Collected our new Lexus UX Takumi one week ago. Despite carefully following the instructions in the guide and watching several online video instruction clips the gesture tailgate facility fails to work. We have tried numerous times and have even asked several members of our family to try. It has consistently failed to function at all. We are modestly intelligent, can read guides and are able to watch and absorb video instructions. Nothing we can do will activate this facility. The tailgate opens with the key and the switch just under the lip so there is no fault with the mechanism itself.

Our Lexus main dealership have no remedy to offer.

Chris UXe · February 5, 2022

Hi James, I hadn't been able to get the gesture tailgate option to work on my UXe Takumi either. I then saw these posts below which were helpful, especially the one from Nick posted yesterday at 08:44am. I did as he suggested and it worked which was great. Hope this is helpful and that you're happy with your UX too.

Richard1200 · February 6, 2022

13 hours ago, Jimbat said:

Collected our new Lexus UX Takumi one week ago. Despite carefully following the instructions in the guide and watching several online video instruction clips the gesture tailgate facility fails to work. We have tried numerous times and have even asked several members of our family to try. It has consistently failed to function at all. We are modestly intelligent, can read guides and are able to watch and absorb video instructions. Nothing we can do will activate this facility. The tailgate opens with the key and the switch just under the lip so there is no fault with the mechanism itself.

Our Lexus main dealership have no remedy to offer.

The kick option to open the boot was removed sometime in early 2021 I believe. Mine was built in around May 2021 and does not have it. I was told on hand over that it was because of possible tow bar fitting, I suspect it was because it caused owners and dealers too much grief.

Navnan2 · February 13, 2022

I have a 2020 UX Base premium plus. Is this supposed to work on this level of UX? I've tried a number of times and failed and assumed it wasn't a feature for my spec.