Problems with 2005 Lexus RX 330 POWER TRAIN

My wife (who is not the primary driver of this vehicle) was entering a perpendicular parking space in front of a business located just off the street. the business was once a house and has now put 3 parking spaces in front of the building just over the sidewalk.the entrance is up a driveway and just beyond the sidewalk and into the parking spaces. as she was going up the driveway and turn slightly to the right to enter a parking space, the car hesitated and then accelerated, she applied the brakes and left a 5 foot skid mark before crashing into the front of the business. the car has done this before especially when turning and applying a little gas, it will hesitate and then suddenly accelerate, but never continuing after applying the brake. we have discussed this previously with the lexus dealer and they say there is no problem with the vehicle and that computers that control the engine and transmission constantly adjust to the primary driver may create this issue, but it is not a problem as far as they are concerned....updated 09/08/15*bf updated 12/3/15 *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 lexus rx330. the contact stated that while attempting to accelerate on an incline, the vehicle erroneously and independently reversed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 50,000. the vin was not available.

My vehicle is a 2005 lexus rx 330. i purchased it certified pre-owned in 2007. i was coming off the highway and stopped at a light. as i proceeded to take a left hand turn the car started making a loud noise. it was jumping and shifting from side to side. luckily i was able to control it and pull into a nearby gas station. i couldn't drive it and had it towed to the nearest lexus service center. i was then told that the transfer case on the front differential went. they opened up the case box and metal shavings fell out! i guess there was no transfer case fluid! shouldn't a maintenance required light pop on or a warning? if i had continued on the highway rather than get off the exit, it would have ended badly! the back end of the car completely locked on me. i don't understand why there was no warning light. how am i supposed to know that the transfer case is running out of fluid? the service department said this is not normal. they want to charge me $2700 for the part and $1500 for labor! i ended up having the car towed back to my house until i can figure out what to do. i have a serious issue with the fact that there was no warning and had i been traveling on the highway at a higher rate of speed, i could have flipped the car and ended up in the hospital or dead. i would really like for lexus/toyota to do something about this! *tr

I am having serious quality problems with my 2005 rx330. the vehicle is kept in the garage and being taken care of like a family member. i took the suv to a lexus dealer for routine maintenance and was told that the steering column was leaking and need to be replaced - approximate cost $1800. i was also told the front differential was leaking and need to be replaced - cost another $1000. this is not the end! approximately six months ago my water pump failed at the middle of a busy intersection, and i had to replace my water pump, timing belt, drive belts, etc only at 65k miles - cost $1200. why every major key components are failing so early? i drove a car made by a competitor upto 110k miles without any of these issues. lexus/toyota is using defective/cheap parts at the expense and safety of consumers. i would recommend starting an investigation against lexus/toyota for faulty steering and power train components in rx, and based on the investigation, start a recall if needed. i reached out to lexus in the past, but they don't acknowledge any quality problems with rx330; however, when i searched the internet, i see hundreds of owners have the same issues and they are helpless. lexus will not do anything, and therefore, we need nhtsa's help to push lexus to recall rx330 steering and power train components. *tr

2005 lexus rx330 was driven at 40mph under normal highway conditions when the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own. the vehicle was immediately put in neutral where the engine kept revving. the driver coasted to the side of the road and turned the engine off. the vehicle was restarted and brought to a dealership the following business day for diagnosis. the dealership said they did not find any error codes. *tr

Transmission shift points are occasionally not smooth and exhibit inconsistent engine rpm shift points. initially noticed when driving uphill and the transmission downshifted lower than it should have. no error codes have been found by the dealer on several occasions. a firmware update on the transmission has been tried two times with limited success about eight months ago. there was improvement but the problem has not been eliminated. occasional hard upshifts are felt under low load and throttle. feels like the next gear up or overdrive is confused about when shifting is needed. contrary to the above smooth shifting during light acceleration may feel slow and a bit uncertain. down shift points can happen with minor accelerator pedal movement causing higher rpm of engine than needed. feels like two gear down-shifts instead of the one that's needed. this was a lexus certified vehicle with 28675 miles when purchased used may 2008. gas mileage has been a bit low and i suspect the shifting behavior is part of the problem. when transmission is cold and shifted into drive (from neutral or reverse) a rapid but distinct two "bumps" are felt if the brake is not on. i am not convinced this is normal behavior and never had another automatic transmission do any of the above. current mileage is about 36,000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 lexus rx330. the contact was driving 20 mph when the transmission would not engage and caused the vehicle to sputter abnormally. the vehicle was taken to the dealer at least three times for the failure and each time, the technician would adjust the ecu but the failure would persist. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not further repaired. the failure mileage was 85,000.

I own a 2005 lexus rx330. i purchased it used in september 2007. shortly after i purchased it, i had several instances where when i pushed on the gas pedal there was a feeling of a loss of power - a hesitation. i took the vehicle in for work under work in february 2008, and the dealer said it was an improper shift in the transmission and it was recalibrated by a technician. since that time i have again had several instances where there was a hesitation in supply power. i want to know if others have had this similar complaint and if my vehicle is under a recall for this issue. tw*

2004 lexus rx 330: basically, the transmission will not gear down satisfactorily, until it comes to a complete stop. a slow turn and then acceleration will 'always' result in 'lagging' of gear changes, then it will finally gear down and lurch into the lower gear. it's aggravating and can be downright dangerous in tight crowded freeway driving conditions where it's not unusual to have to slow down and then speed up without getting rear-ended. the transmission also has a very loud "whining" as soon as you let off on the gas pedal. the car has been doing these things since i purchased the car in feb 2004. at the 5000, 10,000 servicings, i complained to the service manager about the transmission and each time was told that nothing was wrong with the car.