Problems with 2004 Lexus ES 330 POWER TRAIN

One month after purchasing my certified/previously owned 2004 lexus es330 on 9/30/05, i had the dealer check vehicle's slow to shift, slipping through gears while accelerating, and 'surging' while attempting to stop, as if gears/transmission were slow to get the message. i have had this issue checked 5 times (2005-2009), and each time, they either say they did not find a problem or, twice, reset the computer. i feel as though i'm 'an accident waiting to happen,' however, have seen no reports/ investigations/recalls addressing these lexus/toyota product issues. please advise how nhtsa/i can address this problem before i or someone else gets hurt or killed. *tr

My lexus 2004 model es330 has been accelerating by itself. this acceleration has been happening two to three times a week for about a year. i did not realize that the car was accelerating by itself, but have noticed more during last 3 to 4 months. *tr

My 2004 lexus es 330 sedan has a transmission shifting problem that i have described to the dealer as "slipping". when the transmission is under load (going up a hill) and you accelerate or decelerate you feel and hear a definite abrupt shift in the vehicle. i have had this car to two separate dealers over the past 12 months and have been told that this behavior is "typical". *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 lexus es 330. while driving various speeds, the steering jerks, clicks, and feels as if it could detach from the steering column. in addition, transmission fluid is leaking and the computer reflash causes the transmission to fail. the contact stated that the computer needs to be reprogrammed for free so that the transmission will not fail. the contact was informed that the failure was common. the vehicle is currently in the repair shop for diagnostic testing, but they will not repair it because it exceeds the 50,000 mile warranty. the mechanic will only provide a temporary remedy. the failure and current mileages were 94,000.

Due to a lexus admitted transmission defect, at times you press the gas and the car simply doesn't go. it almost caused me to get crunched when pulling out into traffic. there's no doubt this will eventually cost someone their life. *tr

My transmission feels confused in my 2004 lexus es 330. when slowing down to turn in the city or pull out of your driveway my car will hesitate and pause for about a second before accelerating. this seems to be very dangerous as i am afraid that someone will hit me in the back before i can get the car up to the desired speed. i find myself always double checking sometime triple checking beofre i pull out. i have looked online at many different websites and i have found about 1900+ people who have complained about this problem.

2004 es 330 exhibiting transmission problems even after "dealer fix". there is sever gear hunting at every speed sometimes results in a lag of acceleration or acceleration lurches that result in close call accidents. note that this problem did not start occurring until after 2,000 miles of driving after the car was purchased as brand new. *nm

This complaint is about my 2004 lexus es 330 bought in august 2004. the problem is with the transmission which hesitates very often when it shifts down from 2nd gear to 1st gear and then back up. i have experienced the problem many times in the past few months. even though it has not caused any accident, lexus should admit it is a defect design and should fix the transmission as soon as possible.*ak

1. car hesitates, transmission doesn't shift smoothly. returned car to dealer 3 times. delaer "reset transmission". no help with problem. *ak

There's a "lag" in the shifting of gears due to something wrong with the transmission in my 2004 lexus es330. i purchased the car new from a major lexus dealership at roseville auto mall, roseville, ca. although i noticed from the start, a "slippage" or "lag" during the automatic shifting of gears, and brought this to the attention of the lexus dealership, they brushed it off as "normal". my lexus now has 23,000 miles on its odometer and this "lag" is driving me nuts! driving in europe requires rapid responses and advanced speeds, especially when driving on the autobauns. this "gear shift hesitation" is extremely dangerous and often finds me in a semi-dangerous situation. my driving skill and habits have accommodated this transmission idiosyncrasy but whenever another driver drives my car they immediately recognize the problem and i have so often been advised to place a complaint with the lexus manufacturer, i have yet to do so because i suspect it will fall on deaf ears. do i have any recourse? my lexus has few miles on it and is still well within it's warranty. i have recently read that the 2004 lexus es330 is wrought with transmission problems. has lexus served a recall on my model? please advise. i will appreciate whatever assistance and guidance you may suggest. thank you very much. i am a us citizen, and retired federal service worker. my wife currently works for us army corps of engineers here in wiesbaden, germany. wiesbaden recently opened a new and large lexus dealership. do you think this dealership might know what i'm talking about if i discuss the transmission with them? do you know of any "fix" lexus is providing for this problem? thank you again. my phone number is to lengthy to fit into the space provided by this website. appreciatively, leroy clemans halb . dr and as finhesitation" i nrlag in the. *tr

On my 2004 lexus es 330, the transmission is sluggish in shifting and hestitates from a rolling or full stop situation such as traffic. this has on several occasions nearly resulted in an accident either by being rearended or broadsided. i have raised this question with my local dealer and was told that the car was performing as designed. *ak

Vehicle surged when cruise control was engaged at 60 mph. it surged up to 80 mph. it felt like it was going down hill. dealer could not duplicate the problem. also, transmission hesitated at 0-20 mph, it also jerked. *ak.......lexus has admitted the problem, but maintained that vehicle drove as designed. hesitation problem experienced by many lexus es330 car vehicle hesitation, then will lurch forward when accelerating a tlow speeds. lexus has admitted the problem, but insisted vehicle drove as designed. *ak

Upon acceleration there was a long pause before the transmission accelerated to the next gear. the consumer has taken the vehicle to the dealer and was told that this is the way it is suppose to operate. provide further details. *jb the consumer stated the vehicle feels like it is searching for a gear when he is trying to speed up. *tc

04 lexus es 330. while driving at speeds under 10 mph (especially "rolling stops"), vehicle experiences at least 2-3 second lag between throttle actuation and engine/transmission response. this problem is particularly evident when pulling out into busy traffic. this is a serious safety concern that needs to be addressed by lexus. we took the car to dealer. they said all systems normal.*ak

Transmission problem: the car gets a delay when shifting to second gear.*ak

I own a lexus es 330 and have been very displeased with the transmission. there is a hesitation of a second or two when you accellerate and it also jerks the car when you try to accellerate when the car is slowing down. this can be very dangerous when attempting to pass another vehicle or merge onto a highway. apparently the car is operating the way it was designed. something should be done about this before someone loses their life! i've wanted a lexus for years and now that i can afford one i wish i bought a bmw. this will be the last lexus i will own!*ak

04 lexus es330 transmission hesitation is serious danger to driver. engine hesitates when starting from a dead start. car has to be floored to move and even then it hesitates even more. also car has serious blind spots on left and right outer side mirrors (they are too small for the car). also, cruise control light stays lit even when the brake is hit or you dis-engage it. the only time the cruise control light turns off is when you physically turn it off with the switch or shut the engine off completely. this gives the driver the impression that it is on all the time even when it is off or worse they think they have shut it off but it's really still on and you have a very good chance of rear ending someone. this is extremely bad engineering and extremely dangerous. how you guys let a car like this on the road is beyond me. did you test it? if so, how did you let it pass thru to the usa? this car with it's hesitation, blind spots, and dangerous cruise control it's likely to get someone injured or killed in a hurry. car doesn't get anything near the epa ratings under any condition. i've contacted lexus customer care and they say this all normal. no help or suggestions. please get lexus to put out tsbs on these problems before someone gets injured or killed. i'm very concerned. i've been a driver for 34 years. i've never driven a car so dangerous in my life. *ak

My 2004 lexus es330 has a transmission hesitation problem. when i accelerate as the car is coming to a stop, the transmission hesitates and takes about 2 seconds to react. same thing happens when i go about 40 mph and accelerate. this has created many situations where i was almost involved in an accident. i can't pass cars, and when making left turns, i have to make sure there is no one withing 400 feet of me before attempting the turn. this problem is common, and i consider is extremely dangerous.*ak

Transmission failed to accelerate when stepping on gas. transmission only whined and failed to get a gear for a couple of moments. (big hesitation) very dangerous when trying to pass at low speeds. the transmission only does this intermittently, dealer states its drive by wire and is normal. i guess until somebody dies they (lexus) are not going to do anything about it. help, this has been an ongoing problem and the car only has 1600 miles on it.*ak

The 2004 lexus es330 transmission has a number of operating characteristics which contribute to poor driveability, but two in particular are safety-related hazards:(1) a hesitation on acceleration which can be very dangerous when crossing intersections and(2) a forward lurch when decelerating to a stop which could be very dangerous, especially when roads are covered with snow or ice.*jb

Automatic transmission is almost always in too high a gear for conditions. shifts up too quickly and shifts down too slowly. presents a severe danger in that emergency acceleration is very poor from low speed and/or while negotiating a turn. dealer states this is normal for fuel mileage and environmental reasons.*ak

Transmission shift delay. the shifting delay can go as long as 3 - 4 seconds and have caused several life threatening close calls accident. lexus was aware of the shift delay problem but claims that this is normal and done by design. *ak

During the first weeks, the transmission acted erratically. driving at slow speeds, when i release the accelerator to coast, and then accelerate, the transmission slips or takes time to engage, causing the vehicle to lurch forward. (this has been described as a "delay/hesitation in shifting," or that the transmission is "searching for a gear.") the transmission did not shift up or down smoothly. i brought the vehicle in. the service tech acknowledged the problem. i was then asked to bring the vehicle in and leave it for a few days. not hearing back from anyone, i called and was informed that they had been unable to fix the problem. a few days later, i was told to pick up the car. i spoke with [xxx]. he informed me that lexus drove the vehicle and speculated the cause was the gas. i was told that i needed to "run through a few tanks of gas." when i went to pick up the vehicle, i was reading the service ticket and saw a statement on the ticket that: "no fault found." despite this, the ticket was inaccurate. work was done on the vehicle, including resetting the memory, replacement of a filter and new gas. i then spoke with [xxx], service manager. he conceded that the service ticket was inaccurate. he told me that he was looking into the issue. he called me back and said the lexus engineers were aware of this problem and it was a software problem. the vehicle is defective. i have now driven 2-3 of these cars, and the symptoms are consistent. i contacted lexus. they stated that the problem was a "characteristic" of the car, and that there "was nothing wrong with the car." lexus knows the car's transmission is defective, but the fix is too costly. so, consumers are going to be stonewalled. the nhtsa should immediately recall all lexus vehicles with the 330 engine mated to this new 5 speed transmission before someone is injured/killed. if you or anyone else has any questions, please feel free to call me at [xxx]. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foi

When driving, the vehicle hesitated. the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, where the computer settings were changed, but the vehicle continued to hesitate. *ak there were several close calls on the highway. the consumer would accelerate the vehicle but the vehicle would hesitate. lexus did not seem to have a concern about the problem. *sc *jb

I have a 2004 es330 which has a significant shifting problem in low gears. i have taken the car back to the dealership twice already and am ready for the third visit. the dealer "reset" the memory for the shifting pattern at 200 miles because of unpredictable driving patterns. the transmission does not always shift poorly, about 25% of the time there is a problem. there seems to be a hesitation during the shifting which causes a lack of power. i have noticed this while merging onto highway traffic, and it is very dangerous. i have contacted the lexus customer service and they were of no help, only to tell me that other customers were experiencing the same problems with their transmissions. if i do not get satisfaction from the third visit i will get a "lemon law" hearing and hope for the best. i am very disappointed in the lexus/toyota response to this obvious engineering blunder. where is the quality that they are known for?

My 2004 lexus es330 has a transmission that hesitates between gears that causes a hazard when accelerating into traffic. lexus refuses to acknowledge the problem and therefore to fix it.*ak

The car hesitates when the gas pedal is depressed and then it lurches into gear. it has also pulled to the left since we bought it despites numerous repair attempts. we are currently enaged in a lemon lawsuit regarding this issue.*ak

Automatic transmission produces unpredictable and erratic behavior, including vehicle hesitation, transmission slipping, and lurching on acceleration. i feel this is a serious safety concern for which the public should be made aware. i have had the vehicle serviced on four occasions without successful remediation. the dealer claims awareness of the issues and insists that there is no immediate repair available.*ak

When you accelerate from a very low speed there is a hesatation which i feel is dangerous if i had to react fast to get out of the way of another vehicle. i just bought the car it is a 2004 es330 and was not aware of this problem. is lexus working on fixing this problem it can be dangerous

When accelerating vehicle hesitates then lurches forward. this problem can cause many accidents and might even end up in injury or death!!*ak