2002 LEXUS ES Complaints

I HAD PULLED INTO MY GARAGE. I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND LIFTED IT A LITTLE TO INCH FORWARD TO MY MARK ( TO ALLOW FOR THE GARAGE DOOR TO CLOSE) WHEN THE CAR JUST SURGED FORWARD! FORTUNATELY I APPLIED THE BRAKE HARD, SINCE MY FOOT WAS BY THE BRAKE, BUT I BANGED INTO THE GARAGE WALL AND DID DAMAGE TO THE CAR AND THE WALL. *JB

MY 2002 LEXUS 300 HAS A DANGEROUS AND SIGNIFICANT HESITATION AND SHIFTING PROBLEM. ACCELERATION IS SLUGGISH AND THEN SURGES FORWARD SUDDENLY CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO MOVE FORWARD UNEXPECTEDLY. IN ADDITION, THERE IS A REPEATED SHIFTING PROBLEM AT LOW SPEEDS WHEREIN THE VEHICLE CONTINUOUSLY SHIFTS IN AND OUT OF OVERDRIVE, AGAIN WITH UNEXPECTED AND UNCONTROLLABLE RESULTS. THE DEALER INDICATED THIS WAS THE WAY THESE CARS WERE ENGINEERED AND DID AN FIRMWARE UPGRADE. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM PERSISTS IN MUCH THE SAME WAY. *JB

DT: CONSUMER OWNED A 2002 ES 300. CONSUMER WAS GETTING INTO A PARKING PLACE WHEN HE WENT OVER A SPEED BUMP, HE STOPPED WITH VEHICLE IN REVERSE, THEN, PLACED THE CAR IN DRIVE AND THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD, CONSUMER TRIED TO APPLY BRAKE AND BRAKES FAILED. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP, ENDED UP STRIKING A CONCRETE PILLAR. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. NO POLICE REPORT, BUT IT WAS REPORTED TO INSURANCE COMPANY. THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING FORWARD WITH GREAT FORCE AND BRAKES COULD NOT STOP VEHICLE. CONSUMER WAS AWARE OF AN INVESTIGATION THAT WAS IN PROGRESS ON THIS MATTER. ALTHOUGH INVESTIGATION WAS OFFICIALLY CLOSED, NHTSA SAID THAT THEY WOULD MONITOR THESE TYPE OF VEHICLES. CONSUMER SAID THAT INVESTIGATION WAS ON THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL.*AK

UPON ACCELERATION IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC, SEVERE HESITATION WITH BRAKE-LIKE EFFECT, ENGINE REVIVING, WITH DRIVER THROWN FORWARD, THEN LURCHING INTO GEAR. SAID WAS FIXED WITH INSTALLATION OF TSIB TC004-3. NARROWLY BEING MISSED BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHEN CAR BASICALLY STALLED. TSIB NOT A FIX. NOW ENGINE LIGHT ON. DANGEROUS IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC. *NM

NON DEPLOYAL OF SIDE AIRBAGS ON LEXUS ES 300. MODEL YEAR 2002. MY SON WAS HIT SQUARE IN THE DRIVERS DOOR AND INCURRED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THE ONCOMING VEHICLE THAT HIT HIM HAD ITS AIRBAGS FULLY DEPLOY. THE SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS IN MY 2002 ES 300 SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED AND FAILED TO DO SO. THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY $8000 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THE WHOLE OF THE DRIVERS SIDE WAS COMPLETELY SMASHED. NEITHER,THE POLICE NOR THE BODY SHOP THAT REPAIRED THE CAR COULD NOT OFFER AN EXPLANATION AS TO THE FAILURE OF THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY.

DURING THE INITIAL WARRANTY 50K MILES, THE DEALERSHIP HAS RESURFACED AND REPLACED THE ROTORS 4 TIMES ON MY 2002 ES 300 LEXUS AND NOW THE ROTORS ARE WARPED FOR THE FIFTH TIME. THE PROBLEM IS WHEN BRAKING, THERE IS A VERY NOTICABLE VIBRATION IN THE WHEELS, WHICH IF NOT REPAIRED COULD CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT AND CAUSE INJURY AND EVEN BE FATAL TO ME OR OTHERS. WHEN I BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF LEXUS CUSTOMER SATISFACTION, THEY RESPONDED WITH, THEY WOULD REPLACE THE ROTORS FREE OF CHARGE, BUT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR REPLACING BRAKE PADS AND LABOR, $300. THEY SAID THE PROBLEM IS ATTRIBUTED TO MY BRAKING PRACTICES, DRIVING IN THE CITY AND THE MILEAGE ON MY VEHICLE. I DO NOT BELIEVE ONE WORD OF THAT, SOMETHING OTHER THAN THE WAY I BRAKE (WHICH IS NO DIFFERENT THAN A MILLION OTHER DRIVERS) IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. I BELIEVE EITHER THEY HAVEN'T BEEN REPLACING THE ROTORS AS THEY STATED OR SOMETHING IS CAUSING THE ROTORS TO WARP, WHICH COULD BE A DEFECT. AT 67,533 MILES, WHICH IS WHEN I LAST TOOK MY VEHICLE IN FOR THE FIFTH TIME FOR VIBRATING, I WOULD BE SERVICING THE ROTORS ON AN AVERAGE OF EVERY 13,506 MILES.THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY BRAKING PRACTICES. THIS IS ALSO A SAFETY HAZARD FOR OTHER DRIVERS AND MYSELF. I DON'T WANT THEM TO JUST REPAIR THE SYMPTOM I WANT THE CAUSE TO BE REPAIRED. I WAS TOLD BEFORE I COMPLAINED, THAT THE REPAIR WOULD COST BETWEEN $600 AND $700. CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW MUCH THIS WOULD COST ME FOR ROTORS FOR THE LIFE OF THIS VEHICLE! AFTER I RECEIVED LEXUS'S DECISION FROM MR. DAN REYNOLDS, I ASKED HIM FOR THE NAME OF THE PERSON NEXT IN LINE FOR ME TO APPEAL THIS DECISION. HE TOLD ME HE WAS IT. THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE TO APPEAL TO. HE SAID HE HAD OFFERED ME A GOOD WILL EFFORT, AND NOTHING ELSE WOULD BE DONE. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THE HISTORY OF THE 2002 ES300 AND SEE HOW MANY VEHICLES HAVE NEEDED RESURFACED/REPLACED ROTORS 5 TIMES AT 67,533 MILES. I APPRECIATE YOUR ATTENTION GIVEN TO MY SITUATION. THANK YOU.

WHEN ACCELERATING IN MY 2002 LEXUS ES300, I EXPERIENCE HESITATION OF A FEW SECONDS BEFORE THE VEHICLE BEGINS TO INCREASE IN SPEED. THIS DID NOT SEEM TO BE A PROBLEM WHEN I FIRST GOT THE VEHICLE, BUT OVER TIME HAS BECOME EXTREMELY NOTICEABLE AND DANGEROUS SINCE I DRIVE ON THE MAJOR HIGHWAYS IN THE WASHINGTON, DC AREA. WHEN IT WAS REPORTED TO MY DEALER A FEW MONTHS AGO THEY EXPLAINED IT AWAY AND TOOK NO ACTION.*AK

THE FRONT ROTORS EXPERIENCED PERMATURE WEAR. THE FRONT ROTORS HAD TO BE REPLACED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS WITHIN 5,000 TO 6,000 MILES OF WEAR. THIS CONDITION CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO VIBRATE WHEN BRAKING. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, AND DEALER REPLACED THE ROTORS, AND INSTALLED AN UPGRADED BRAKING KIT. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM RECURRED, AND THE DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACE OR REPAIRS THE ROTORS. *AK

MY 2002 LEXUS ES300 HAS HAD CONTINUAL TRANSMISSION AND SHIFTING PROBLEMS. WE TOOK IT IN FOR THE UPDATE BUT THAT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. WHEN I ASKED AGAIN I WAS TOLD I ALREADY HAD THE UPDATE AND THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE THAT COULD BE DONE. I BELIEVE LEXUS NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND FIX THIS ISSUE. OFTEN TIMES I WILL PRESS THE GAS PEDAL TO QUICKLY GET OUT OF THE WAY AND THE DELAY IS NOT ONLY ANNOYING, IT'S DANGEROUS.*JB

LEXUS ES 300 YEAR 2002, I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE, TRAVELING AT SLOW SPEED, 5-8 MILES AN HOUR, WHEN THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP, DESPITE APPLYING THE BRAKE. THE CAR ENGINE APPEARED TO HAVE A LOW HUM AND APPEARED TO BE IN OVERDRIVE. THE CAR JUMPED OVER A CONCRETE DIVIDER, OVER A SIDEWALK, THROUGH A BRICK WALL AND PLATE GLASS WINDOW. THE CAR WAS IN A FURNITURE STORE. THE FRONT OF THE CAR WAS EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED. I ( THE DRIVER) HIT MY HEAD ( LEFT SIDE) AND THE LEFT SIDE OF MY BODY HIT THE SIDE OF THE CAR. THE ACCIDENT WAS REPORTED TO LEXUS. THEY HAD ACCESS TO EVALUATE THE CAR AND SAID THAT THE BRAKES WERE FINE. THIS TYPE OF ACCIDENT HAS HAPPENED TO OTHER DRIVERS OF THIS MAKE AND YEAR OF CAR. I HOPE IT WILL BE EVALUATED CAREFULLY. I HAVE SUFFERED AS A RESULT OF THIS ACCIDENT. JUST BECAUSE LEXUS COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM , DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT DOES NOT EXIST. ARTICLES HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT SUDDEN ACCELERATION OCCURRING IN 2002 LEXUS ES 300 AUTOS. *AK