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Sedans Lexus ES Transmission problems with Lexus ES?
1381 messages, Last post on Nov 26, 2009 at 12:56 PM
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As many of you know, I bought my ES300 in March 2002. During many conversations, I stated that I had driven multiple ES300s and could repeat the transmission symptom in all of them. I remain convinced that this is a vehicle design issue and I am convinced that I could repeat the problem in any ES300, even in those whose owners swear they don't have the symptom. Well, today as my vehicle was being repaired (I have had my brake rotors go, and my rear window motor go, and my rear window shade go.), I drove an ES330 loaner. I will confirm that the hesitation is still there, but it seemes slightly different. Specifically, the ES330 hesitation seemed longer, ie. I got the sensation of stepping on the gas with the car going nowhere (as others have reported). I have never felt that in my ES300 (I did NOT get the firmware mod.) My ES300 (and the other ES300s that I drove) had a much jerkier transmission but not as long a delay.
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atoews reports that the hesitation in the ES330 is worse than the ES300, but less jerky than the ES300. My questions are for owners of '02 and '03 ES300s who have had the trans. software upgrade. (upgrade is reported to be same as software for the '04 330). Did you notice MORE hesitation after the upgrade than before??? Did you notice less jerkiness after the upgrade than before???
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Replying to: atoews (Jul 02, 2004 4:44 pm) It has an "intelligent transmission" that adjusts to your driving style, but I'm finding that I'm adjusting to it. If I ease into the throttle slowly, the car responds very nicely. At first the acceleration is mild, but it's definitely there. Since the car is so smooth and quiet, you're not sure at first if it's really accelerating unless you look at the speedometer. Then, when it shifts into gear you get a nice punch. The delay in shifting is not a problem, since you're accelerating. You just don't get the burst of the downshift immediately, but it comes soon enough. When I test drove the demo, I noticed that if you really punch the throttle at the outset, the car definitely hesitates like it's confused at first. The car doesn't respond well to that style of driver. But if you have a sensitive foot that can "feel" the engine through the throttle, the transmission is quite satisfactory, IMO. |
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| Davidz: My uncle owns an 02 ES300 and I have driven that car own a few occasions. What you say is exactly right. I didn't feel the problem probably because I wasn't driving it in a way to induce the problem. Btw, the ES330 does 0 to 60 in 7.2 seconds. It is hard to imagine a car with a hesitation problem accelerating that quickly. | |
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Replying to: atoews (Jul 02, 2004 4:44 pm) "Btw, the ES330 does 0 to 60 in 7.2 seconds. It is hard to imagine a car with a hesitation problem accelerating that quickly." I rarely sensed hesitation flooring from a full stop, although I don't do that much. It's up and down and fully up that's hesitant one time. But I'd agree that this is really a corner case to me, but may not be for people who floor more often at any moment. |
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I can repeat the problem at low speeds (45 mph or less) by pulling back on the accelerator, reducing gas flow, and then trying to reapply the gas immediately. The transmission will definitely not keep up. I disagree with those who say the problem is caused by "aggressive driving". I also totally disagree with any theory that says that the adaptive "learning" aspect of the transmission causes the problem. Note that although one can repeat the problem at will, doing certain actions, that sometimes the problem occurs with no warning. It mostly happens when one starts up after a stop sign or when making a turn (when you make a turn, you tend to pull back on the gas during the turn, and then you try and reapply gas after the turn.) Note for the record, that I am one of those drivers who is only mildly annoyed by the transmission problem because: a. you can exert some control over how often it happens by adjusting your driving style. b. The positive features of this car outweighs my annoyance with the transmission. c. I have never experienced a dangerous situation (very long hesitation) in my vehicle. The hesitations in my car seem to last less than one or two seconds at the most. I drove an RX330 (last year's model) as a loaner once, tried to repeat the problem in it, and discovered that the problem is not in the RX330. I also note, for the record, that my boyfriend, who often drives my car, and I are both aware of the transmission issue, and still find this car a very desirable option, when compared to its competitors. His top pick for his next car (he currently owns and old Camry XLE) would be the ES330 and I would purchase my car again having to make the same choice over again. Unlike myself, my boyfriend could easily afford a "GS" but does not see an $8000 price difference as being worth the difference in the two cars. I say all this, because many are looking to this board to decide whether or not to purchase the car for the first time. I just want them to know that many of us out here are fully aware of the problem but considering everything are happy with our vehicles. |
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| Aggressive driving won't 'cause' hesitation itself, it just induces the hesitation symptom more easily. Take the usual slow down to make a right, off gas while making the turn, and gas up after the turn. If you floor it after turn all the time then you might feel the hesitation more often than just a mild acceleration after a turn, like I usually need to. In fact, I've never sensed hesitation w/o a fully hard and quick pedal-down, after an off-gas cruise. I don't sense much jerking at all. Would've gotten this ES again in a heart beat. I'd still think that people who feel strongly about ES tranny behavior must sense more than what I do. | |
| I bought my ES330 in april after getting all my info from this site. I have made two long trips so far and have over 3500 mils. I just came back from a weekend trip. I can now confirm what I've been reading here about the transmission hesitation or lack of response. Although I don't consider it as a major problem as I've learned to drive the car the way it wanted to be driven,few times,I got aggressive and step on the gas too far after stop, that's when the car hesitated and jerked forward but not far enough as to hit the car in front. Another real experience was when I was trying to pass a car from the fast lane and inadvertently, I took off my feet from the pedal and step back on the pedal immediately after and had to press harder for the car to jerk up to speed. I could sense the hesitation to sudden speed which I imagine could be a problem if there was a car tailgating me. Overall, I'm happy with the car with its reputable ride but just a little disappointed that I have to always remember not to drive aggressively.I'm actually more annoyed at the cup holder that was a little too wide for the standard size water container that everytime I extended my right arm a little to my right,I would knock the water off the holder.It happened also when the car suddenly stop,the force was strong enough to knock the container off the cradle. | |
I have had my ES330 since September 2003 and have driven it 12,000+ miles. I am not a car buff, I just wanted a safe, reliable, luxury car that drove nicely. When I go to pull out into traffic or pass another car, my ES330 hesitates. I am not being picky but I find that this is very dangerous because cars are coming at me and I am just sitting there staring at their headlights like a deer waiting to be killed. Luckily I haven't been stuffed and mounted yet  . I am not being overly sensitive but I would NOT recommend the ES330 until Lexus admits there is a problem and fixes it. I have had three regular maintenance trips. All three times the dealers (2 different dealers) have said that they are unaware of the problem. HELLO, read Edmunds.com! And, from the postings here, it appears that this was also a problem with the ES300. Nice customer service Lexus; are you reading this? Do you care? I have been on two long trips and enjoy the car otherwise. I find that the gas mileage is nice. I am not in favor of purchasing another Lexus but my wife is really interested in the RX330. Question: Has anyone found the same problem with the RX? Thanks in advance for your help.
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I've heard of rare complaints on the RX330, but they're apparently far less common than on the ES330. I don't know if the difference is due to user issues or if there's a real difference in the vehicles. Your best best is to drive one to find out. Personally, I liked the RX330, as well, but decided to go for luxury rather than utility. I am not so sure this was the right decision. |
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