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Sedans Lexus ES Transmission problems with Lexus ES?
1362 messages, Last post on Aug 28, 2008 at 1:27 PM
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Replying to: aminklein (Aug 14, 2006 4:58 am) Does the transmission problem yu are having with your Lexus sound like the hesitation problem as described in the following article? Toyota Transmission Hesitation Problem
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Replying to: lpeters3 (Aug 22, 2006 7:24 pm)
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Replying to: aminklein (Aug 23, 2006 12:52 pm)
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I read these boards with interest some while back. At that time I had a 2000 RX300 that had the same 'hesitation' issue, and well, at about 70,000 miles, the transmission started making these awful 'whining' noises, like it was slipping, and after a while the engine light came on too, so I took it to the dealership. They replaced the transmission FOC as per warranty. 73,000 miles --- The car literally comes to a skidding stop with a big bang, like someone else complained of in one post I read. I managed to crawl home in low gear (luckilly was about 2 miles from home when it happened). Well, I did what others have done, I disconnected the battery and then it worked (or either the action of me putting it in R to get out of my garage fixed it). Well, worked for about 30 miles! Engine light then on again. So I go back to the dealership (praying I got there without car failing totally) - and talked to the service manager, told him my problem and made VERY clear I was pissed and that I thought Lexus was meant to be reliable and they BETTER sort things for me. Well, I got them to take that car of my hands, and I got a really good deal on a 2005 ES330 - and only by literally shouting at the sales and service people and telling them I'll report them to every publication I can think of and that Lexus owners expect better service than this. At one point they actually suggested "I leave, I must not like Lexus"....no kidding, at that point I did not. But they did eventually give me a deal, so I'll see how it goes with the ES330. So far, no hesitation issue, no harsh down shifts, no noticable slipping, it drives beatifully (with the normal very slight delays I've noticed on all drive-by-wire vehicles, not just Lexus). Still I've only had it just over a week now - so we will see! I will certainly post back if I start getting issues with the new vehicle, and will be checking this board for further updates. Makes me wonder (I have read many posts on here, but not all, way too many to get through) if it just affects some vehicles, or if it's driving style --- though I have to say, I'm a fairly harsh drive, I do push my vehicles, and this one seems up to the job, at least what I would expect the performance of an ES330. I also drove a 2007 ES350, it didn't seem to suffer the issues either - but didn't want to go new car route, in case I had issues, cause I've lost too much value just getting it off the lot, only to have it break on me! So Lexus - lets see if you can get a disgruntled customer back to a loyal one, and hope the RX issue was not the norm. Sorry for the long post everyone! Just thought I'd post my experiences so far. |
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I just got an ES330 which uses the previous generation of transmission and computer. It sometimes hesitates on acceleration but I have never felt in danger because of it. After careful tests I have determined that on my car there is hesitation only if I gently press the gas pedal. This is fine because it saves gas. When I stab the pedal, the car takes off briskly. The hesitation problem for the newest transmission and software combination may also be related to how quickly and how far you press the pedal. The computer can easily determine how fast you are moving the pedal, which makes this different from what we are used to with a non-computerized transmission.
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Replying to: curt2005 (Aug 28, 2006 8:50 pm) On the other hand if you are somewhat hesitent, release the pedal s..l...o...w.....l.......y, the ECU has every reason to believe that you wish to cruise along at the current speed. I suspect, sincerely, that the delay/hesitation problem "begins" with an upshift or the beginning of an upshift sequence, at which point the driver re-applies pressure, sinificant pressure, to the accelerator pedal. Now it will be clear to the ECU that the transaxle needs to be in a lower gear than the upshift just commanded. The problem is that the ECU must now wait for the previously commanded upshift to complete before it can "command" a new shift sequence, down to the more appropriate gear ratio for YOUR newly commanded acceleration requirement. ~1 second to complete the upshift and ~1 second to complete the downshift, 1-2 seconds during which time the DBW system keeps the throttle CLOSED to prevent inordinate wear to the transaxle clutches. When you foresee that an acceleration may be the next activity then release the gas pedal quickly, fully, and definitively. It may even help if you were to use your left foot to apply the brake lightly during this sequence. Braking, along with a quick lift of the pedal should, without any doubt, indicate to the engine/transaxle ECU firmware that your wish is to COAST DOWN to a lower speed. I'm not by any means saying that this is something we must adapt our driving styles to, but when it comes to driving the vehicles with this "feature" safely, better to be alive and complaining than......
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Replying to: wwest (Aug 28, 2006 10:12 pm) |
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I inherited a 1996 ES 300 with less than 40,000 two years ago. Since then the car has needed a starter, an axle, and a replacement sun roof. The driver's seat leather seam burst open and the cushion stuffing is coming out. The passenger seatbelt had to be replaced. Then, last week the transmission broke on the interstate. Contacted Lexus corporate customer service and it sounded like Lexus might entertain a repair after taking a look at the car. Any similiar experiences with Lexus or this model/year? Thankx.
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Replying to: bluebell2 (Sep 02, 2006 5:45 pm) |
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There are now about a dozen complaints on the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration web site regarding the transmission. There are also about 17-18 complaints on the Center for Auto Safety web site. When you file a complaint on that site, they ask you if you would be interested in a class action suit. I suspect if enough people complain, a suit may be a possibility. Given the thousands of complaints on all of the internet forums and discussion groups, this may be the only way to get action from Lexus. I don't believe that they'll do anything voluntarily.
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