Some things that are giving me concerns on my 2023 GX Luxury trim, not fridge cold AC and feedback in brake/acceleration pedals at low speeds

[khalid7412002]

Hey everyone I was recently in the NorCal area where the temps were over 105 degrees and noticed that my AC was not blowing as cold as I would have expected for a new car. I had people ask me if the AC was on full blast as they were feeling warm. I even have full ceramic tint at 15% and clear ceramic tint on my windshield, which should help block a lot of heat. The air is cold but doesn't have that Ice cold bite to it that my old 2017 4Runner had.

When I got back home, I had my dealership replace the AC compressor but it feels like it did before replacement . I have an AcuRite indoor temp monitor and after driving 30 mins with the AC on full blast at the lowest temp setting, the coldest it registered was 70 degrees, with the outside temp read 90 degrees on the car dash. My 2010 corolla with no tint hit 70 as well so I would think the lexus should be colder. If the outside temp was hotter around 100, the inside of the GX would be hotter for sure.

Does anyone else know any other areas to check to see why my AC doesn't feel cold?

Another issue that I am noticing is that after a recent 5K maintenance with tire rotation, now and then at low speeds and when turning, I get feedback in my brake and acceleration pedals. It almost feels like a slippage or when ABS engages.

When I take my car to the dealership again, I want them to look at this brake issue as well. Does anyone know where I can help point them to look for this weird feedback issue?

Im a little disappointed in this purchase with so many issues I've had on a brand new $70K car. Not sure if it being the last gen and the factory being retooled or something leading to not a lot of attention to build, but I've had to take this car back to the dealership now 3-4 times , for wiper issues, subwoofer rattling, AC compressor.

 

[Roody]

Hey everyone I was recently in the NorCal area where the temps were over 105 degrees and noticed that my AC was not blowing as cold as I would have expected for a new car. I had people ask me if the AC was on full blast as they were feeling warm. I even have full ceramic tint at 15% and clear ceramic tint on my windshield, which should help block a lot of heat. The air is cold but doesn't have that Ice cold bite to it that my old 2017 4Runner had.

When I got back home, I had my dealership replace the AC compressor but it feels like it did before replacement . I have an AcuRite indoor temp monitor and after driving 30 mins with the AC on full blast at the lowest temp setting, the coldest it registered was 70 degrees, with the outside temp read 90 degrees on the car dash. My 2010 corolla with no tint hit 70 as well so I would think the lexus should be colder. If the outside temp was hotter around 100, the inside of the GX would be hotter for sure.

Does anyone else know any other areas to check to see why my AC doesn't feel cold?

Another issue that I am noticing is that after a recent 5K maintenance with tire rotation, now and then at low speeds and when turning, I get feedback in my brake and acceleration pedals. It almost feels like a slippage or when ABS engages.

When I take my car to the dealership again, I want them to look at this brake issue as well. Does anyone know where I can help point them to look for this weird feedback issue?

Im a little disappointed in this purchase with so many issues I've had on a brand new $70K car. Not sure if it being the last gen and the factory being retooled or something leading to not a lot of attention to build, but I've had to take this car back to the dealership now 3-4 times , for wiper issues, subwoofer rattling, AC compressor.

Do you mean the air coming out of the vents was 70 degrees, or the cabin temperature was 70 degrees?

I'll throw into the convo that my GX's A/C isn't the best of any vehicle I've owned, either.

 

[Kid]

I'll agree with Roody about other vehicles , my 2008 GX and my 2017 F150 has way better ac than my 2018 GX460.
My 2 other vehicles are way superior in the ac department

 

[185]

Some questions:

1) Ambient to vent (as close as possible to the cabin fan) is a relatively crude measure of ac performance but is good to know as an indicator of when to take the car in for an ac service. For most the delta is 35-45F but it varies heavily with relative humidity, and vehicle load/speed. What are yours?

2) What you need is a shop or if you diy to place a couple of gauges on the system and read the system pressures. This is crucial since, you mentioned you convinced the service depo to replace the compressor. 2020+ use the fancy 1234yf so this will mean a shop that has the right machine and alot of time (unlike the 134a models). Ask them to provide you the system pressures. Also any damage to the ac condenser and is the cooling fan operational (yes even a hydro clutch but still something to look at)?

3) if you care to diy and have a uv light, peak around to see any leaks in the system. Again you can also ask the dealership to do a leak test etc, since they worked on your rig.

 

[ericm979]

Hey everyone I was recently in the NorCal area where the temps were over 105 degrees and noticed that my AC was not blowing as cold as I would have expected for a new car. I had people ask me if the AC was on full blast as they were feeling warm.

My 2017 has great AC but I don't like to use AC as much as most people, so I'm not a good person to judge.

Are you running the HVAC in recirculation mode? My 2017 has recirc, outside and auto mode. The auto mode button shows if it's selected outside air or recirc. With outside temps that hot it's easier to cool down inside air that's already cooler than the outside air.

Your car is new right? First thing I'd check in a used car is the HVAC filter. People don't change them and they get clogged. But if it's new its probably ok.

 

[r2m]

With all due respect, 70° should be comfortable for a person unless they are sitting directly with the sun on them or they are morbidly obese.
My wife and I are not "skinny" folks (nor are we morbidly obese) and only once have had an issue with the AC.
Several years ago driving up to my dads in Texas in July we couldn't get the air cool enough. We pulled over and it turned out my daughter and her old boyfriend pumped up the heater to about 80° F for the rear seat climate control. After we set the rear air to 73° F we actually started getting on the cool side.
So, point is, do you have 3 climate zones? If so, what is the rear seats setting?

 

[ChipSchwartz]

I have a '23 and live in the Mojave desert where it's been 112 to 118 for the past two weeks. The GX gets very cold quickly, I think the AC is great.

 

[cfsds]

How did you "get" the dealer to replace the A/C compressor. What was their diagnosis? That's not a particularly trivial repair.

 

[misteracng]

I agree you probably have some AC issue, because I was in the same Bay Area heat and I had no issues with the AC in my 23. This car has really cold AC. Just going for compressor change seems aggressive to start, maybe it was leaking charge or something.

 

[Hehena]

Was the truck shaded, or in a garage? If not, lets be honest, a black truck outside for hours heat soaked by 110° weather is going to take a long time to cool down. Like, a real long time.

 

[khalid7412002]

Do you mean the air coming out of the vents was 70 degrees, or the cabin temperature was 70 degrees?

I'll throw into the convo that my GX's A/C isn't the best of any vehicle I've owned, either.

The cabin temperature was 70 degrees. I had the monitor in my cup holder, out of direct sunlight

I'll agree with Roody about other vehicles , my 2008 GX and my 2017 F150 has way better ac than my 2018 GX460.
My 2 other vehicles are way superior in the ac department

yea, I'm very surprised that I feel colder in my 2010 140K mile corolla with no tint than in my new 2023 GX. I also never had compliants with my prior car, a 2017 4Runner.

Some questions:

1) Ambient to vent (as close as possible to the cabin fan) is a relatively crude measure of ac performance but is good to know as an indicator of when to take the car in for an ac service. For most the delta is 35-45F but it varies heavily with relative humidity, and vehicle load/speed. What are yours?

2) What you need is a shop or if you diy to place a couple of gauges on the system and read the system pressures. This is crucial since, you mentioned you convinced the service depo to replace the compressor. 2020+ use the fancy 1234yf so this will mean a shop that has the right machine and alot of time (unlike the 134a models). Ask them to provide you the system pressures. Also any damage to the ac condenser and is the cooling fan operational (yes even a hydro clutch but still something to look at)?

3) if you care to diy and have a uv light, peak around to see any leaks in the system. Again you can also ask the dealership to do a leak test etc, since they worked on your rig.

1) This was cabin temperature where I had it in the cup holder area. Humidity on the monitor was 33%
2) I will replay this info to the shop when I take it back
3) I'll ask the dealer to do a leak test

My 2017 has great AC but I don't like to use AC as much as most people, so I'm not a good person to judge.

Are you running the HVAC in recirculation mode? My 2017 has recirc, outside and auto mode. The auto mode button shows if it's selected outside air or recirc. With outside temps that hot it's easier to cool down inside air that's already cooler than the outside air.

Your car is new right? First thing I'd check in a used car is the HVAC filter. People don't change them and they get clogged. But if it's new its probably ok.

I have it set to use the inside cabin air, so it's already cold.
Yes, the car was brand new when I bought it, currently has 6K miles

With all due respect, 70° should be comfortable for a person unless they are sitting directly with the sun on them or they are morbidly obese.
My wife and I are not "skinny" folks (nor are we morbidly obese) and only once have had an issue with the AC.
Several years ago driving up to my dads in Texas in July we couldn't get the air cool enough. We pulled over and it turned out my daughter and her old boyfriend pumped up the heater to about 80° F for the rear seat climate control. After we set the rear air to 73° F we actually started getting on the cool side.
So, point is, do you have 3 climate zones? If so, what is the rear seats setting?

No disrespect felt. 70 is nice, however it's not super hot outside. When the temps start to hit 100+, the inside temp would be higher than 70
I do have 3 climate zones and made sure all were set to the coldest temp

How did you "get" the dealer to replace the A/C compressor. What was their diagnosis? That's not a particularly trivial repair.

I just mentioned it to them that it was not blowing very cold. They said they would replace it but didn't give me any diagnosis. Im almost wondering if they actually replaced it.

I agree you probably have some AC issue, because I was in the same Bay Area heat and I had no issues with the AC in my 23. This car has really cold AC. Just going for compressor change seems aggressive to start, maybe it was leaking charge or something.

I feel the same because my 14 year old car with no tinted windows feels colder. When I was up north and had people ask if my AC was on, we went into my buddies 10+ year old BMW and it felt like it had a sharper cold bite than my car.

Was the truck shaded, or in a garage? If not, lets be honest, a black truck outside for hours heat soaked by 110° weather is going to take a long time to cool down. Like, a real long time.

My car in a car when I started my drive, with the temp monitor reading 78 degrees, and after 30 mins of driving on full blast at lowest temp, it got down to 70. But it was super hot outside the car

 

[Chronicle]

I bought a new 2023 in October last year and have had constant AC problems with it.

BLUF - Lexus and dealers say "it's normal because they all do it." Until the did not all do it but it's still normal and we aren't going to do anything about it.

I've been driving for over 30 years so I am not new to cars. On the first 12 hour trip after I bought it I could not get the interior to cool down like any other car I have had. Eventually I figured out that the with the AC on floor and face, let's just say 71, the floor was hot and the passenger side face vents were warmer than the drivers. After getting back I started to dig into this. If I set the temp to LO every vent magically blasts out ice cold 55 degree air. Set it to 65 and the floor vents are back to 100.

With an IR thermometer the passenger face vents were 10 degrees warmer and the floor vents were 100 degrees. I took it to Len Stoler (pronounced Stole Her) Lexus of Towson, where I bought it and was told it's normal because they all do it and they wanted no more out of my mouth on the subject was the vibe I was getting from them. I pushed and they said they would contact Lexus and that I needed to call also. So I did call and explained the problem. I was given over to what I will call a "handler" who has been trained to wear the customer down.

I learned about something called a TAS case and when I told the dealer to open it they refused and said the field rep could take a look on their next visit. Well, apparently they did, but there is no record of it that they can provide. Still, no TAS case.

Many hours were spent on the phone with Toyota/Lexus to no avail. Lexus and the dealer basically play tag team, both pointing to the other to wear you down.

I took it to another dealer who said they would open a TAS case no problem. I drove the 2 hours and spent 3 hours with the lead service manager (30 years there). He was all technical. He went over everything, used his own thermometers etc. and found it all did as I said and that he would talk to the field rep. Well, he never opened the TAS case in the end. I talked to him on the phone to follow up and he said I should go back to the purchasing dealer. Ok, so here we go. Something is very odd at this point.

I called him again at one point and he said he tried several more GX's and they all did it except one, on which the passenger and driver's temps were flipped the other way (driver's 10 degrees warmer).

I gave up. Shout out to Len Stoler Lexus and Toyota/Lexus for designing a system to ensure you wear down the customer and not fix the damn problem that you know exists for many years (dealer said all years do it).

Since then I've had mixed results getting the floor vents to a temp that does not burn my feet but it's never consistent. My 2010 RAV4 with 201,000 miles works great still.

 

[Rednexus]

IMO this sounds like a problem with the servos/blend doors/actuators behind the dash. If one is not positioned properly it will mix your cold air with hot air and it will never get cool (or never get warm). Since they also make the dual zone temp system work, problems could cause one side to be hotter/colder than the others. They can also get messed up by debris falling into the defrost or other vents. It's interesting this seems to be occurring on 2023s despite no reports that I know of for older GXs. I wonder if anything is the system (other than the refrigerant) changed when the interior/dash was updated for 2022.

I also agree it would be highly unusual for the AC compressor to "go out". My original Denso is still going strong at 17 years and 180K., and the AC is icey-cold. They should last a minimum of 20 years, if not more.

 

[cfsds]

This is so strange. I haven't noticed this problem on my '23, but I'll keep an eye out for it.

 

[r2m]

I'll throw into the convo that my GX's A/C isn't the best of any vehicle I've owned, either.

I agree...

 

[Hehena]

Please create a video showing the settings in the truck. We need visual confirmation that everything is set correctly.

 

[misteracng]

I would also add, getting the best AC results comes from setting manual instead of auto for me and not using multiple zones, set your temp and speed, also make sure your rear AC is actually on and not auto, so that it will follow what you set up front.

 

[khalid7412002]

I bought a new 2023 in October last year and have had constant AC problems with it.

BLUF - Lexus and dealers say "it's normal because they all do it." Until the did not all do it but it's still normal and we aren't going to do anything about it.

I've been driving for over 30 years so I am not new to cars. On the first 12 hour trip after I bought it I could not get the interior to cool down like any other car I have had. Eventually I figured out that the with the AC on floor and face, let's just say 71, the floor was hot and the passenger side face vents were warmer than the drivers. After getting back I started to dig into this. If I set the temp to LO every vent magically blasts out ice cold 55 degree air. Set it to 65 and the floor vents are back to 100.

Since then I've had mixed results getting the floor vents to a temp that does not burn my feet but it's never consistent. My 2010 RAV4 with 201,000 miles works great still.

Sorry to hear about your troubles and the lack of support from the various Lexus dealerships.

I actually did another test this past weekend

• went to Thousand Oaks, where it was about 87-98 degrees according to my iphone weather app
• car dash temp was reading 93 degrees when I left Thousand Oaks
• Acurite was reading 100 degrees inside when I got into the car
• after 35 minutes with my AC temp set to LOW, front and rear, full blast to face and feet, car dash temp at 93, my acurite read the temp inside at 81 degrees with 22% humidity
• when I got back to downtown 1:15 hours later, car dash outside temp was 88 degrees, my acurite inside temp was 72" with 27% humidity, full blast AC at lowest temp

To my make sure my Acurite is accurate, I brought it inside my apt where I have my AC set to 75 degrees and it correctly registered the temp at 75 degrees.

At no time during my entire trip did my AC feel icy cold, just coldish air.

IMO this sounds like a problem with the servos/blend doors/actuators behind the dash. If one is not positioned properly it will mix your cold air with hot air and it will never get cool (or never get warm). Since they also make the dual zone temp system work, problems could cause one side to be hotter/colder than the others. They can also get messed up by debris falling into the defrost or other vents. It's interesting this seems to be occurring on 2023s despite no reports that I know of for older GXs. I wonder if anything is the system (other than the refrigerant) changed when the interior/dash was updated for 2022.

I also agree it would be highly unusual for the AC compressor to "go out". My original Denso is still going strong at 17 years and 180K., and the AC is icey-cold. They should last a minimum of 20 years, if not more.

Thank you for mentioning the servos, I will bring that up to the dealership the next time I take it in so they can do a full inspection. My AC in this GX has never been Ice cold, just mild cold air that takes forever to cool the car down
Please create a video showing the settings in the truck. We need visual confirmation that everything is set correctly.

Please create a video showing the settings in the truck. We need visual confirmation that everything is set correctly.

I will take a pic tomorrow, but the settings are pretty simple.

• AC temp to low for front and rear manually
• set to full fan speed
• set to face and feet setting
• set to recirculate inside air

I would also add, getting the best AC results comes from setting manual instead of auto for me and not using multiple zones, set your temp and speed, also make sure your rear AC is actually on and not auto, so that it will follow what you set up front.

See above, I have everything set to manual mode and have confirmed all settings are set to the lowest temp and highest fan speed.

 

[Chronicle]

At no time during my entire trip did my AC feel icy cold, just coldish air.

This does sound broken. With an IR thermometer at the vents on LO I get 50's air.

 

[ericm979]

Have you tried auto mode? I leave mine in auto mode. If it's hot inside the car when I start it, it takes about 20 seconds and then the A/C comes on cold with the fan on fairly high, and the air from the vents is cold.