2005 Lexus ES330

ON DEC. 9, 2006, OUR '05 LEXUS ES330 ACCELERATED SPONTANEOUSLY IN REVERSE DOWN OUR (FORTUNATELY LONG) DRIVEWAY. BRAKING DID NOT STOP THE CAR. IN FACT, THE TIRES SQUEALED LOUDLY AS I BRAKED. I PUT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL IN ORDER TO STOP IT. WE IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE CAR TO A LEXUS REPAIR SHOP. THEY, OF COURSE, COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. THEY MENTIONED HAVING RECEIVED SOME REPORTS OF FLOOR-MAT PROBLEMS CAUSING ACCELERATION, BUT COULDN'T TELL ME MORE. THE FLOOR-MAT ON THIS LEXUS WAS FIXED, SO THAT WASN'T THE PROBLEM. THIS INCIDENT ONLY HAPPENED ONE TIME. I THOUGHT THE PROBLEM WAS RELATED TO THE CRUISE CONTROL, BECAUSE MY BROTHER-IN-LAW HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM (GOING FORWARD THOUGH) THAT WAS DIAGNOSED AS THE CRUISE CONTROL CAUSING ACCELERATION. EVEN THOUGH LEXUS SAID MY CRUISE CONTROL CHECKED O.K., I NEVER USED IT AGAIN. WE DECIDED TO SELL THE CAR, & DID SO WITHIN 6 MONTHS. *TR

I OWN A 2005 LEXUS ES 330. LAST JUNE AS I WAS ATTEMPTING TO PARK ON THE 3RD LEVEL OF A PARKING GARAGE, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. I WAS ACTUALLY AT A STANDSTILL AND THE VEHICLE ENGINE ROARED AND PROCEEDED FORWARD ON ITS OWN. I PUT BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKES AND PUT THE CAR IN PARK. THE ENGINE THEN DIED DOWN. I CHECKED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FLOOR MAT WAS NOT OBSTRUCTING THE ACCELERATOR AND IT WAS NOT. AT THE TIME, I CHALKED IT UP TO "A FLUKE"; HOWEVER, IN LIGHT OF THE PROBLEMS THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE TOYOTA VEHICLES, I FELT I SHOULD REPORT THIS OCCURRENCE. I PERSONALLY DO NOT THINK THIS WAS RELATED TO THE ACCELERATOR, I THINK IT HAD TO DO WITH THE ELECTRONICS. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY FURTHER OCCURRENCES; HOWEVER, IT IS WORTH A NOTATION. *TR

2005 LEXUS ES330. HESITATION & STUMBLING ON ACCELERATION. ALSO TRANSMISSION WILL NOT DOWNSHIFT. THIS IS A WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM WITH THE 2005 MODEL YEAR ES330. THERE WAS ONE REVISION OF TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE/FIRMWARE PROVIDED BUT IT DID NOT FIX THIS PROBLEM. AFTER SEVERAL COMPLAINTS THE LEXUS DEALER STATED "THERE'S NOTHING MORE WE CAN DO." SEVERAL INTERNET POSTINGS SUGGEST THAT THIS "DELAY" OR HESITATION IS DESIGNED IN. ALSO, IF WHILE ENTERING A HIGHWAY, FOR EXAMPLE, THE GAS PEDAL IS DEPRESSED, RELEASED AND DEPRESSED AGAIN THERE IS A MUCH LONGER 2-3 SECOND DELAY UNTIL POWER IS DELIVERED AND TO GET PROPER UPSHIFTS AND DOWNSHIFTS I HAVE TO SHIFT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION MANUALLY. THE LEXUS DEALER WAS/IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH THIS PROBLEM BUT HAS NO FIX BEYOND WHAT WAS PROVIDED FOR BACK IN 2005 BY LEXUS. THIS SHOULD BE FURTHER INVESTIGATED ALONG WITH THE CURRENT CROP OF TOYOTA/LEXUS THROTTLE PROBLEMS. THANKS! *TR

HELLO: I DRIVE A 2005 LEXUS ES330. WHILE I HAVE NOT HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKING SYSTEM, THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE IS A DIFFERENT STORY. IF YOU ARE ENTERING AN ON RAMP TO A FREEWAY THEN RELEASE THE THROTTLE, THEN ALMOST IMMEDIATELY REAPPLY THE THROTTLE THE CAR WILL NOT RESPOND. IT TAKES 2 SECONDS OR SO BEFORE THE ENGINE STARTS TO REV UP AND THE CAR IS DEFINITELY UNHAPPY ABOUT THIS. THIS PROCESS OF ACCELERATION, THE COASTING, THEN ACCELERATING AGAIN YIELDS THIS SAME RESULT WITH ALMOST 100% REPEATABILITY. THE INTERNET FORUMS ARE LOADED WITH INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE. DEFINITELY SOMETHING IN THE ELECTRONICS IS NOT RIGHT! *TR

WE PURCHASED A 2005 330 LEXUS, SEPT, 2004. WE HAD TROUBLE WITH THE AUTO DE-ACCELERATING DURING LEFT TURNS. THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS A PROBLEM BUILT INTO THE SYSTEM AND COULDN'T BE FIXED. MY HUSBAND THOUGHT IT WASN'T SAFE SO LESS THAN 8 MONTHS LATER WE TRADED IT IN FOR A 2005 430 LEXUS WHICH HAS GIVEN US NO PROBLEM. THERE WAS SOMETHING DEFINITELY WRONG WITH THE SYSTEM. IT ALMOST STOPPED MAKING TURNS. *TR

I HAVE THE INFAMOUS ES330 HESITATION PROBLEM WHICH IS PART OF THE SUB-STANDARD OPERATING PARAMETERS OF THE CAR. WHEN PURCHASED FROM THE DEALER NEW IN 2005, I WAS ADVISED AFTER TAKING THE CAR BACK SEVERAL TIMES, THAT UPDATING ECC MODULE PROBABLY WOULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM AND IT DIDN'T. THE DEALERSHIP WAS VERY AWARE AND BLAMED THE LAG ON TOYOTA'S "DRIVE BY WIRE? DESIGN USED ON THIS CAR. FURTHER, THEY SAID LEXUS NEW ABOUT AND PROBABLY WOULDN'T CORRECT THE PROBLEM UNTIL THE NEXT MODEL YEAR. THE HESITATION IS ESPECIALLY APPARENT WHEN PULLING AWAY FROM A FULL STOP OR WHEN POWER IS REQUIRED TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC. TO COMPENSATE, THE DRIVER HAS TO KEEP PUSHING DOWN ON THE GAS UNTIL THE CAR DECIDES TO ACCELERATE -- THEN THE DRIVER HAS TO QUICKLY EASE UP ON THE GAS TO KEEP THE CAR FROM OVER ACCELERATING. *TR

2005 LEXUS ES330 WITH SUDDEN ACCELERATION. CONSUMER STATED ON TWO INCIDENTS HER VEHICLE RAPIDLY ACCELERATED. IN ONE INCIDENT THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED IF FELT AS THOUGH THE CRUISE CONTROL HAD ACTIVATED AND THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LURCHED FORWARD AND TOOK OFF FROM A PARKING LOT, DOWN A SLOPE, INTO TRAFFIC AND INTO AN ONCOMING CAR. THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG AND THAT THE FLOOR MATS HAD POSSIBLY BEEN THE CAUSE OF THE ACCELERATION. *JB

ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECOMES HARD OFTEN. THIS CAUSES ABNORMAL RESPONSE WHILE ACCELERATING. COMPLAINED A FEW TIMES TO THE DEALER WHEN BOUGHT THIS CAR. THEY UPGRADED ECM SOFTWARE. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM DID NOT GO AWAY. DEALER SAYS THIS IS HOW ACCELERATION BY WIRE WORKS. I NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS BEHAVIOR WITH ANY OF MY CARS INCLUDING TOYOTA BEFORE. I STRONGLY BELIEVE LEXUS SHOULD FIX THIS PROBLEM AS IT MAY CAUSE ACCIDENT IF I'M NOT VERY AWARE DURING DRIVING WITH THIS ISSUE - LUCKILY, THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN INCIDENT SO FAR. *TR