I have a 2013 Lexus ES 350. About 76,000 miles, automatic transmission. This problem started about a month ago. It happen a couple of times and then stopped, but started happening again, this time with it seems to be the norm rather than just somewhat intermittent.
Everything starts off normally. The car unlocks with the key fob, seats adjust like they should, dashboard comes on like normal. As soon as I press the start button, everything shuts off. No power to anything. I am able to get power back by fiddling with the battery; anything from simply touching it to removing the cover on the terminal, to attempting to move the battery cable. The battery cable appears to be tight and I don't see any obvious issues with the cable.
Last week I had to jump start it to get it to start, but that may have been because my wife left the headlights on. It displayed the same symptoms, and immediately started when hooked to the other car. It died again later that day when my wife drove it to do some shopping. I again jump started it, but in hindsight, I don't think that we necessary. Since that day, it has continually shown these symptoms.
I hooked it up to a scanner, but the scanner did not capture any data; I'm guessing because it loses power so quickly and the scanner is powered by the port. I have not tried to test the battery, but I know that it is only a couple of years old.
Any ideas?
Have your battery and alternator load tested. Check your grounds. I recently had the exact same problem with my 2000 Maxima. I solved the problem by replacing my negative battery cable even though it looked okay.
So I grabbed an old multimeter and tested the battery. Everything tested okay, but based on your answer, I took another look at the battery cables. There was some corrosion under the negative battery cable that wasn't visible until I removed it. I cleaned that up and checked the other cable as well. The tightening bolt was rusted a little, so I worked the nut loose, cleaned that one up as well and tightened them both down. Started right up. Thanks for the advice.
Examine the battery in your key FOB/remote or try the spare FOB. Your anti-theft system might not be detecting it and prevent it from starting. It should read 3 volts DC using a voltmeter. My '07 ES350 FOB takes a lithium Energizer 1632, found it on a battery display at my nearest Walmart near the checkouts. Good luck.
Glad the problem is fixed. Helps to read the whole thing.