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02-06 Transmission hesitation problems


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What would be the best way for me to be sure I'm notified if and when the transmission hesitation problem results in a class action suit? I have an ES300 with all the problems described herein. :)

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What would be the best way for me to be sure I'm notified if and when the transmission hesitation problem results in a class action suit? I have an ES300 with all the problems described herein. :)

Sounds like there is already a fix because Lexus issued the following technical service bulletin last August:

TSB Number Issue Date TSB Title

TC004-03R AUG 03 A/T - Poor Shift Quality

Anyone who has a subscription to alldata.com ($25) would be about to read what this

TBS says and confront a Lexus dealer with it.

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monarch,

There are 6 pages of posts on this thread concerning this problem, and we are all well aware of the TSB that was issued by Lexus! Read em! :chairshot:

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  • 3 weeks later...

I am noticing this kind of thing in my 01' ES with the 4 speed automatic......any idea what it might be? Will a professional flush (100% fluid change) help at all? The car only has 43,000 miles on it......although I don't think it's serious, I'd like to know what the cause is. Thanks!

:cheers:

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This question might have been asked before but I didn't feel like reading through 6 pages to see so bear w/ me....a while back I recieved a notice about a recall w/ the transmission chip and that you could have it re-programmed, however once you did this there was no going back......so I was just wondering has anyone had this done and how did your car perform afterwards?? :huh:

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  • 1 month later...
The 5 speed transmission on my new '03 seems a little strange. If I drive about 35mph and then slow down to about 5mph and than try to accelerate there is a hesitation. It's as if the transmission can not decide on what gear to go into. When it finally does there's a slight lurch forward. Can this be adjusted?

Alan

They do have on ecu reflash update for many of these. 2002 models and up. Check with your dealer to see if your VIN numbers fits in the applicable range.

Also a big problem with this car is the fuel quality. It doesn't say it anywhere on the car, only the owners manual. But you need to run this car on superunleaded. The lower grades of gasoline accentuate the shifting concern.

This does not apply to 2001 and earlier models, those are very different.

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lextech,

From your last post I see that you didn't even bother to read any of the previous posts concerning this problem!!!! There are 6 pages of them that covered exactly what you said!!! :chairshot:

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:angry:

There is no effective fix for the hesitating tranny yet. It's happening in 02-03 ES300's and the 04 ES330. They still haven't fixed it and continue to reproduce more cars with the same problem. Lexus is not better than the rest of them although they would like you to think so.

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Back to you amf1932.....you asked what can be adjusted to fix the hesitation? You'll need to adjust your expectations of Lexus to start with because this has been happening since 2002 and is still happening in 2004 ES330. Until someone with enough clout forces Lexus to fix it, we will all live with it. They don't really :censored: ing care!

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Well, I never had the problem with my '96 ES 300 and although I noticed something similar with my '99 RX300, it wasn't too bad.

Then I got the '04 ES330. I'd read about the problems with the ES300s but had heard it was "fixed." Yeah!

My ES330 almost got me killed. I passed a semi in a 45mph zone, speeding up from about 35 to 50 or so and at about 3/4 throttle, the transmission just seemed to shift to neutral and it was as if I'd "popped a drag chute." All I could see in the rear-view mirror was Peterbuilt grill! Fortunately, it kicked in about then and surged away enough to prevent the crash, but it was close...WAY too close.

I took the car to my dealer (really good dealer, BTW) and discovered the "official" fix was to...get this..."Burn High-test gas!"

I just may have to change marques next car... :(

b.

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I had been. The old '96 did fine with it. Actually, the Lexus notice he brought up was to burn 89 octane, mid-grade at most of our stations. I put in a half tank (filled it) with HIGH test (91) and have been burning mid (87 octane) since. Not much difference; maybe a little smoother...maybe I just want it to be.

b.

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.....and on and on it goes without a solution and no hope of getting one

im in same boat / love the interior but can't seem to get over the apparent tranny issus

can u help / i don't drice that aggressive and my wife will use to take to work 10 mi away/day

would love to buy in the next month or so

thanks

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.....and on and on it goes without a solution and no hope of getting one

im in same boat / love the interior but can't seem to get over the apparent tranny issus

can u help / i don't drice that aggressive and my wife will use to take to work 10 mi away/day

would love to buy in the next month or so

thanks

does anyone ever respond to these forums?

is the es330 have the same pbms as the es300?

whats the diff between an all wheel drive and a front wheel drive?

someone mentioned that the hesitation was a VIN number issue?

service people have varied opinions as to what to do about this / I don't want to buy my firsst lexus and have reliability problems or potential accident problems

any advice?

are moderators paid by lexus or just good guys

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Since this transmission thing has been talked about for a long while, there seems to be no solution to this idiosyncrasy by Lexus or anybody else. This topic(thread) has been pinned, and not too many people are looking at it anymore.......that's the reason you didn't get a response more quickly.

Yes, the ES330 continues to have this transmission quirk! Lexus states that it's caused by the "Drive by Wire" electronic throttle rather then the transmission itself. In reality, it's more annoying then a danger, in most instances, by modifying your driving you can control this hesitation to some degree.

"All-Wheel Drive" refers to vehicles that have permanently engaged or automatically engaging four-wheel-drive capability. The ES330, or any of the ES models never had this feature....they are front wheel drive only.

Transmission modification updates were automatically installed at the factory after certain VIN numbers. Previously, these updates were done by individual Lexus dealers at the owners discretion. This software update just changed the shifting pattern and did NOTHING to help the hesitation.

The Moderators & Administrators are just guys like me who like to help out members who have questions or problems related to Lexus automobiles. They are in no way affiliated with the Lexus(Toyota) Corporation.

Finally, I think the best thing for you and your wifey to do would be to test drive a new ES and draw your own conclusions. There is the strong possibility that you wouldn't even notice this slight hesitation.

I've been a Lexus owner since 1991 and I feel that the build quality, smoothness and quietness can't be beat.

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When my wife first got this car in Sept, this was the first thing i noticed. You are right about adjusting habits to overcome it. It just comes naturally over a few months, at least for me. I think this is the perfect car for my wife in all repects and certainly it is very pleasant for me to drive now.

bob

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When my wife first got this car in Sept, this was the first thing i noticed. You are right about adjusting habits to overcome it. It just comes naturally over a few months, at least for me. I think this is the perfect car for my wife in all repects and certainly it is very pleasant for me to drive now.

bob

shouldn'e let this get in the way of my purchase?

some quoters mentioned that it was more dangerous and thats what started my dilemma.

what can i expect to pay for a 2002 es300 say 25k mileage?

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shouldn'e let this get in the way of my purchase?

this is a 2004 330, and while they didn't say this was an issue of concern, I could tell by the response it had been mentioned before ("according to the computers, everything checksout in the specs.")

It doesn't bother me and I am much more heavy footed than my wife. I have never had a problem with passing (which i am able to do quite nicely with the 330!). Early on it would take a second crank to start occasionaly, but now with 7 or 8 k miles that rarely happens.

Again, I don't think of it as dangerous but when I pass I don't creep up right behind the car and gun it. I give room enuff to get back in a lane if I miss something. I will pass with the thing floored quite often but that is more fun than neccessity.

For me it is not a worry and this is truly a great automoble.

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  • 3 weeks later...
The 5 speed transmission on my new '03 seems a little strange. If I drive about 35mph and then slow down to about 5mph and than try to accelerate there is a hesitation. It's as if the transmission can not decide on what gear to go into. When it finally does there's a slight lurch forward. Can this be adjusted?

Alan

I have a 1997 es300 and mine jerks around when I am going 40-45 and then let off the gas. when I try to accelerate again I get the same jerking, unless I really punch it. This mainly occurs in traffic when you cannot consistantly accelerate. Do any of you know of a fix on the 1997 ES 300 for this problem. Any comments are appreciated!

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The '97 transmission is different than the '02 thru "04 ES units. They have 5 speeds as opposed to 4, as in your car.

I think you have an engine problem rather then a transmission problem.

Have you had a tune up recently and what is the mileage on your car?

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Alan, my thoughts exactly.

danp007's problems sounds more like a dirty throttle body or a throttle position sensor.

steviej

It has 80k miles on it. I have not changed the spark plugs since I bought it (74k miles). The engine runs smooth and is very responsive, it is when I let off the gas at slow speeds when the jerking occurs.

Could the throttle body being dirty cause this? It acts like it won't downshift when it needs to at slow speeds.

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