2005 LEXUS ES Complaints

I OWN A 2005 LEXUS RX 330 WITH APPROXIMATELY 27,000 MILES ON IT.--MY RIGHT REAR BREAK LIGHT DOES NOT WORK CONSISTENTLY. LINDSAY LEXUS, ALEXANDRIA, VA, WAS TOLD OF THE PROBLEM, CHECKED IT OUT AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. SUBSEQUENTLY, I HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER BY A POLICE OFFICER AT NIGHT, AS WELL AS BEING TOLD BY FOLKS WHO FOLLOWED ME AT NIGHT, THAT THE LIGHT WAS NOT OPERATIONAL. I AGAIN, TOLD LINDSAY LEXUS WHAT WAS OCCURRING AND WAS TOLD THAT UNLESS IT DID NOT WORK WHEN I BROUGHT IT IN, THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. HOWEVER, THEY OFFERED THAT I COULD PURCHASE A NEW BULB FOR $300.00. ADDITIONALLY, THEY SAID IF IT WAS NOT WORKING WHEN I BROUGHT IT IN THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY. I CONTACTED THE LEXUS HEADQUARTERS IN CA, AND THEY OFFERED NO SOLUTION AS WELL. I WOULD SPECULATE THAT I WILL BE PULLED OVER AGAIN BY AN OFFICER, AS THE FIRST OFFICER TOLD ME IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE AND TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT SINCE IT OCCASIONALLY WORKS, IT MIGHT BE AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY LINDSAY LEXUS DOES NOT HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM. THE HAVE PLACED THE ONUS ON THE CUSTOMER. *NM

THE TRANSMISSION OF MY ES 330 IS ERRATIC DURING BOTH UPSHIFT AND DOWNSHIFT. INITIALLY THE DEALER RIVERSIDE LEXUS, COVINGTON,KY, SAID THAT IT WOULD WORK ITSELF OUT IN A FEW THOUSAND MILES. THAT DID NOT HAPPEN. A FEW WEEKS AGO THE DEALER THEN CHANGED THEIR STORY TO ONE THAT LEXUS KNOWS OF THE PROBLEM. . I DID SEE A NUMBER OF OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE ES 330 TRANSMISSION ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE. THE OTHER COMPLAINANTS SEEMED TO GET THE SAME TWO STAGE RESPONSE FROM LEXUS THAT WE DID. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO BACK UP, THE VEHICLE HESITATED AND THEN LURCHED FORWARD CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO HIT THE GARAGE DOOR. THE DRIVER WAS WEARING A SEATBELT AND RECEIVED NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION AND THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED.

MY 2005 LEXUS ES330 HAS TRANSMISSION HESITATION WHEN AFTER SLOWING TO ABOUT 5 MPH, I ACCELERATE. IT TAKES 1 TO 2 SECONDS FOR THE TRANSMISSION TO DOWNSHIFT AND THEN THE CAR LURCHES DANGEROUSLY FORWARD. THE DEALERSHIP INSTALLED A SOFTWARD FIX TO THE TRANSMISSION, BUT THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. *NM

MY NEW 2005 LEXUS ES330 HAS A MAJOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. IT HESITATES WHEN NEEDING TO ACCELERATE. FIRST IT DELAYS UPON ACCELERATION AND THEN IT JERKS AHEAD QUICKLY CAUSING WHIPLASH AND I EVEN CRASHED INTO MY GARAGE BECAUSE IT JERKED AHEAD WITHOUT ME BEING ABLE TO CONTROL IT. THE DEALER SAID TO JUST USE BETTER GAS AND COMPLAIN TO CUSTOMER SERVICE AT LEXUS BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS. BASICALLY, I WAS TOLD THE COMPUTER CONTROLS THE TRANSMISSION AND THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH IT BUT NO RECALL AS OF YET. WELL THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. I HAVE A NEW LEXUS THAT DRIVES WORSE THAN AN OLD CAR AND THEY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I HAVE READ HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ONLINE. *NM

HESITATION UPON ACCELERATION OF 1-3 SECONDS. AT CRUCIAL DRIVING POINTS (E.G., THROUGH INTERSECTIONS), THE HESITATION IS DANGEROUS FOR THE DRIVER AND OCCUPANTS. THE PROBLEM NOW OCCURS REGULARLY. *JB

I PURCHASED MY 2005 LEXUS ES330 IN AUGUST OF 2004 AND HAVE HAD THE TRANSMISSION ACCELERATION / DECELERATION PROBLEMS CITED HERE IN SINCE THE PURCHASE DATE. I HAVE HAD MY CAR TO THE DEALER 4 TIMES FOR REPAIR, PLUS A FIFTH VISIT WITH THE LEXUS MANUFACTURERS REPRESENTATIVE. THEY HAVE UPGRADED THE SOFTWARE AND RESET THE ECM MEMORY EACH TIME, AND STATE THAT THERE IS NOTHING MECHANICAL WRONG WITH THE CAR. I CONCUR THAT THIS IS A DEFINITE SAFETY PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, DUE TO THE DELAY AND LUNGING THAT CAN CAUSE YOU TO BE REAR ENDED OR TO REAR-END SOMEONE ELSE. LUCKILY, I HAVE NOT HAD AN ACCIDENT - HOWEVER GIVEN THAT THIS PROBLEM APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN REPORTED ON THE LEXUS ES SINCE THE 2002 MODEL, I WOULD EXPECT LEXUS OR THE NHTSA TO HAVE DONE SOMETHING BY NOW. NOTE THAT I HAVE ALSO DRIVEN THE 2006 ES AS A LOANER WHILE MY CAR WAS BEING REPAIRED, AND IT TOO HAS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. I ESTIMATE THE NUMBER OF FAILURES AT 300, AS THAT IS THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF DAYS I HAVE DRIVEN MY CAR SINCE I PURCHASED IT. *NM *NM

LEXUS ES 330 AUTO TRANSMISSION HESITATES WHEN NEEDED THE MOST. THE PROBLEM CAUSES A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. THE DRIVER IS NOT IN CONTROL OF THE CAR DURING CRITICAL TIMES OF NORMAL OPERATION. THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT RESPOND TO THE DRIVER COMMANDS PROPERLY. DEALER (LEXUS) HAS TOLD ME TO LEARN HOW TO DRIVE WITH IT. *NM

DT: THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED TWO DIFFERENT PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE RECENTLY. WHEN PLACING VEHICLE IN THE GARAGE THERE WAS A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE. SHE INSPECTED THE VEHICLE BUT DID NOT DISCOVER ANY LEAKAGE. SHE DID NOT TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER FOR FURTHER INSPECTION. LATER WHEN APPROACHING A STOP SIGN SHE APPLIED BRAKE PRESSURE AND THE BRAKES FAILED TO STOP. THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED PAST THE STOP SIGN AND THROUGH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP AFTER STRIKING THE FRONT PORCH STEPS OF A NEARBY HOUSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE. *AK UPDATED 12/27/05. *JB

CONSUMER 2005 LEXUS ES 330 TRANSMISSION HESITATES WHEN COMING TO A STOP AT 3-4 MPH. * TS THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT WHEN SLOWING TO 3-4 MPH OR DOING A ROLL STOP, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD HESITATE ON ACCELERATION THEN LURCH FORWARD WITH ENOUGH FORCE TO JERK THE OCCUPANT HEADS. THE DEALER CLAIMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS FUNCTIONING AS DESIGNED. *NM