2005 Lexus ES330

MY 2005 LEXUS ES330 HAS HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS SINCE WE BOUGHT IT ON 9/22/2008 WITH 30,057 MILES ON IT. THE TRANSMISSION WILL AT TIMES HESITATE AND/OR SEEM TO BE UNABLE TO FIND THE CORRECT GEAR TO BE IN FOR THE SITUATION.IT SHOWS UP MOST OF THE TIME IN THE 30-45MPH RANGE BUT IT ALSO HESITATES FROM A STANDING START. AT TIMES IT "LOOKS" FOR A GEAR TO BE IN AND HESITATES THEN HARD SHIFTS IN TO A GEAR. I ALSO OWN A 2000 CAMRY AND A 2008 COROLLA AND THEIR TRANSMISSIONS WORK JUST FINE. THE LEXUS TRANSMISSION JUST WILL NOT SHIFT CORRECTLY FOR THE SPEED AND THROTTLE INPUT. I SEE THIS HAS BEEN QUITE A PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL OF LEXUS CARS. THE LEXUS DEALER SAYS IT IS "NORMAL". THIS CAN NOT BE NORMAL. SINCE I GET TO DRIVE TWO OTHER TOYOTA CARS WITH AUTO TRANSMISSIONS AND THEY WORK JUST FINE I CAN TELL QUITE EASILY THERE IS A BIG PROBLEM WITH THIS TRANSMISSION. IT NEEDS TO BE RECOGNIZED BY LEXUS BEFORE THEIR IS A FATALITY DUE TO THE EXTREME LAG AT START FROM STOP CONDITIONS. I HAVE HAD THE GAS PEDAL ONE QUARTER OF THE WAY DEPRESSED BEFORE THE CAR EVEN RECOGNIZED I HAD APPLIED THE THROTTLE. THIS COULD EASILY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT EITHER STARTING FROM A STOP SIGN WITH TRAFFIC CROSSING YOUR ROUTE OR THE VEHICLE "JUMPING" AT A START BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE PEDAL PART WAY DOWN BEFORE THE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION GETS THE SIGNAL AND YOU ACCELERATE RAPIDLY FROM A DEAD STOP. CORPORATE TOYOTA NEEDS TO RECOGNIZE THIS PROBLEM AND COME UP WITH A FIX. IT MAY HAVE TO BE A RECALL OR PERHAPS JUST A SERVICE NOTICE TO ALL 2005 LEXUS ES330'S OWNERS. WHATEVER IT TAKES IT NEEDS TO BE DONE SOON. THIS IS A SAFETY RELATED ISSUE IT CAN CAUSE ACCIDENTS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LEXUS ES330. THE VEHICLE HESITATES ABNORMALLY WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTS TO ACCELERATE. PRIOR TO THE FAILURE, SHE DID NOT NOTICE ANY WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE AND PROVIDE A REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 57,000. UPDATED 12/08/09. *LJ UPDATED 12/10/09.*JB

LEXUS ES330 2005 CAR SHIFTS IMPROPERLY WHEN DRIVEN AT 20-35 MPH, UNEXPECTED UP SHIFTS THAT OCCUR TO EARLY AND DOWN SHIFTS WHILE SLOWING DOWN CAUSING THE DRIVER TO HAVE TO MODULATE THE BRAKING TO AVOID EITHER COMING UP TO CARS IN TRAFFIC AHEAD TO QUICKLY OR TRAFFIC COMING FROM BEHIND SO AS TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT FROM BEHIND AS YOU SLOW TO QUICKLY. HAPPENS ONLY ABOUT 20% OF THE TIME BUT FORCES THE DRIVER TO BE VIGILANT CONSTANTLY TO AVOID PROBLEMS. *TR

RE: LEXUS ES330('05)DELAYS IN ACCELERATION,LURCHING WITH STOPS AND STARTS,UNPREDICTABLE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS,WHEN BRAKING CAR FEELS LIKE IT IS SLIPPING FORWARD. LEXUS FIRST DENIED PROBLEM BUT I SHOWED THEM INTERNET BLOG AND NHTSA COMPLAINTS,THEN ADMITTED TO SOFTWARE PROBLEMS. 3 OR 4 ATTEMPTS TO CHANGE SOFTWARE HELPED TEMPORARILY. I WAS TOLD I WOULD GET USED TO THIS. AFTER 2 AND HALF YEARS OF ERRATIC SHIFTING AND SEVERAL NEAR MISSES ON LANE CHANGES (CAR REFUSED TO ACCELERATE) I THREATENED LEGAL ACTION. LEXUS RELUCTANTLY CHANGE THE TRANSMISSION. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THE DIFFERENCE,THOUGHT THEY CHANGED THE CAR!IT FINALLY DROVE THE WAY THE DEMO CAR DID. MORE CONSISTENT ACCELERATION,ALBEIT STILL HAD SOMEWHAT OF A DELAY. I NO LONGER FELT EVERY GEAR SHIFT. STOPS AND STARTS MUCH SMOOTHER. THE INTERNET DISCUSSIONS ARE RIGHT. SOME OF THE LEXUS ES330 MODELS HAVE A SERIOUS TRANSMISSION DEFECT,BUT IT APPEARS TO BE A MECHANICAL,NOT A SOFTWARE PROBLEM. I READ THE NHTSA RESPONSE TO A COMPLAINT LODGED AGAINST THIS SAME VEHICLE IN 2005. THE CONCLUSION WAS THAT THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH COMPLAINTS TO LAUNCH AN INVESTIGATION. I WOULD HOPE THE NHTSA WOULD RETHINK THIS POSITION. THERE ARE ALOT OF COMPLAINTS REGISTERED ON THE INTERNET (I.E. EDMUNDS.COM).I WORRIED EVERY TIME I GOT BEHIND THE WHEEL. WHEN LEXUS FINALLY CHANGED THE TRANSMISSION, I FELT IT WAS FINALLY SAFE TO GET RID OF THE CAR. I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT LEXUS DOES KNOW ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM AND HOW TO FIX IT BUT WILL NOT VOLUNTARILY FIX IT UNLESS FORCED TO DO SO. THEY WOULD NOT FIX MY CAR UNTIL I THREATENED LEGAL ACTION. MANY OF THESE CARS WILL BE GOING OFF LEASE AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS NOT AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. IT IS UNFAIR TO THESE BUYERS,NOT TO MENTION RISKY TO THEIR LIVES,NOT TO HAVE THIS SITUATION RECTIFIED. I BELIEVE THAT ONLY AN ORGANIZATION SUCH AS THE NHTSA CAN FORCE LEXUS TO REMEDY THE SITUATION. THE ONLY OTHER WAY WOULD BE A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT BUT I DOUBT ENOUGH PEOPLE WOULD COME TOGETHER FOR THIS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. *TR

LEASED LEXUS 2005 MODEL ES330, THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION WHERE THEREWAS A DELAY IN SHIFTING AND THE ENGINE RACED AT 4000 RPM S BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED VERY HARD. THIS ACTED LIKE A MAJOR TRANSMISSION SLIPPAGE AND A HARD SHIFT, THE CAR HESITATES AS YOU ARE PULLING INTO TRAFFIC AND IN A SPLIT SECOND I HAVE ALMOST BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND BECAUSE THE CAR DID NOT RESPOND NORMALLY. LEXUS ADMITTED THAT THEY HAVE THIS PROBLEM IN THE 2004, 2005 AND 2006 MODELS. DEALER HAD A SERVICE REP LOOK AT IT AND STATE THEY CANNOT PUT ANYMORE COMPUTER PROGRAMS ON THE CAR AND IT'S DRIVING AS IT WAS DESIGNED. *AK

I LEASED A 2005 ES330 FROM LEXUS A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. IMMEDIATELY AFTER LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP I NOTICED THAT THE CAR HAD A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. AT LOW SPEEDS, UNDER 30 MPH, THE CAR WOULD NOT TRANSITION THROUGH THE GEARS PROPERLY AND WOULD JERK SUDDENLY UPON ACCELERATION. I ALSO NOTICED THAT THERE WERE TIMES WHEN THE CAR WOULD HESITATE FOR A FEW SECONDS UPON ACCELERATION FROM A STOP OR LOW SPEEDS. THIS JERKING MOTION AND HESITATION OF THE TRANSMISSION IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MY TYPE OF VEHICLE AND HAS BEEN KNOWN BY LEXUS TO BE A PROBLEM FOR THE PAST 5 YEARS, SINCE 2002. THIS VEHICLE IS A SAFETY HAZARD IN HIGH TRAFFIC SITUATIONS AS IT DOES NOT RESPOND APPROPRIATELY TO THE DRIVERS NEEDS, OR COMMANDS. *NM

WE PURCHASED A 2005 LEXUS ES330 IN MARCH OF 2005. AFTER ABOUT A MONTH OF DRIVING IT, WE NOTICED THE TRANSMISSION LAGGED WHEN STEPPING ON THE ACCELERATOR. THE TRANSMISSION JERKS REALLY BAD WHEN IT'S SHIFTING GEARS. THIS CAUSES YOUR HEAD TO JERK BACK. IT'S ALSO VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE IF YOU ARE IN TRAFFIC AND ARE SLOWING DOWN TO STOP AND THEN KEEP GOING, THE CAR DOESN'T REACT AND YOU ALMOST GET REAR ENDED BY CARS FOLLOWING BEHIND YOU BECAUSE THEY ARE EXPECTING YOU TO GO. WE HAVE BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO LEXUS MANY TIMES. WE HAVE TALKED TO A LEXUS REP AND THEY ADMIT THERE IS A PROBLEM BUT THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT. THIS CAR IS NOT THE CAR WE SIGNED UP TO BUY. I THINK LEXUS NEEDS TO STAND BEHIND THEIR FAULTY TRANSMISSION, AS IT IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE A CAR THAT DOES NOT RESPOND THE WAY IT SHOULD. *JB