2005 LEXUS ES Complaints

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

VEHICLE HESITATES TERRIBLY UPON ACCELERATION. I'VE CALLED DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES AND WAS TOLD "THIS IS NORMAL" UNTIL THE LAST CALL. NOW LEXUS ACKNOWLEDGES THE PROBLEM AND OFFERS A REMEDY! FORT MYERS DEALER RECALIBRATED THE ECM AND URGED USE OF NAME BRAND PREMIUM FUEL ONLY! SINCE THESE TWO CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE, IMPROVEMENT HAS BEEN MADE, BUT NOT ELIMINATED. THERE IS STILL SOMETHING NOT CORRECT ABOUT TRYING TO MERGE ONTO A HIGHWAY AND HAVING THE ENGINE BOG DOWN AS TRUCKS BEAR DOWN UPON YOU! *TR

WED MAY 23, 2007 WENT TO JM LEXUS TO CHECK ON THE LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD WHICH SAY AIR BAG ON AND AIR BAG OFF. SAW JOSHUA LENTZ WHO SAID THEY RECALIBRATED THE SYSTEM. HE TOLD ME THAT AS LONG AS FRONT PASSENGER WEIGHS ABOVE 70 LBS THE AIR BAG SYSTEM SHOULD OPERATE. I ASKED IF THE AIR BAG WOULD ACTIVATE IN EVENT OF ACCIDENT IF THE AIR BAG OFF SIGN SHOWS. HE TOLD ME IT WOULD NOT ACTIVATE. TODAY AS WE DROVE THE SIGN AIR BAG ON SHOWED. AFTER A STOP AT A STORE WE DROVE HOME AND THE AIR BAG OFF SIGN SHOWED ALL THE WAY HOME. TODAY I CALLED 1-800-255-3987, WHICH IS THE LEXUS CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER & SPOKE TO MR CALEB. HE WILL HAVE SOMEONE CALL ME IN TWO DAYS WITH SOME ANSWERS. AM STILL WAITING FOR THE CALL. FRI MAY 25, 2007 GOT CALL BACK FROM JOHN HALL, SERVICE MANAGER AT JM LEXUS. TOLD ME HE WILL BE IN TOUCH WITH LEXUS IN CALIFORNIA ABOUT THE AIR BAG PROBLEM. HE BELIEVES THEY ARE WORKING ON THE SOFTWARE FOR THE AIR BAG AND HE WILL TRY TO FIND OUT WHEN THEY THINK THEY WILL HAVE A SOLUTION. HE WILL CALL ME TODAY AFTER HE SPEAKS TO CALIFORNIA. SUN MAY 27, 2007 HAVEN'T HEARD FROM SERVICE MANAGER JOHN HALL. *TR

ON JULY 9, 2006 AT 3:30 P.M., I STOPPED AT FISHERS FOODS IN CANTON, OHIO. I PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT FROM THE FRANK RD. SIDE OF FISHERS AND WAS DRIVING SLOWLY WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE TO ENTER A PARKING SPACE. THE PARKING SPACE WAS LOCATED DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM THE ENTRANCE AND I TURNED LEFT AND EASED SLOWLY INTO THE SPACE WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE BRINGING THE CAR TO A STOP. THE MOMENT I STOPPED, I REACHED OVER TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE CAR ENGINE SURGED ENOUGH TO MOVE MY FRONT WHEELS OVER THE CAR STOP IN AN INSTANT WITH MY FOOT STILL ON THE BRAKE. I WAS TOTALLY SHOCKED. I STILL HAD MY FOOT POSITIONED ON THE BRAKE AND PUSHED DOWN. THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AND THE BACK TIRES CAME OVER THE CAR STOP. AT THIS POINT, I REMOVED MY FOOT TOTALLY FROM THE BRAKE TO SEE IF THE ENGINE WOULD SLOW DOWN NATURALLY WITHOUT ANY ACTION AT ALL BY ME. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO SURGE JUST AS FAST TOTALLY ON ITS OWN. I TRIED THE BRAKE AGAIN AND THE CAR STILL DID NOT STOP. I LIFTED MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE AGAIN AND AT THIS POINT REALIZED I WAS GOING TO GO INTO THE ROAD. I LOOKED TO THE LEFT AND SAW A CAR COMING DOWN THE ROAD A FAIR DISTANCE AWAY. I THEN LOOKED TO THE RIGHT AND SAW A SILVER TOYOTA WITH A LADY DRIVING IT. I KNEW I WAS GOING TO HIT HER. THE COLLISION HAPPENED AND I PUT THE BRAKE ON AGAIN AND THE CAR FINALLY STOPPED. THE POLICE CITED ME FOR FAILURE TO CONTROL. AS I WAS WAITING FOR MY HUSBAND TO PICK ME UP AFTER THE ACCIDENT, HE CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THAT HE HAD TALKED TO MY BROTHER AND THAT WHILE MY BROTHER WAS WORKING AT LEXUS, ANOTHER LADY HAD A SIMILAR ACCIDENT, ONLY HERS HAPPENED WHEN SHE WAS PULLING INTO HER GARAGE AND HER ENGINE SURGED AND HER CAR RAN INTO THE GARAGE DOOR. I THOUGHT THIS WAS KIND OF A BIG COINCIDENCE AND I DECIDED TO LOOK INTO IT FURTHER ON THE INTERNET WHEN I GOT HOME. THE INFORMATION I FOUND OUT ABOUT WAS SHOCKING, UNBELIEVABLE, AND ALSO MADE ME VERY ANGRY. THE COMPLAINTS ARE STILL BEING MADE ON AN ONGOING BASIS. *JB

I PURCHASED THE 2005 LEXUS ES 330 IN AUGUST OF 2005. SINCE THE TIME OF PURCHASE I HAVE EXPERIENCE A NOTICEABLE HESITATION AND LURCHING OF THE TRANSMISSION WHEN ACCELERATING FROM SLOW SPEEDS. THE HESITATION AND SUBSEQUENT LURCHING IS VERY NOTICEABLE WHEN ACCELERATING FROM 24 MPH. SINCE THE PURCHASE I HAVE RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM THROUGH THE INTERNET AND LEARNED THAT THERE ARE LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION IN THIS MODEL GOING BACK TO 2002. SEVERAL WEB FORUMS, SUCH AS EDMONDS.COM AND LEXUS OWNERS CLUB SHOW OVER TWO THOUSAND POSTINGS ON THE PROBLEM. EVEN THE NHTSA HAS COMPLAINTS. LEXUS REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM. I HAVE SENT NUMEROUS E-MAILS AND LETTERS TO BOTH LEXUS AND MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP. THEY HAVE FEIGNED SURPRISE AT THE PROBLEM, AND THEN HAVE TOLD ME THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM TO BE FOUND. THEY HAVE RECOMMENDED PREMIUM FUEL, REBOOTING THE TRANSMISSION COMPUTER AND WAITING FOR THE TRANSMISSION TO "SELF ADJUST". NOTHING HAS HELPED. LEXUS WILL NOT, OR CANNOT, FIX THIS PROBLEM. THE HESITATION AND LURCHING IS NOTICEABLE WHEN ENTERING A HIGHWAY OR DOING A "ROLLING STOP". IT IS HAZARDOUS. LEXUS HAS KNOWN ABOUT THE PROBLEM SINCE IT FIRST EXISTED IN 2002. THIS IS NOT ONLY AN UNCOMFORTABLE PROBLEM IN THIS SO-CALLED LUXURY CAR, BUT IT IS A DANGER. *NM

2005 LEXUS ES 330'S TIRE BLEWOUT. *KB THE BLOWOUT OCCURRED ON THE RIGHT REAR TIRE. THE DRIVING CONDITIONS WERE GOOD AND THERE WERE NOT OBJECT IN THE ROAD TO CAUSED THE BLOWOUT. (TOYO TUBELESS STEEL BELTED RADIAL). *NM UPDATED. *JB

2005 LEXUS ES330 HESITATES WHEN SHIFTING GEARS. UPON INSPECTION MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE CODE IN THE TCM NEEDED TO BE UPDATED. *KB SINCE THE TCM HAS BEEN UPDATED THE HESITATION HAS BECOME MUCH WORSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER AND TOLD THAT THE MANUFACTURE IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. *NM

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

TODAY MY CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN AND I WAS NOT ABLE TO GET IT TO STOP BY BRAKING. *JB

THE CAR WILL HESITATE AND THEN LURCH FORWARD WHEN YOU ARE GOING AT A SLOW SPEED AND THEN PUSH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. IT IS EXTREMELY ANNOYING AND COULD PRESENT A SAFETY HAZARD UNDER THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES. IT HAS BEEN DOING THIS SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR. I HAVE BEEN TO TWO DEALERS AND ALWAYS GET THE SAME "COMPANY STORY". IT'S A NEW DRIVE BY WIRE AND IT HAS TO LEARN HOW YOU DRIVE. WELL, I HAVE HAD MY SOFTWARE CHANGED NUMEROUS TIMES AND IT NEVER IS FIXED. I HAVE HAD 4 LEXUS AUTOS, WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER. THEY KNOW THIS IS A PROBLEM AND HAVE CORPORATE COVERUP PROGRAM IN PLACE TO HIDE IT, JUST BECAUSE NO ONE DIED YET. THEY DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO FIX IT AND SPEND THE MONEY AND NEGATIVE PUBLICITY. *NM