If you own a Lexus built between 2010 and 2018, it may have lost some features this week. Lexus shut down service on its Enform suite of connected services Monday night.
The automaker had little choice. The Enform network relied on a 3G phone connection. America’s major cell phone networks took most 3G services off-line this year, meaning the Enform suite of services had gradually stopped working for most users, anyway.
Affected vehicles include all Lexus models from 2010-2017 and the 2018 Lexus GX. They lost access to:
- Lexus Enform Safety Connect, which included automatic collision detection, an emergency assistance button, and a stolen vehicle tracker
- Lexus Enform Destination Assist, which offered a 24-hour directions helpline
- Lexus Enform Remote, with its remote lock/unlock and start/stop functions, and,
- Lexus Enform Service Connect, which provided vehicle health reports and alerted you to needed maintenance
Lexus will replace some, but not all, of the services through its Lexus App Suite. But some appear lost for good. The company will provide prorated refunds to owners who had active subscriptions to Enform services.
What Is 3G?
Cell phones, tablets, and other connected devices communicate across parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. That spectrum has a limited number of frequencies, and there is no way to add more.
Cell phones and tablets from the early 2010s are known as “third generation” or 3G devices. More modern devices use fourth- or fifth-generation, 4G or 5G, technology. They communicate across different parts of the spectrum.
Cell phone service providers maintain nationwide networks of towers that broadcast in each of those frequencies. Since few customers are still using the older 3G network, the major providers have been shutting down those networks in 2022.
But you probably replace your phone more often than you replace your car. Many of us carry 4G or 5G phones but still drive 3G cars.
Some Other Automakers Have an Answer
Many automakers offered services like the Lexus Enform suite. Some, like Lexus, chose to wind them down as 3G networks disappeared.
Others upgraded older cars to 4G and 5G networks.
General Motors, for instance, upgraded many cars through over-the-air software updates to OnStar-equipped vehicles, which should keep most vehicles connected.
Early 2010s Subaru vehicles require a physical upgrade to keep their STARLINK system operating. Subaru dealers install the upgrade for free.
Most Teslas currently on the road are already equipped with more modern systems. But some Model S cars built before 2015 still use a 3G connection. Tesla sells an upgrade to keep those cars up to date but requires owners to pay for installation.
Lexus, however, says, “there are no available retrofit options” for Enform-equipped vehicles.
