2003 LEXUS ES Complaints

LEXUS 300 HESITATION. STEPPED ON ACCELERATOR, CAR HESITATED AND HAD TO PUMP ACCELERATOR TO GO FORWARD. *BF THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED MANY TIMES. THE CONSUMER ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. THE CONSUMER APPLIED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE VEHICLE HESITATED AND THE CONSUMER PUMPED THE ACCELERATOR TO GO FORWARD. THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM. *SC

THERE IS A DELAY AFTER SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT AND THEN AT TAKE OFF. THE DEALER COULD DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER STATES THAT IT IS THE NEW DESIGN. *AK THE PROBLEM WOULD ALSO OCCUR WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN, MERGING INTO TRAFFIC, ENTRANCE RAMPS, INTERSECTIONS AND PARKING SPOTS. *SC *JB

THE CONSUMER STATED AT ANY TIME THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. NO IMPACT REPORTED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *JB THE VEHICLE STICKS IN GEAR. *TC

I WAS IN A AUTO ACCIDENT AND WAS HIT ON THE LEFT FRONT OF MY 2003 LEXUS AND THE AIR CURTAIN DID NOT ACTIVATE. I HIT MY HEAD ON THE DRIVERS DOOR WINDOW. DAMAGE WAS ESTIMATED OVER $3000.00 ON MY VEHICLE. I TRIED TO GET ANSWERS FROM THE DEALER BUT THEY DID NOT KNOW WHERE THE SENSOR WAS LOCATED AND WHY IT DID NOT DEPLOY. *NM

I HAVE NOW SENT MY CAR IN FOR SERVICE TWICE TO LEXUS OF ORLANDO ABOUT UNEXPECTED SURGING OF THE VEHICLE AND VEHICLE HESITATION WHEN THE ACCELERATOR IS PRESSED. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT AND DANGEROUS PROBLEM, AS I DO NOT KNOW WHEN IT WILL OCCUR. WHEN IT DOES OCCUR THE UPSHIFT IS HARSH, THE DOWNSHIFT DELAYED AS IF THE TRANSMISSION IS CONFUSED ABOUT THE DRIVER'S INTENTION, AND THERE IS PRONOUNCED HESITATION WHEN THE ACCELERATOR IS PRESSED. THIS LACK OF RESPONSIVENESS LEAVES BOTH THE VEHICLE AND PASSENGERS EXPOSED TO ACCIDENT AND INJURY. ON MY FIRST VISIT, I WAS TOLD THE VEHICLE COMPUTER WOULD BE RESET, AS THE VEHICLE LEARNS YOUR DRIVING STYLE IN THE FIRST 30 OR SO MILES, AND I MUST HAVE DRIVEN THE VEHICLE HARSHLY. THIS SO CALLED RESET DID NOTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM; LESS THAN A WEEK LATER, I NARROWLY ESCAPED A CRASH AFTER MY CAR HESITATED WHILE CROSSING AN INTERSECTION. I PROMPTLY RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE. UPON COMPLETION OF THE SECOND SERVICE, WHICH INCLUDED A DRIVE WITH THE TECHNICIAN, LEXUS SERVICE NOW SAYS THESE PROBLEMS ARE INHERENT TO THE MODEL AND THEY CAN'T FIX THEM. IN ADDITION, I AM AWARE THAT NUMEROUS OWNERS FREQUENTLY COMPLAIN OF HESITATION AND SURGING IN 2002, 2003, AND 2004 MODELS AND MANY COMPLAINTS (OVER 100) OF THE SAME NATURE HAVE BEEN FILED WITH THE NHTSA. THIS STATEMENT IS TO ISSUE NOTICE THAT I AM NOT SATISFIED, AND THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN FIXED.*AK

ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, I HAVE TAKEN MY 2003 LEXUS ES300 IN FOR SERVICE TO REPAIR A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION. I HAVE 23,511 MILES ON MY VEHICLE AND THE TRANSMISSION IS SHIFTING ERRATICALLY AND HESITATING. IT IS CAUSING UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITIONS. LEXUS DENIES ANY RESPONSIBILITY TO FIX THE PROBLEM.*AK

WHILE SITTING AT AN INTERSECTION VEHICLE JERKED UNCONTROLLABLY. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE, AND DROVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT COMPUTER RECALIBRATED (EMC) ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION TO THE COMPUTER. CONSUMER INFORMED THE MECHANIC THAT THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURRED AND HAD NOT BEEN RESOLVED. *AK

VERIFICATION ON THE INVESTIGATION OF THE 2003 LEXUS ES300 INVOLVED IN SURGING, REPORTING 30 CRASHES DUE TO A POSSIBLE DEFECT. *MR *SC *JB

ONGOING AND WORSENING LACK OF ACCELLERATION PREDICTABILITY. CAR WILL HESITATE ESPECIALLY WHEN POWER IS REQUIRED (SUCH AS MERGING TRAFFIC, LEFT TURNS, ETC.) AUTOMATIC RANSMISSION SOUNDS LIKE IT DELAYS ENGAGING WHEN NECESSARY.*AK

LEXUS ES300 2003 - EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN ACCELERATING FROM 5-10 MPH TO FULL ACCELERATION (PASSING/MERGING ONTO HIGHWAY FOR EXAMPLE). TRANSMISSION HESITATES A VERY LONG TIME (1-2 SECONDS) BEFORE KICKING IN. DEALER CLAIMS THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM BUT NOTHING IS BEING DONE ABOUT IT. RESEARCHING LEXUS FORUMS INDICATES THIS IS A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM FOR 2002, 2003 YEARS AT LEAST. THE HESITATION IS EXTREMELY UNNERVING IN A HIGH STRESS MERGING ENVIRONMENT AT LEAST AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS ACCIDENT POTENTIAL AT WORSE.