2004 LEXUS RX Complaints

I TOO HAVE HAD ONGOING PROBLEMS WITH MY 2004 LEXUS RX 330. I HAVE HAD MY CAR IN THE REPAIR CENTER THREE TIMES ALREADY FOR HESITATION AND LAGGING BETWEEN GEARS AND VIBRATIONS NOISES THROUGHOUT THE CAR. I PERSONALLY DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THIS CAR BECAUSE IT DRIVES INCONSISTENTLY AND ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, I HAVE ALMOST BEEN REAR-ENDED OR HAVE STALLED IN AN INTERSECTION BECAUSE THE CAR DOES NOT PROPERLY ACCELARATE. I HAVE WRITTEN A LETTER TO THE DEALERSHIP AND HAVE CONTACTED LEXUS CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMEROUS TIMES. I AM BEING TOLD THAT THIS IS NORMAL. NORMAL TO WHO? IT IS OBVIOUS, BY MANY COMMENTS I HAVE REVIEWED BY OTHER OWNERS OF THIS SAME VEHICLE THAT THERE IS A SERIOUS ISSUE HERE THAT LEXUS IS CHOOSING TO IGNORE BECAUSE THEY DO NOT HAVE A SOLUTION. I WONDER HOW LONG THEY WILL CONTINUE TO TURN THEIR HEADS. I DROVE AN RX 300 FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND IT WAS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. I BOUGHT ANOTHER LEXUS FOR SAFETY AND RELIABILITY FACTORS AND I DO NOT FEEL EITHER IN THE NEW RX 330. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY HURT.*AK

I PURCHASED A 2004 LEXUS RX330 IN JANUARY OF 2004 AND THERE IS A CONSISTENT LAG OF THE DRIVETRAIN WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STANDING START AND WHEN ACCELERATING TO PASS. FROM A STANDING START THE VEHICLE HESITATES AND THEN ABRUPTLY LURCHES FORWARD. AT HIGHWAY SPEED THERE IS A DECELERATION WHICH PITCHES ONE FORWARD AND THEN AN ENGAGEMENT WHICH LURCHES THE OCCUPANT BACK WITH A SNAPPING MOTION. THE ECM WAS REPROGRAMED AT 1000 MILE CHECK. WHEN A PRINT OUT OF TSB WAS PRESENTED SERVICE MANAGER REACTED LIKE A SNAKE WAS PLACED ON COUNTER AND THEN ADVISED THAT REPROGAMING ECM WOULD NOT NECESSARILY IMPROVE PROBLEM. HE WAS RIGHT. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN AS PULLING OUT TO PASS COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.*AK

MY RX 330 HAS A TRANSMISSION LAG AT 20-25MPH. THE CAR JUST DOESNT GO AND IT IS EXTREMLY DANGEROUS IN INTERSECTIONS. SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED AND I HOPE IT IS NOT ME.*AK

TRANSMISSION SHIFTING ERRATIC AT LOW SPEEDS. "CLUNK OR MUTED "CLANK" HEARD AND FELT UNDER CLOSED THROTTLE DOWSHIFTS WHILE SLOWING TO A STOP. MOST NOTICEABLE DURING THE 5-4 DOWNSHIFT (37 MPH) AND THE 4-3 DOWNSHIFT (25 MPH). SERVICE MANAGER CLAIMS IT'S A NORMAL OPERATING CONDITION FOR LEXUS. TECHNICIAN WHO RODE WITH ME DISAGREED. VEHICLE ONLY HAS 5100 MILES. PROBLEM BEGAN AT 2000 MILE MARK. *JB

I AM WONDERING IF THERE ARE ANY REGULATIONS REGARDING REAR VEHICLE LIGHTING? MY QUESTION CENTERS AROUND THE NEW LEXUS RX330. THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE HAS NO RED LENSES OR OTHER DEVICES THAT WOULD INDICATE THE BACK END OF A VEHICLE. IS THERE A REGULATION REGARDING REAR LIGHTING? *NM

TRANSMISSION PROBLEM: SERIOUS LAG BETWEEN GEAR SHIFTS. IF I PUSH THE ACCELERATOR DOWN TO ACCELERATE TO GET OUT OF A DANGEROUS SITUATION: NOTHING HAPPENS. THE CAR SEEMS TO STALL, SLOWS DOWN AND THEN ONCE THE ECU HAS DETERMINED WHICH GEAR TO SELECTIT ACCELERATES VIOLENTLY TAKING THE DRIVER BY SURPRISE. ALTOGETHER THE RESPONSE IS FAR TOO SLOW. TRANSMISSION IS NOT SMOOTH. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. DEALER CHECKED TRANSMISSION:"WORKING ACCORDING TO SPECIFICATIONS" ?! ALSO "THUMP" "CLUNK" NOISE WHEN DECELERATING FROM 50 MPH TO LOWER SPEEDS, OCCASIONALLY. AA. *AK

HATCHBACK CAN BE OPENED WITH THE KEYLESS REMOTE. DRIVER OPENED THE HATCHBACK WITH THE KEYLESS REMOTE TO REMOVE SOME CONTENTS FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. HATCHBACK CLOSED ON ITS OWN, AND HIT THE DRIVER'S NECK AND CONTINUED TO SHUT. DRIVER HAD TO SLIDE 0UT, AND THE HATCH SHUT. VEHICLE DID NOT COME WITH A SENSOR THAT WARNED A PASSENGER THAT THE HATCH WAS CLOSING. *AK

THE HEADLIGHTS ARE MY NEW RX330 HAVE SUCH LIMITED SIGHT DISTANCE THAT I'M AFRAID WITH THE DEER POPULATION IN MY AREA, THERE IS NOT ENOUGH BRAKING TIME. I HAVE BROUGHT THIS IN TO THE DEALER AND THEY ARE AWARE OF THE DISTINCT CUT OFF IN LIGHTING BUT SAY THEY ARE TO STANDARDS AND NOT MANY PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR AND AM STILL COMPLAINING. *AK

THIS CAR IS EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC WIPER SYSTEM. WHEN THE AUTOMATIC MODE IS USED THE WIPERS FAIL TO KEEP THE WINDSHIELD CLEAR. IN A LIGHT RAIN, THE WINDSHIELD CAN GET TO THE POINT WHERE YOU MUST TAKE MANUAL ACTION TO CLEAR THE WINDSHIELD. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS PROBLEM IS NOT ISOLATED TO MY CAR BUT OCCURS IN OTHER CARS EQUIPPED WITH THE AUTOMATIC WIPER SYSTEM MANUFACTURED BY TOYOTA. I'VE REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO LEXUS HQ. *JB

MY 2004 LEXUS RX330 AWD HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION "HANGING" ON THE 2-3 UPSHIFT. THE CAR HESITATES THEN ROUGHLY SHIFTS INTO THE NEXT GEAR. IT HAS NEVER SHIFTED AS SMOOTHLY IN ANY GEAR AS OTHER LEXUS AND TOYOTA PRODUCTS I DRIVEN. I WENT TO THE DEALER AND THE DEALER REPROGRAMMED THE ENGINE MANAGEMENT CONTROL. THE NET RESULT HAS BEEN THAT THE ENGINE SHIFTS AT A HIGHER RPM THAN IT DID BEFORE, BUT IS STILL NOT SMOOTH. THE HESITATION BETWEEN GEARS WAS LESS FREQUENT FOR A WEEK OR TWO AFTER THE REPROGRAM, BUT HAS NOW RETURNED AND THERE IS AN INCREASING LAG OR HESITATION IN SHIFTING IN THE 2-3 AND 3-4 UPSHIFT. LAST WEEK AS I WAS MERGING INTO EXPRESSWAY TRAFFIC, I PUSHED DOWN THE THROTTLE AND NOTHING HAPPENED. IT ALMOST SEEMED AS THOUGH THE ENGINE DIED. I RELEASED THE THROTTLE, PUSHED AGAIN AND THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGED A LOWER GEAR AND ACCELERATED. THE BEHAVIOR OF THE TRANSMISSION IS UNPREDICTABLE. SOMETIMES, BUT NOT ALWAYS, THE ENGINE FEELS LIKE IT STALLS WHEN TURNING A CORNER. THE HESITATION ON DOWNSHIFT HAS OCCURRED FOUR TIMES NOW SINCE THE REPROGRAM. THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 6000 MILES ON IT. THE DEALER SEEMED TO TRY TO BE HELPFUL, BUT CAN ONLY PASS ON WHAT THE MANUFACTURER PROVIDES THEM, SO I THINK THE RESOLUTION LIES WITH TOYOTA AND LEXUS IN DEVELOPING A FIX FOR A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. *JB