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How to Fix a Blank Touchscreen on a 2nd Gen Lexus IS350
In the time that I’ve had my 2006 Lexus IS350, I’ve had several issues with the touch screen. I’ve had the notorious frozen touch screen issue where the digitizer has failed. The fix for this issue is to simply replace the digitizer itself as I’ve shown in my post here. However, if your touch screen is simply blank or completely black when your car is on, you might want to check for a quick fix before diving into any further digitizer replacement or worst case, a full head unit replacement.
Tools/Materials Used
Long Nose Pliers
We’ll be checking the fuse box that is located at the driver’s foot well. There is sometimes a fuse removal/install tool that is included in the fuse box; however, my tool of choice for removing and installing fuses is a set of long nose pliers.
IRWIN VISE-GRIP Long Nose Pliers, 6-Inch
Car Mini Blade Fuses
120 Pieces – EPAuto Assorted Car Truck Mini Blade Fuse Set (5/7.5/10 / 15/20 / 25/30 AMP)
Checking the Interior Fuse Box
The first thing you want to check is to see if the display was accidentally switched off. There is an option to turn off the display, so it is possible this was pressed and the display is now black. Simply pressing any of the physical buttons should get the screen to turn back on if this is the case.
If the screen is still completely black, you can try the next easy fix. Turn off the vehicle and go down to the lower left side of the driver’s footwell. Here you will find a fuse box.
Remove the cover of the fuse box and match up the diagram on the cover with the fuses in the fuse box.
You can also reference your owner’s manual to get a more detailed description of what each fuse does.
Look for the 10A fuse for ‘TV NO.1’ and 7.5A fuse for ‘TV NO.2’. Try removing these two fuses one-by-one and checking if the fuse is blown. If the fuse is blown, then replace the fuse with another 10A or 7.5A fuse accordingly.
In my case, the fuse wasn’t even blown but there was some kind of connection issue. When I removed and re-installed the fuse, I turned on the car again and the touch screen was working again.
If checking/replacing the fuses didn’t fix the issue on your touch screen, you will need to investigate further. If your touch screen is completely blank still, you’ll need to investigate further on why the head unit is not turning on at all. The worst case scenario is that the head unit has completely failed and a new head unit is needed for replacement.
However, if your screen is just stuck on but it doesn’t register your touch, then you may need to fix the digitizer by replacing it. You’ll need to remove the center console and replace the digitizer on your Lexus IS350.
