A large number of 2010-2018 lexus vehicles have lost all the comfort and safety features linked to the Lexus Enform service now that 3G is being phased out in the United States for major mobile networks. This is bad news for owners of certain and relatively new — Lexus models that relied on the old wireless standard for features like remote lock/unlock, remote start and stolen vehicle tracking.
the Lexus Support Site says there are no plans to modernize modern cellular radios operating on newer mobile networks (such as LTE either 5G) on the affected models. The only component not affected is the navigation system, but almost the entire range of Lexus Enform services fitted to certain Lexus models was tied to 3G, which the major telcos began phasing out earlier this year.
The 3G phase-out process has now become a breaking point for owners of all 2010-2017 Lexus models and the 2018 Lexus GX. There are a few exceptions here and there, but they mostly have to do with cars that they lacked wireless connectivity in the first place.
The services that are disconnected are Lexus Enform Safety Connect, Lexus Enform Destination Assist, Lexus Enform Remote and Lexus Enform Service Connect.
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Safety Connect included automatic collision notifications, an emergency assistance button, enhanced roadside assistance and a stolen vehicle locator; Destination Assist enabled a 24-hour live response line to help if you got lost; Remote included, uh, remote vehicle start/stop, lock/unlock, vehicle finder, guest driver monitor, Alexa or Google Assistant and, worst of all, key fob start; finally, Service Connect included vehicle health reports and maintenance alerts.
The services are officially terminated as of October 31, and Lexus will give prorated refunds to customers who had active subscriptions. Some features are being migrated to the Lexus Apps Packageincluding Alexa and Destination Search, but this doesn’t seem as comprehensive as the outgoing Lexus Enform systems.
Not that the 3G shutdown was covert or unexpected, but it will still be a rude awakening for homeowners. Many of whom have come to expect these features and conveniences that wireless connectivity enabled in their luxury cars, features they paid for.
Of course, the caveat here is that these features were available when owners bought their cars between 2010 and 2018, and there’s no explicit guarantee that anything that relies on technology or telecommunications will last forever, but this hurts a bit. . Especially when it comes to services that are not to have to take advantage of mobile networks to work, like anything to do with a key fob, which can use shortwave or line-of-sight communications.
It’s hard to criticize Lexus or Toyota, some Toyota The models are also losing 3G-related features, for something beyond their control, but it still seems like an oversight. Asked for comment to confirm if there were plans for an upgrade in the future, Lexus said there are no plans to offer or sell upgraded hardware to restore connectivity.
