Flat battery, can't get into back of car

Herbie · April 12, 2022

2018 4RX with a flat 12V Battery.

I have jump leads and even my trusty 12V jump start Battery pack in the 'boot' but can't get in there to get them!

The mechanical key only unlocks the drivers door and there is no keyhole (as far as I can see) anywhere in/on the tailgate. The stuff I need is at the back of the boot so if I could drop the back seats down I would have easy access. Unfortunately, the internal locks on this model are the small, thin, cylinder-type that disappear down a hole when in the lock position.

So, I can unlock and get into the drivers seat but no access to the back seats and no way of opening the tailgate - unless I'm missing something. Any bright ideas anyone?

NemesisUK · April 12, 2022

I would have thought once in the front seat you should be able to open a rear door simply by pulling on the release lever inside, no need to pull up the lock indicator? Just as a passenger would normally do?

Herbie · April 12, 2022

2 minutes ago, NemesisUK said:

I would have thought once in the front seat you should be able to open a rear door simply by pulling on the release lever inside, no need to pull up the lock indicator? Just as a passenger would normally do?

Nope. Pulling the release lever (door opener) makes the lock indicator pop up but it goes down again as soon as you let the lever go. And gripping it with pliers to stop it going down again doesn't work. Yes, it keeps it up but it doesn't unlock.

Thanks for the reply though Peter.

Herbie · April 12, 2022

PANIC OVER!

My wife is disabled and has one of these 'grabber' thingies, so I used that to lever up the back seat 'drop down lever' and then used it to grab the bag with my things in. The jump start Battery pack hasn't been recharged for about 6 months but was showing 99% charge on the LCD screen and it worked like a charm. Seconds after connecting it I pressed the power button and the engine burst into life.

It's currently on the driveway with the steering wheel crooklock on and charging the Battery up while I now find a new battery :thumbsup:

NemesisUK · April 12, 2022

That good news Herbs!

Now, just curious but if one is sitting in the rear seats and the car is locked (as it might be from driving) and the passenger wishes to exit how does it work? Wouldn't the passenger pull the door lever and still holding the lever push the door open?

Herbie · April 12, 2022

2 hours ago, NemesisUK said:

That good news Herbs!

Now, just curious but if one is sitting in the rear seats and the car is locked (as it might be from driving) and the passenger wishes to exit how does it work? Wouldn't the passenger pull the door lever and still holding the lever push the door open?

Under normal circumstances there would be power on the system so it seems to act differently without power.

serbarry · April 12, 2022

Just as a quick suggestion: I keep the jump leads on the floor under the driver seat, accessible from the rear seats. I started to do so when it happened with my Prius that the Battery went flat and I could not access the boot to get the jump leads, even though there is a way to open the boot from inside the car with the Battery flat, but I was unable to do it.

stringbender · April 15, 2022

I'm a bit stunned by this. If Herbie gets locked out then what chance do we stand ! I thought there was a a release lever in the petrol filler cap but was getting confused with my washing machine. Didn't someone connect a set of leads to access from the cabin ? What do Lexus do to open the boot ? Can't you apply 12 volts to the OBD socket ?

My Battery was over 14 years old on my beloved RX300 and this thing fails after 4 years ! I'm heading over to the Austin website to see if the latest A40 is due soon or maybe the latest Morris Minor.

Herbie · April 15, 2022

1 hour ago, stringbender said:

Didn't someone connect a set of leads to access from the cabin ? [...] Can't you apply 12 volts to the OBD socket ?

That was me in my 3RX. Not got round to doing it in this car yet but may well do now :thumbsup:

Not sure about the OBD socket because I don't know what size the wiring is behind it. Could it carry the necessary current? My 3RX took 20A (max inrush current) so I would think so, but it would need a look at the wiring diagrams to see what size fuse (if any) and where its located, just to be sure.

royoftherovers · April 15, 2022

38 minutes ago, Herbie said:

That was me in my 3RX. Not got round to doing it in this car yet but may well do now

Not sure about the OBD socket because I don't know what size the wiring is behind it. Could it carry the necessary current? My 3RX took 20A (max inrush current) so I would think so, but it would need a look at the wiring diagrams to see what size fuse (if any) and where its located, just to be sure.

Shouldn`t the apparent inability of a passenger inside the vehicle to extricate themselves, warrant the DVLA STANDARDS AGENCY to review this matter urgently and if appropriate, issue a vehicle recall ? The need to act could be a matter of life or death?

Spock66 · April 15, 2022

2 hours ago, stringbender said:

My battery was over 14 years old on my beloved RX300 and this thing fails after 4 years ! I'm heading over to the Austin website to see if the latest A40 is due soon or maybe the latest Morris Minor.

My dad always kept the starting handle under the front seat of his Morris Minor just in case.

royoftherovers · April 15, 2022

13 minutes ago, Spock66 said:

My dad always kept the starting handle under the front seat of his Morris Minor just in case.

My 1948 Split Windscreen Morris Minor had TWO front seats Andrew. Must have been the De Luxe version I suppose ?🤣🤣🤣

And the Headlamp Flasher was a button on the floor, just left of the clutch pedal.

And my Starting Handle resided in the Boot with the Spare Wheel (I think).

Great cars. My uncle had an A40 Somerset.

Thanks for the memories.

Spock66 · April 15, 2022

6 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

My 1948 Split Windscreen Morris Minor had TWO front seats Andrew. Must have been the De Luxe version I suppose ?🤣🤣🤣

So a first year of production, ours was a 1969 two door in blue.

royoftherovers · April 15, 2022

4 minutes ago, Spock66 said:

So a first year of production, ours was a 1969 two door in blue.

A BEAUTIFUL VEHICLE AT THE TIME IT WAS TOO ANDREW. I liked that Blue.

I`d moved on to a new 1200 VW Beetle in Chincilla on August 1 1969...CFM 803H

stringbender · April 17, 2022

On 4/12/2022 at 12:38 PM, Herbie said:

2018 4RX with a flat 12V battery.

I can unlock and get into the drivers seat but no access to the back seats and no way of opening the tailgate - unless I'm missing something. Any bright ideas anyone?

I had a dummy run today to see how I'd release the rear seats to get at the Battery. Mine is the Takumi and the only way to drop the rear seats is via 12 volt power. No mechanical release available.

I was going to ask Herbie the name of the thread he did on having a wire from the Battery into the cabin. Then I remembered there's a 12 volt terminal in the fuse box under the bonnet. Could this be used to charge the Battery or deliver emergency power to get into ready mode ?

Alan

royoftherovers · April 17, 2022

As I stated in the 10th Post of this thread, it could be a matter of life or death if a Passenger is unable to escape from inside the vehicle. A vehicle recall seems warranted ?

Herbie · April 17, 2022

44 minutes ago, stringbender said:

I was going to ask Herbie the name of the thread he did on having a wire from the battery into the cabin. Then I remembered there's a 12 volt terminal in the fuse box under the bonnet. Could this be used to charge the battery or deliver emergency power to get into ready mode ?

The thread is below, Alan, but yes, the 12V terminal in the engine bay fuse box is there for that specific reason and it's exactly what I used the other day when I finally got my jump start Battery pack out of the boot. The only reason that I wanted a socket in the cabin was because Sod's Law would dictate that when a jump start was needed it would be on a very cold, wet and windy night, so being able to do it from inside the cabin means I could stay dry.

Tezza 2 · April 17, 2022

Is it not possible to trickle charge using the 12v cigarette lighter socket? It would take ages to fully charge but could give enough power to open locks and access the Battery?

Herbie · April 17, 2022

1 minute ago, Tezza 2 said:

Is it not possible to trickle charge using the 12v cigarette lighter socket? It would take ages to fully charge but could give enough power to open locks and access the battery?

No, the cigarette lighter is only energised when the ignition is switched on, so there's no path back to the Battery if the ignition is off.

ColinBarber · April 17, 2022

Do you have your child lock enabled? I would expect one pull of the internal rear handle to pop up the lock and a second pull to release the door - unless you have deadlocked the vehicle.

ColinBarber · April 17, 2022

On 4/15/2022 at 9:29 AM, Herbie said:

Not sure about the OBD socket because I don't know what size the wiring is behind it. Could it carry the necessary current? My 3RX took 20A (max inrush current) so I would think so, but it would need a look at the wiring diagrams to see what size fuse (if any) and where its located, just to be sure.

No, the OBD has a 7.5 Amp fuse protecting it. You would need to tap into the power going to the driver's door or seat, those have a 30 Amp feed.

Herbie · April 17, 2022

31 minutes ago, ColinBarber said:

Do you have your child lock enabled? I would expect one pull of the internal rear handle to pop up the lock and a second pull to release the door - unless you have deadlocked the vehicle.

No kids so never used a child lock but I never thought to check; it may still be on from the previous owners.

I discovered the flat Battery in the morning so it had been parked on the driveway overnight and yes, I always deadlock it (if that's what two presses of the lock button on the fob does).

ColinBarber · April 17, 2022

1 hour ago, Herbie said:

I always deadlock it (if that's what two presses of the lock button on the fob does).

that's why you couldn't open the rear door then

stringbender · April 18, 2022

14 hours ago, Herbie said:

The thread is below, Alan, but yes, the 12V terminal in the engine bay fuse box is there for that specific reason and it's exactly what I used the other day when I finally got my jump start battery pack out of the boot. The only reason that I wanted a socket in the cabin was because Sod's Law would dictate that when a jump start was needed it would be on a very cold, wet and windy night, so being able to do it from inside the cabin means I could stay dry.

I'd remembered the post Herbie but not the detail. I ought to have known it was you. I thought you'd cabled from the Battery itself. What you did was ingenious and Lexus ought to have incorporated your design into the 4RX. It was sunny and warm yesterday but getting at the jump start posts on a freezing or wet day would be quite another matter.

Alan

Haylands · April 18, 2022

17 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

As I stated in the 10th Post of this thread, it could be a matter of life or death if a Passenger is unable to escape from inside the vehicle. A vehicle recall seems warranted ?

Roy, Herbs had double locked the car so you can't open doors from the inside. You can't double lock them if the ignition is on so you can't get trapped in the vehicle, if the doors are single locked when you are driving and you have an accident then the locks will open so emergency services can help you out...