At the tail end of my recent trip to Anza Borrego, The close button on the rear hatch of my 2026 GX 550 OT plus stopped working and remained in the depressed position.
Having a couple of days to burn in the San Diego area while my wife was attending a pediatric conference, I went by Lexus of San Diego in the early afternoon.
Kevin - one of the Service guys was super helpful helping me figure out how to adjust the height of the hatch from the cockpit. (Which I shared with the forum). But the “open/ close” button was a separate problem. They looked at the issue and concluded the button was bad, but they could neither send me the part or have the car checked in for another week.
So I called the Lexus national customer service number: 1 (800) 255-3987
Doing so was like commissioner Gordon picking up the Bat phone and getting priority problem solving with one call.
The Lexus customer service representative, not only listened to my issue, but she then took it upon herself to call the closest dealerships and then expedite a service appointment with Lexus of Escondido - she literally scheduled it 30 minutes from my phone call (at the time. I was 26 minutes away from the other dealer.)
When I get to Lexus of Escondido, I was first met by a Service person that was informative, but had somewhat of a “no we can’t attitude.”
But then, within a few minutes, the service manager walked out, with a big smile on her face. She greeted me by my full name and said, “I will have your problem looked at today and possibly fixed tomorrow once the technician looks at it, and “makes sure the faulty part didn’t have outside interference…. In the meantime, the part has been ordered, and we will give you a loaner vehicle until the problem is fixed.”
Wow.. impressive service from an impressive appearing dealership.
I can’t help but think that the Customer service person at Lexus reached out to their dealer.
I came back the following day the button was fixed, but I was left a message that fixing that button was a “one time courtesy.”
When I asked why, “a one time courtesy,” I was told that having installed the aftermarket liftgate light, technically voided the warranty on that part, because the light plugs into the same wire harness as the lift gate button. She said they made a “one time exception” by replacing the button.
So this PSA is to alert everyone on the forum, if you do install that hatch light hold onto your old parts. If you ever have a problem with that liftgate button, return your liftgate to its stock configuration without the light, and then take it to service to have it repaired under warranty.
The fact is this “warranty exclusion issue” likely applies to all of the “non-aesthetic” aftermarket accessories that we install on our vehicles, including any changes/ upgrades to the suspension, braking systems, electrical wiring, etc.
Something to keep in mind fellow GX’ers!
… next time will try some gun oil 
. … thanks for the tip Bluegill.
