02-06 Transmission hesitation problems

[98es]

Dang, that's a lot better mpg than i'm getting after the reflash. I'm still averaging 16-17 around town and 24-25 highway. It still seems it's kind of dragging the gears out about 500 rpm's more than it should be. Other than that it seems much better than before!

[amf1932]

Dang, that's a lot better mpg than i'm getting after the reflash. I'm still averaging 16-17 around town and 24-25 highway. It still seems it's kind of dragging the gears out about 500 rpm's more than it should be. Other than that it seems much better than before!

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98es-

You indicate that you have a 1998ES, but this transmission update(reflash) is for 2002 thru 2005 ES models. Am I missing something?

Edit: I noticed that after I posted this, that you also have a 2002 ES. I suggest you upgrade your profile, because you only listed a 1998 ES. :whistles:

[Al Cannaday]

Hello to all, my wife just recieved her new 05 ES330, I was unaware of the transmission problems until after delivery. Hers was built after the TSB004-03 added the 04 nad 05 models, so should have the latest software. My daughters 05 ES330 was built prior to Dec 04 and shouldn't have any software updates so I will do a compariosn between the two. It has taken me a few hours to read all 25 pages of this forum, but it was well worth the time to get such a historical overview. I drove the dealers courtesy 05 ES330 (built in Nov 04) for about 100 miles and only noticed a transmission lag when beginning to accelerate after coming to a near stop, 3-5 MPH, and then only twice.

So far I have driven the new Lexus less than one mile and the wife has only driven it 64 miles, but neither of us have had the first experience described in this forum. If the wife ever lets me drive her new Lexus again, I'll check it out more thourghly.

[steviej]

The most recent reflash is TC003-04R.

R is for revised. It was released in April/May of 2005, I doubt your 2005 ES has it. I do think they are being shipped with it so soon after the revision. A few posts back is a pdf file that gives and explanation of where to look for the current ECU program.

steviej

[amf1932]

Hello to all, my wife just recieved her new 05 ES330, I was unaware of the transmission problems until after delivery. Hers was built after the TSB004-03 added the 04 nad 05 models, so should have the latest software. My daughters 05 ES330 was built prior to Dec 04 and shouldn't have any software updates so I will do a compariosn between the two. It has taken me a few hours to read all 25 pages of this forum, but it was well worth the time to get such a historical overview. I drove the dealers courtesy 05 ES330 (built in Nov 04) for about 100 miles and only noticed a transmission lag when beginning to accelerate after coming to a near stop, 3-5 MPH, and then only twice.

So far I have driven the new Lexus less than one mile and the wife has only driven it 64 miles, but neither of us have had the first experience described in this forum. If the wife ever lets me drive her new Lexus again, I'll check it out more thourghly.

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Hey Al, Welcome to the club and good luck with the new car.

In the first place, you had better tell your loving wife that if she expects to have peace in the family that she should let you drive her car. :D

My suggestion is to wait awhile, and if the shifting thing really bothers you, then have the dealer check if the newest transmission upgrade was done to your car before it was delivered to you. There is the possibility that it was never done. The dealer has ways of knowing this cars history. As the old saying goes, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth". :)

[Al Cannaday]

Thanks for the welcome guys,

steviej,

My Lexus was built the last week in April 05 and the TC 0004-03R was released to the dealers the first week of April 05, so mine should have the latest ECM and it should be loaded with the latest software release, at least I am hoping so. The local Lexus service manager checked my VIN and assured me that it was not subject to the latest revision of the TC.

Alan,

My wife does let me drive her car sometimes, like when I take her out to dinner or when I take her on vacation, hehehe. I probably only drove her last car 20K miles of the 130K miles on it when she got her new Lexus.

[steviej]

steviej,

My Lexus was built the last week in April 05 and the TC 0004-03R was released to the dealers the first week of April 05, so mine should have the latest ECM and it should be loaded with the latest software release, at least I am hoping so. The local Lexus service manager checked my VIN and assured me that it was not subject to the latest revision of the TC.

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the ID plate under the front edge of the hood will tell you if you have the latest software. See the PDF file attached in a previous post for proper location and what to look for.

steviej

[ImranS]

got the reflash done on June 4th, so far so good.

Yes it still istn perfect, but its much improved, and i don't know if i'm just hoping for this, but the car feels ever slightly more powerful ;)

Either way, its much improved from before, but Lexus is still in the passionate proof of perfection, it could still be better

I'm happy with it though

Imran

[amf1932]

got the reflash done on June 4th, so far so good.

Yes it still istn perfect, but its much improved, and i don't know if i'm just hoping for this, but the car feels ever slightly more powerful ;)

Either way, its much improved from before, but Lexus is still in the passionate proof of perfection, it could still be better

I'm happy with it though

Imran

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I didn't think that Canadian ES's were plagued by this problem. I was told that they weren't required to have ULEV certification like U.S. ES's, and that's why there was this hestiation. Can anybody please straighten me out?

[NMLEXUSGUY]

OK, so the new trans reflash under TC004-003R is covered under warranty so long as my car is under 80,000 miles correct??

So I make the assumtion that Lexus will not send a notification to ES 300 owners about this fix because this isn't an actual recall...

Just checking...

[jay swinger]

This is a reply to amf1932 who asked whether the hesitation adjustment was needed on Canadian-bound Lexuses.

Sometime in the month of May on one of the messages in this thread the actual instruction to Lexus technicians was linked. If you will download this you can find out from your specific vehicle whether it has the original settings or not.

The number of the Technical Service Information Bulletin (originally issued Aug 4, 2003) is TC004-03R. The R refers to revised. I cannot find the date of issue of this revision, but it is evidently within the 2005 model year.

It does look to be issued for compliance with Federal Emissions mandates but does not otherwise have any reference to the U. S. or to Canada. I am going to check the numbers it shows on my vehicle today AND if I had a unit that originally was shipped to Canada I would still depend on these numbers.

Correction: The bulletin is dated April 1, 2005.

[ImranS]

There was a hesitation issue with my canadian ES, but I think its less obvious on the cars here in Canada.

The update did include canadian Es models I'm assuming, because they updated mine ;)

[jragosta]

I just got it done on my ES 330. It is somewhat improved, but still not the way a $35 K car should shift. It's probably gone from a Yugo quality transmission to a Chevy Cobalt quality transmission.

The most dangerous part (the long lag when accelerating from 35-40 mph to highway speed) is dramatically better, but it still clunks a lot and shifts very hard. I've only driven it a couple days, so maybe it's still learning and will get better.

[alank22181]

Thanks to members of this list I assembled the reflash info, took it to my dealer and had the work done.

The higher speed lagging has gone. The outstanding lagging now occurs at low speeds of 20-30mph, when the transmission appears to be locked in 3rd.

Often happens after the car has been sitting for several days, (I am in a low-speed neighborhood street). I take the car out of the driveway, to my local street, (25mph zone), The transmission sticks in 2nd gear and the RPM's zoom up, the MPG plunges. If I take the car above 40, the shift occurs normally and does not reappear until the car rests for a significant time.

Any ideas?

Alan in Vienna, VA

[amf1932]

Thanks to members of this list I assembled the reflash info, took it to my dealer and had the work done.

The higher speed lagging has gone.  The outstanding lagging now occurs at low speeds of 20-30mph, when the transmission appears to be locked in 3rd. 

Often happens after the car has been sitting for several days, (I am in a low-speed neighborhood street). I take the car out of the driveway, to my local street, (25mph zone), The transmission sticks in 2nd gear and the RPM's zoom up, the MPG plunges. If I take the car above 40, the shift occurs normally and does not reappear until the car rests for a significant time. 

Any ideas?

Alan in Vienna, VA

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The ECM is programmed to delay the shifting until the engine & transmission is up to the proper operating temperature, so I suggest trying to let it warm up enough so the temperature gauge reads above the cold mark(not necessarily up to the full temp reading), and then retry this test when coming out of your driveway. You should find that it will now upshift to the next higher gear more quickly.

This new reflash gives you better control of this upshifting. If while accelerating from a slow speed, you take your foot off the accelerator pedal slightly it will give you this upshift immediately. Before this new ECM update the transmission did not give you the desired response. Please keep us informed. :)

[SW03ES]

I just got it done on my ES 330. It is somewhat improved, but still not the way a $35 K car should shift. It's probably gone from a Yugo quality transmission to a Chevy Cobalt quality transmission.

The most dangerous part (the long lag when accelerating from 35-40 mph to highway speed) is dramatically better, but it still clunks a lot and shifts very hard. I've only driven it a couple days, so maybe it's still learning and will get better.

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The chunkiness was apparent on mine at first too but its gotten much better. I agree its still not "perfect" but its much better now and no longer unsafe.

[amf1932]

I just got it done on my ES 330. It is somewhat improved, but still not the way a $35 K car should shift. It's probably gone from a Yugo quality transmission to a Chevy Cobalt quality transmission.

The most dangerous part (the long lag when accelerating from 35-40 mph to highway speed) is dramatically better, but it still clunks a lot and shifts very hard. I've only driven it a couple days, so maybe it's still learning and will get better.

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The chunkiness was apparent on mine at first too but its gotten much better. I agree its still not "perfect" but its much better now and no longer unsafe.

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I have the same feelings as SWO3ES. It's a helluva lot better then it ever was, so at this point I guess I'm as happy as I'll ever expect to be. :)

[jragosta]

I just got it done on my ES 330. It is somewhat improved, but still not the way a $35 K car should shift. It's probably gone from a Yugo quality transmission to a Chevy Cobalt quality transmission.

The most dangerous part (the long lag when accelerating from 35-40 mph to highway speed) is dramatically better, but it still clunks a lot and shifts very hard. I've only driven it a couple days, so maybe it's still learning and will get better.

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I guess I needed to give it a little longer. I've driven about 300-400 miles now and it's much better. Still not what it should be, but the clunking and hard shifts that appeared when they reprogrammed are nearly gone. I guess it didn't like my driving style until it adapted.

Overall, it's much better and I'd recommend it to anyone who's having the problem. If you're happy with the way yours drives, don't bother.

[Pat Lewis]

My ES300 was doing the same thing. I took it to the dealership and had it serviced and they said this is a result of the "poor quality of gas" that was reported on the news and this caused carbon build-up in throttle body. This was serviced and the car is running great!!!! It cost me!!!!!

[Pat Lewis]

Hello to all, my wife just recieved her new 05 ES330, I was unaware of the transmission problems until after delivery. Hers was built after the TSB004-03 added the 04 nad 05 models, so should have the latest software. My daughters 05 ES330 was built prior to Dec 04 and shouldn't have any software updates so I will do a compariosn between the two. It has taken me a few hours to read all 25 pages of this forum, but it was well worth the time to get such a historical overview. I drove the dealers courtesy 05 ES330 (built in Nov 04) for about 100 miles and only noticed a transmission lag when beginning to accelerate after coming to a near stop, 3-5 MPH, and then only twice.

So far I have driven the new Lexus less than one mile and the wife has only driven it 64 miles, but neither of us have had the first experience described in this forum. If the wife ever lets me drive her new Lexus again, I'll check it out more thourghly.

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Hey Al, Welcome to the club and good luck with the new car.

In the first place, you had better tell your loving wife that if she expects to have peace in the family that she should let you drive her car. :D

My suggestion is to wait awhile, and if the shifting thing really bothers you, then have the dealer check if the newest transmission upgrade was done to your car before it was delivered to you. There is the possibility that it was never done. The dealer has ways of knowing this cars history. As the old saying goes, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth". :)

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[ImranS]

I am sorry to say that the transmission fix has worn off. I guess with the shift logic learning transmission it just recreated the horrid lag somehow. I lived with it before, I shall live with it again :(

[alank22181]

This dealership has never filled my gas tank anytime I take my car in for service. In fact, frequently the loaners will only have a half a tank of gas. When I first got my car almost 2 years ago they used to vacuum everytime, but they have since stopped doing that as well. They do wash the cars still, but I always ask for them not to do that because their automatic wash scratches the heck out of my paint. Two times before they forgot to not wash it, but they did pay $150 each time for my detailer to clean up their mess. Now I put a large sign on the dash saying "No Wash" everytime I bring it in for service.

I'm going to give another dealer a try, it may be worth the longer drive.

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Alank in Vienna replies.

My dealer has often filled my tank as well as wash / vaccum the car. When I pick it up, the person from the front office comes out to the car and reviews any issues and the fix. If I noticed scratches from thier wash- I show them to him and the next time I come for service the dealership makes good restoring the finish to mint condition. Mine is the BlackGarnet color which scratches easily.

Tranny problems on highway have been eliminated since I had the flash done early June. (2004 ES 330; 1 year old, 12,000 miles) BUT I still experience the lag at slow speeds, between 3rd and 4rth, at 20-30 mph. It feels as if I am travelling through molasses. Once I get the car above 35, the problem goes away, shifting is normal- either at high or low speeds.

My mpg on the road is 28-30... in town is 20-23mpg

I should mention that I selected the DEALER to buy my car from almost as carefully as I selected the car. Pohanka Lexus in Chantilly, VA is an excellent dealership.

AlanK

[steviej]

I am sorry to say that the transmission fix has worn off.  I guess with the shift logic learning transmission it just recreated the horrid lag somehow.  I lived with it before, I shall live with it again :(

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not on mine, I'm am still very pleased with it.

You could try pulling your ECU fuse and have it learn your style all over again.

steviej

[SW03ES]

Mines still the same too, and its been 4000 miles now.

[amf1932]

UPDATE

This is the situation, and my feelings after driving my '03ES for about 2000 miles after the latest ECM flash. I'm really not as happy as I was when it was first done.

It all comes down to a trade-off that the Lexus technician's did to try to improve the shifting quality.

Today, I was driving on a parkway for hours in stop & go traffic, and instead of the hesitation and lurching happening at about 5mph, it now happens at about 20mph......plus there is a slight clunking when decelerating(downshifting) that I never felt before this ECM flash. Also, I don't like the shift points when accelerating normally.....they're much too high, and I think the fuel economy has to suffer because of this higher engine RPM. I feel that the car will no longer achieve 'ULEV' status!

I don't think that Lexus can undo this last flash, and I reached a point where I'm ready to get rid of this car, even though I'm happy about everything else. This is my 3rd. ES and I was 100% pleased with my '91 and '94 models. The BIG problem I'm having is to find another car that is as good as a Lexus.

I know I have to calm down after this horrific traffic today, but the thought of having to live with this type of crappy performance in the future is driving me crazy!

Any suggestions without anybody telling me it's because of the electronic throttle, I'll be all ears. :cries: