Lexus Climate Control Reset
A Lexus’ climate control system can be reset via the radio/multimedia control knob or by disconnecting and reconnecting the battery—click here to learn more.
Written by Andrew Biro
Reviewed by Melanie Reiff
You can reset your Lexus’ climate control by either disconnecting the battery or putting your vehicle in park, starting it, and holding down the knob that controls your radio/multimedia system for a few seconds. This will reboot your vehicle’s infotainment system and reset the climate control in the process.
Climate control is an extremely useful feature that gives passengers more control over their immediate environment, ultimately making for a more comfortable ride. Like many things, however, your Lexus’ climate control system isn’t immune to failure—should it malfunction, it can throw off your vehicle’s temperature settings and make driving uncomfortable.
Fortunately, licensed broker and
car insurance
super app Jerry
has put together the following walkthrough on how to perform a Lexus climate control reset, as well as some other common reasons your A/C might not be working—and if you stick around to the end, we’ve also include some tips on how to reduce your Lexus’ car insurance costs
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Lexus climate control reset instructions
While the process may vary slightly depending on your exact Lexus model, you can generally reset your Lexus’ climate control by following these steps:
- Put your vehicle in park.
- Start your vehicle.
- Find the knob that controls your radio/multimedia system.
- Press down on the knob and hold it for a few seconds.
After holding down the knob for several seconds, your Lexus’ infotainment system should start to reboot, after which the climate controls should reset.
If this doesn’t work, disconnect your battery, let your vehicle sit for a few minutes, and then reconnect the battery.
MORE: Why your car heater is blowing cold air
Other reasons your Lexus A/C isn’t working
In some cases, an electrical issue with your car's A/C system can be fixed by resetting the climate control—but if your reset attempt is unsuccessful, you might be facing a different problem. Here are a few potential reasons why the air conditioner in your Lexus might stop working.
Clogged or dirty condenser
Your Lexus’ air conditioning condenser is similar to the radiator in that it serves to release heat from the refrigerant into the ambient air—but due to its location at the front of your vehicle, the condenser can become clogged by dirt, bugs, and other small particulate matter over time.
As grime builds up on the mesh of the condenser, its ability to release heat is reduced, thereby resulting in lukewarm or warm air entering the cabin when the A/C is turned on. Fortunately, fixing a clogged condenser is fairly easy—all you need to do is remove the front bumper cover and use a low-pressure power washer to clean it.
Dirty evaporator
Generally speaking, your Lexus’ cabin air filter will catch most of the dust, dirt, and other airborne particles as they enter the vehicle—but some of these particles inevitably slip through and fall into the evaporator over time.
If excess dirt or dust is allowed to build up on the fins of the evaporator and block airflow, it can result in diminished cooling.
Refrigerant leak
A refrigerant leak is the most frequent cause of Lexus air conditioning issues, one that can severely diminish its cooling capabilities—so if you start noticing that your air conditioning is getting warmer and warmer, it might be time to
recharge your A/C
.Bad blower motor
If there is no air flow or diminished air flow from your Lexus’ vents, you might be dealing with a bad blower motor—if this is the case, you might start to hear abnormal noises when the A/C is in operation.
Unfortunately, there is no way to repair the blower motor itself—you’ll need to replace it entirely should it ever go bad.
Faulty blend door actuator
A broken blend door actuator is another typical reason for Lexus air conditioning problems. The HVAC actuator, also known as the blend door actuator, is a tiny motor that regulates the vents that control the airflow into the interior of the car.
You might get cool air from your air conditioner but no warm air if the blend door actuator is malfunctioning or vice versa. To get your climate control back in working order, you'll need a mechanic to swap out the damaged blend door actuator.
Compressor failure
As one of the most important pieces of your Lexus’ air conditioning system, the compressor is in charge of converting gaseous coolant into a liquid that helps produce cold air—should this part fail, your A/C will quit blowing cold air altogether.
Similar to the blower motor, an A/C compressor cannot be repaired once it goes bad—it must be replaced.
Dirtied or clogged air cabin filter
Your Lexus uses a
cabin air filter
—just like any other car with an air conditioning system—to filter out pollen, dust, dirt, and other small particles from the outside air before it enters the car. As the filter fills up with debris over time, the A/C’s cooling capacity declines, and proper airflow is constrained, resulting in weak, lukewarm air from the vents.This is why, as a general rule, you should replace your Lexus' cabin air filter every 10,000 to 20,000 miles—although you may need to do so more frequently if you live in a polluted, sandy, or dusty area.
How to diagnose a Lexus climate control malfunction
While the problems listed above are some of the most common reasons for your Lexus’ climate control system to malfunction, they definitely don’t represent everything that can possibly go wrong—which is why getting a proper diagnosis is necessary should your A/C start acting up.
One way to do this is with an onboard diagnostics (OBD) scanner, a tool that will allow you to scan your Lexus’ engine computer for HVAC-related trouble codes and take the guesswork out of the equation. If you don’t have a scanner handy, your local AutoZone will be able to loan you one free of charge.
That being said, the absolute simplest way to diagnose a Lexus climate control malfunction is by having a mechanic—preferably one with proper training and certifications for HVAC-system repair—inspect your vehicle’s A/C and electrical systems, so that they might better pinpoint where the fault lies.
MORE:
Car loans for Lexus 2022
How to keep Lexus insurance costs low
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