Whenever you are in your loved Lexus, you want to experience only pleasure from comfortable and safe driving. So, when the car throws some error messages and you need to quickly read them without understanding what they mean, this may be frustrating. But it doesn’t always mean that the vehicle is damaged and needs expensive repairs.
When your Lexus says “Driver Start Control Malfunction”, it means that the DSC function triggered automatic control over the car’s acceleration. It means that your Lexus thinks you did something wrong and doesn’t allow you to gain the full power of the motor immediately. This is introduced in your Lexus car to avoid road accidents and vehicle damage.
But of course, this function may malfunction like all the electronics in the world, so you may see this error message without any firm reason behind it.
Here’s what I’m going to cover in this article:
- What should you do when you see “Drive Start Control Malfunction”?
- What are the common reasons for this error message to appear in your Lexus?
- The best ways to deal with this problem on your own.
- When is it important to have your Lexus inspected after you see this message?
Can you drive with the “Drive Start Control Malfunction” message?
In short, you can drive your Lexus if you see the “Drive Start Control Malfunction” error message. It just means that the electronics figured out that you may have shifted to an improper mode or you pressed the gas pedal too hard and the Lexus wants to save itself from damage as well as save you from hitting something or someone on the road.
So, yes, you can drive further after you make sure that everything is OK with all the settings and you aren’t trying to press the gas while the gear shifter is in Neutral or something like that.
But still, if you see this error message, something may be wrong. So, here’s what you should do, in this case:
- First of all, stop the vehicle and put it in Park. Release all pedals and let the car idle.
- You can also turn the engine off, wait for several minutes and then turn it on. This may give your ECU a breath of fresh air.
- After that, pay attention to your actions and carefully start driving your Lexus just as you always do.
- Pay attention to anything that may have changed in the behavior of your car. Also, pay attention to possible error messages that may pop up on the dash.
- If you don’t see anything, you are good to go, keep driving and hope that this was some inexplainable glitch.
- If the message pops up again, you better drive your vehicle directly to the dealership or to the trusted repair shop.
You need to understand that your Lexus will not throw error messages just for fun. They are not always full of logic and directly point to the problem your car may be experiencing. But these messages almost always mean that something is wrong with the car.
So, unless you aren’t sure that you did everything right when starting to drive your car, you should have the vehicle inspected. Pay attention to the common issues that can trigger the “Drive Start Control Malfunction” error message – I will outline them below.
What can cause the “Drive Start Control Malfunction” in your Lexus?
Although there are literally dozens of different reasons why this may happen with your car, I will outline several of the most common ones. You still need to remember that a Lexus is a high-tech vehicle that is packed with different kinds of electronics that can malfunction and cause some problems from time to time. So, sometimes, only a professional mechanic can find the real reason for this message to appear on the dash of your car.
Here are some of the most common issues:
1. Shifter problems
The Drive Start Control system analyzes the way you start moving in your Lexus. If you do something wrong, it will let you know. In most cases, it’s connected to the shifter and the gas pedal. So, these are the units you should start checking first.
The shifter in your Lexus has several sensors and control units that communicate with all other vehicle units and make your car move as needed. But when the shifter is faulty, it can send different signals to the ECU. For example, it can think you shifted to R but you actually shifted to D.
If you noticed that the shifter is sometimes glitching, it’s important to have it inspected by the dealer or in the good repair shop as soon as possible.
2. Gas pedal sensor
Another sensor that communicates with the Drive Start Control system is the gas pedal sensor. In your Lexus, the gas pedal is electronically controlled, so the ECU knows exactly the position of the pedal at any moment. But if the sensor malfunctions, different strange things may happen.
For example, your Lexus may rev up when idling without you pressing the gas pedal. Also, the car may accelerate suddenly without you commanding it to do so. This is quite dangerous and may lead to road accidents, so have this problem fixed as soon as possible.
3. Your actions behind the steering wheel
It’s not uncommon that drivers are in a hurry and they don’t notice that they do something wrong. Even experienced drivers may make some mistakes.
For example, you were reversing and suddenly shifted to Drive and pressed the gas pedal before the car could fully stop. It means that if the DSC system doesn’t kick in, you have a great chance to buy the new transmission.
Or you just started the vehicle, shifted to drive, and pressed the gas pedal to the metal. Your Lexus will not start off as crazy and will most likely show you the “Driver Start Control Malfunction” error message because it’s very dangerous for the vehicle.
So, make sure you are driving the car in accordance with the driver’s manual. It’s important to obey this manual at all times to prolong the life of your vehicle.
4. Low and dying battery or bad alternator
Your 12V battery is responsible for cranking the engine and supplying all the electronic modules with power until the alternator kicks in. But if the battery is dying, it will not be able to supply the electronics with the needed 12 volts. Its voltage will drop and the electronics may start glitching.
Also, this may happen if the alternator or the voltage regulator is faulty. In this case, the alternator will not supply the electrical system of your car with the needed power and the electronics will start glitching.
One of the possible consequences of this is random codes in the ECU and random error messages on the dash of your car. Also, this may affect some sensors that are very power-sensitive.
5. ECU is faulty
One more reason that I would check on your place is the ECU problem. One of the most obvious reasons why the ECU may malfunction in your Lexus is water damage. The damaged ECU will obviously give random codes and will most likely display different messages on the dash of your car.
Also, the ECU may fail to operate the data and readings it gets from the sensors and other control units in your car. This also happens when the ECU is damaged or overheated. Unfortunately, if the simple reset doesn’t help you solve this problem, there is no other DIY method to cope with the issue. Go to the dealership and ask for professional repairs.
How can you try and deal with the problem?
You can try the following:
- Turn off the engine in your vehicle and let it sit for a while.
- Turn it on again and see if the problem disappeared.
- If it didn’t try to reset the ECU with the help of the battery disconnection.
- Locate the battery and disconnect the negative terminal, then the positive one.
- Wait for 5-10 minutes and turn on the light to discharge any power that is left in the system.
- Reconnect the battery – the positive terminal comes first, then the negative one.
- Try driving the car and see if the problem disappeared.
If this didn’t help, the best way to solve the problem and also to make sure that your vehicle is safe to drive is to take the car in for inspection.
When is it necessary to go to the shop with this problem?
If your Lexus often shows the “Drive Start Control Malfunction” message and changes its behavior, these are the most important signs that the vehicle needs professional care. You may go to the dealership or choose an independent repair shop that you trust.
A good mechanic will use the OBD2 scanner and also special Lexus software to inspect the vehicle and locate the actual problem. Make sure you tell the mechanic everything you notice about your Lexus. This will help them inspect the car faster and eventually, you will pay less for this.
Final thoughts
Although the “Drive Start Control Malfunction” is not the biggest problem that can happen to your Lexus, it needs some attention. If you see this message just once, then it may be that your driving habits are in charge of this. But if the issue is consistent, you should take the car in for inspection and repairs.
Even if the message is often on the dash of your car, you shouldn’t call a tow truck and be afraid to start the engine. Just carefully drive to the nearest repair shop. But if you feel that the Lexus acts weirdly and changes its behavior significantly, you should stop driving and find another way to have your vehicle delivered to the shop.