2005 LEXUS ES330 Complaints

TRANSMISSION HESITATES FROM A STOPPED POSITION ON MY 2005 LEXUS ES330 CAUSING A FEELING THAT THE CAR MAY STALL OR LUNGE FORWARD UNEXPECTEDLY. I PURCHASED THE CAR A FEW MONTHS AGO WITH 22,500 MILES. I BROUGHT THIS PROBLEM TO THE DEALER'S ATTENTION AND READ ABOUT IT ONLINE. APPARENTLY, LEXUS PROVIDES A "FLASH" FIX TO THE SOFTWARE. BUT, MY LOCAL LEXUS SERVICE MANAGER SUGGESTED NOT USING THE FIX BECAUSE, ACCORDING TO HIS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, THE FIX CAN CAUSE DAMAGE SOMEHOW TO THE CAR'S COMPUTER THAT IS IRREPARABLE. APPARENTLY, THE FIX IS NOT ALWAYS A GOOD FIX. I WAS TOLD THE FIX CANNOT BE SET BACK ONCE IT IS BEEN ADDRESSED. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THOUSANDS OF LEXUS DEALERS HAVE BEEN EFFECTED. ALSO, OCCASIONALLY I FEEL LIKE MY CAR LUNGES FORWARD SUDDENLY AND BRIEFLY FOR NO APPARENT REASON. ANY GUIDANCE YOU CAN PROVIDE ABOUT THESE MATTERS WOULD BE APPRECIATED. *TR

THE TOYOTA PROBLEM OF UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION IS A PROBLEM WITH MY 2005 LEXUS ES330, I HAVE COMPLAINED TO TOYOTA/LEXUS AND THEY CLAIMED TO HAVE FIXED IT WITH A SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING UPDATE (WHICH DID NOT HELP) I HAVE EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT IT IS DANGEROUS AND HAS ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT IN TRAFFIC ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THEY CLAIM IT IS NOT A FAULT AND HAVE REFUSED TO FIX THE SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING PROBLEM.*JB

ACCELERATION PROBLEM WITH LEXUS ES 330 (YEAR 2005). HAVING BEEN EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM FOR SOME TIME (HAVE TAKEN MY CAR TO DEALER SHIP NUMEROUS TIMES AND FILED LAW SUIT THROUGH THE LEMON LAW) AND LEXUS CONTINUALLY ADVISING THAT CAR IS WORKING PROPERLY. I WAS ALMOST IN A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT LAST NIGHT AS A RESULT OF THE ACCELERATION HESITATION PROBLEM. *TR

NOKIAN 215/55 R17 98V XL TIRES PURCHASED JAN. '09 FOR 2005 LEXUS ES330 DO NOT HOLD AIR. FACTORY TIRES THEY REPLACED HELD AIR W/O PROBLEMS. TIRE DEALER, BORST TIRE CENTERS, 3361 SO. THOMPSON ST., SCHENECTADY, NY 12306, ATTEMPTED 3 TIMES TO CORRECT, BLAMING LOSS OF AIR ON CORROSION OF THE RIMS. ON 3RD ATTEMPT GROUND OFF THE "CORROSION" BUT LITTLE OR NO IMPROVEMENT RESULTED. MUST ADD AIR 2X WEEKLY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LEXUS ES330. WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE AND PRESS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IT BECAME STUCK AND THE RPMS INCREASED RAPIDLY. HE DID NOT TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER; YET, HE REMOVED THE FLOOR MAT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 79,000. UPDATED 2/22/10 *CN

2005 ES330. PULLING INTO PARKING SPACE READY TO STOP AND EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION INCIDENT RESULTING IN A CRASH INTO ANOTHER CAR. TW*

I HAD PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2005 LEXUS ES330 IN 2005. THE CAR STARTED EXHIBITING TRANSMISSION HESITATION PROBLEMS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. I BROUGHT IT TO THE LEXUS DEALER IN CERRITOS, CA MANY TIMES, AND ASKED THEM ABOUT THIS BEHAVIOR AS SOMETHING THEY SHOULD LOOK AT AND FIX. I WAS TOLD IT IS HOW THE COMPUTERS ARE IN THE CAR AND THEY REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS PROBLEM. THE CAR HESITATES TO PICK UP SPEED WHILE YOU AR ON STOP SIGN OR MORE IMPORTANTLY WHEN CHANGING LANES ON FREEWAY OR AT TIMES YOU NEED TO ACCELERATE THE CAR SUDDENLY. YOU WILL GET A JOLT AND LACK OF POWER FOR A SECOND AND THEN QUICK SPEED. NOW WITH ALL OF THE PROBLEMS COMING OUT OF THIS COMPANY, I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR ME TO BRING THIS ISSUE AND I AM SURE THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT IT. I USE THIS CAR BUT TRY TO USE SPARINGLY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. *CN

WE PURCHASED OUR LEXUS 2005 ES330 BRAND NEW. WE NOTICED THE HESITATION AND JERKING WHEN ACCELERATING IMMED AFTER BUYING THE CAR. IT WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP FOR THE COMPLAINT TWO OR MORE TIMES. WHEN WE RECIEVED NORMAL SERVICES, I WOULD ASK ABOUT THE ACCELERATION AND I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WERE NOT ANY BULLETINS ISSUED FOR THE ISSUE IN WHICH I SPOKE OF. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE CAR WOULD ADJUST TO THE DRIVER OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. PRESENTLY THE CAR SHIFTS IMPROPERLY WHEN DRIVEN AT 20-35 MPH, UNEXPECTED UP SHIFTS THAT OCCUR TO EARLY AND DOWN SHIFTS WHILE SLOWING DOWN CAUSING THE DRIVER TO HAVE TO MODULATE THE BRAKING TO AVOID EITHER COMING UP TO CARS IN TRAFFIC AHEAD TO QUICKLY OR TRAFFIC COMING FROM BEHIND SO AS TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT FROM BEHIND AS YOU SLOW TO QUICKLY. CONSTANTLY SCARES ME WHEN I DRIVE IT BECAUSE OF THE NON RESPONSIVE AND QUICK ACCELERATION. *CW

I PURCHASED MY 2005 LEXUS ES330 AS A CERTIFIED PRE-OWN IN SEPTEMBER 2007. AFTER DRIVING IT FOR A MONTH OR TWO. I EXPERIENCE A CONSISTENT HESITATION ISSUE. I TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD RESET SOMETHING IN THE COMPUTER TO ADJUST TO MY DRIVING STYLE. IT DID NOT APPEAR TO HELP. SO I'VE TAKEN IT BACK 2 TIMES SINCE AND THEY SAY IT'S THE NORMAL FUNCTION OF THE DRIVE BY WIRE AND NOTHING THEY CAN DO. THE PROBLEM IS THE TRANSMISSION IN MY LEXUS ES330 APPEARS NOT TO SHIFT DOWN NORMALLY UNLESS THE VEHICLE IS BROUGHT TO A FULL STOP. WHEN SLOWING DOWN FOR TRAFFIC THEN ACCELERATING AND/OR SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE TURNS AT INTERSECTIONS OR CORNERS RESULTS IN GEAR HESITATION AND LURCHING FORWARD. AT INTERSECTIONS WHEN MAKING LEFT HAND TURNS IT APPEARS TO SLIP [NO POWER FOR A BRIEF MOMENT). I FEEL THE CAR IS NOW UNSAFE TO MAKE LEFT TURNS BECAUSE THE CAR MAY NOT HAVE ACCELERATION WHEN NEEDED. I HAVE ALREADY HAD THE CAR REPAIRED FOR THIS TYPE OF ISSUE WHEN THE LEXUS ES330 LOST ALL POWER. AND SINCE THE REPAIRS I AM STILL HAVING THE HESITATION ISSUES AND BRIEF LOSS OF POWER. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY THE HENDRIX LEXUS SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THIS "HESITATION" ISSUE IS A NORMAL FUNCTION OF THE DRIVE BY WIRE SYSTEM. I CANNOT AGREE WITH THAT CONCLUSION. THERE IS A DEFINITE PROBLEM WITH THE ES330 AND A POSSIBLE SAFETY ISSUE. IF I WAS TO BRING MY CAR IN FOR THIS ISSUE, IT WOULD BE THE 3RD OR 4TH TIME AT THAT SHOP FOR THE SAME ISSUE. THIS IS A DAILY OCCURRENCE FOR MY LEXUS ES300. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU RECOMMEND OR IF THERE IS A SOLUTION AT THIS TIME. AGAIN, LET ME STRESS, I FEEL THAT THE CAR IS UNSAFE IN MAKING LEFT HAND TURNS WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THANK YOU FOR HELPING WITH THE SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

2005 LEXUS ES350 LEASED NEW IN AUGUST, 2005. I OVERTOOK A SLOW MOVING VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME AND TRIED TO EASE OFF BACK INTO THE LANE. INSTEAD, THE CAR BEGAN ACCELERATING: 2K RPM, 3K RPM, 4K RPM, ALMOST REDLINING. I PUT ON THE BRAKES AND KEPT HOLDING THE BRAKE PEDAL DOWN. PUSHING ACCELERATOR PEDAL DOWN WAS NO HELP. INSTEAD, I SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL AND AFTER ABOUT 10 SECONDS (FELT LIKE ETERNITY SINCE SHIFTING TO NEUTRAL DID NOT HELP) TURNED THE IGNITION KEY OFF. THE CAR STOPPED. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES OF COLLECTING MYSELF, I TURNED THE IGNITION KEY BACK ON AND THE VEHICLE BEHAVED NORMALLY. AFTER THAT EXPERIENCE I ALWAYS MADE SURE I DID NOT ACCELERATE QUICKLY. THE CAR WAS RETURNED BACK TO THE DEALER AFTER THE ORIGINAL LEASE EXPIRED LAST YEAR. I CAN ASSURE YOU FLOORMAT WASN'T THE PROBLEM. I AM CONCERNED THAT TOYOTA ONLY ISSUED RECALL ON 2007- LEXUS ES350 MODELS. THEY SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE PREVIOUS ES330 MODEL AS WELL. *TR