2013 Es Transmission Problems

[techbob]

Purchased a 2013 RX350 CPO and it is doing the SAME thing

Is there STILL no fix from Lexus?

[Dan IN]

I gave up and got used to it.  In my situation, it is not severe, just annoying.  Sorry to be of no help.

[nOraKat]

Thank goodness I have found this thread.

I purchased a 2016 Lexus ES 350 about 8 months ago, and I am experiencing similar symptoms as many here on this thread.

I brought it back to Lexus with similar responses as others telling me there was no problem.

In particular - 1) the whining noise, similar to the sound on some cars when there is a power steering issue and you turn the steering wheel all the way, that sound that corresponds with each acceleration. Like another said, you have to turn off the air and open the windows to hear it.  2) The feeling like a down shift somewhere between 40 and 30 mph when you are coasting, making coasting very annoying also at higher speeds 3) hard shifts in some cases.

Now I feel Iike I am in the Twilight Zone, because these are all classic symptoms of your transmission oil being at the wrong level, and it is astounding that of all the people here who brought their car back to Lexus, not one of the mechanics bothered to check the transmission oil level. I even specifically requested it, and still they did not do it. That is one reason I feel like I am in the twilight zone.

Another reason I feel like I am in the twilight zone is because none of the people here (except one poster) bothered to check their transmission oil level after having the problem for years. One poster on this thread potentially gave the solution, yet everybody ignored him. He wrote:

Quote

Yes have them check the transmission atf level. This has to be done with the car 100% cold level on a lift with their computer hooked up. The ATF has to be 114F when checked. My 2012 Avalon was doing the same thing and my dealer added 8oz of atf to the trans and it stopped. Try that and see if it is underfilled from the factory.

BTW my 2008 ES was underfilled from the factory as well.

I have not even checked mine yet and I would bet money that this is the problem.

Maybe this is a common mistake at the factory since they check the measurement at the wrong temperature.

Watch this video to understand:

 

I will be checking mine in the next few days and report back to let you guys know if it fixed the problem.

 

[nOraKat]

Thank goodness I have found this thread.

I purchased a 2016 Lexus ES 350 about 8 months ago, and I am experiencing similar symptoms as many here on this thread.

I brought it back to Lexus with similar responses as others telling me there was no problem.

In particular - 1) the whining noise, similar to the sound on some cars when there is a power steering issue and you turn the steering wheel all the way, that sound that corresponds with each acceleration. Like another said, you have to turn off the air and open the windows to hear it.  2) The feeling like a down shift somewhere between 40 and 30 mph when you are coasting, making coasting very annoying also at higher speeds 3) hard shifts in some cases.

Now I feel Iike I am in the Twilight Zone, because these are all classic symptoms of your transmission oil being at the wrong level, and it is astounding that of all the people here who brought their car back to Lexus, not one of the mechanics bothered to check the transmission oil level. I even specifically requested it, and still they did not do it. That is one reason I feel like I am in the twilight zone.

Another reason I feel like I am in the twilight zone is because one poster on this thread potentially gave the solution, yet everybody ignored him

 

Update 4/30/17:

So today I performed the procedure to change the transmission oil in the pan and set it to the proper levels. First to verify the level, I brought the transmission oil to the measurement temperature of 104 to 113 deg F. I pulled the transmissions drain plug and no oil was coming out indicating that the oil was low. After the procedure, for good measure I added 100ml to the normal level which I thought was negligible enough to be safe.

Anyway, I am happy to report that all of the loud whining noise (that the Lexus dealer said was normal) is gone. The car is now super quiet when it accelerates. The problem of early downshifting while coasting at various speeds is gone, though there can be some annoyance at 35 mph with a shift point, however that seems to be normal. All the hard shifting is gone. Shifts are more subtle.

It seems the transmission operates completely differently, although the change in fluid level from what it was is 220 ml (approximate). It is amazing that such a small change in level could make such a huge difference. This transmission is very nit-picky, like the instructor in the video above said. If I set it to normal levels, the difference would have been only 120 ml.

The procedure I did is the following:

 

Only difference is I use Toyota Techstream to check the transmission oil temperature. You can buy it on Ebay with the cable at a reasonable price.

[Jaypes]

I've had my 2013 ES Lexus for 95K miles; it's at 146K. (This is my 3rd Lexus ES; had an Avalon before those). It's now experiencing several of these similar issues noted in this chain, in a much more exaggerated way. Mine tends to shutter in the upshifting behavior and while accelerating at about 15 MPH (and it seems to throw at me a split-second pause without either its proper fuel feed or its proper spark plug firing). It's also extremely frequent as it upshifts to 50 MPH during acceleration.

Have just recently started shifting up & down in the manual mode which seems to eliminate all symptoms. Since I really miss my old Standard Transmissions and  shifting...and this doesn't require clutch work...making the best of it until I sort out what my next car will be. Maybe the car's memory will relearn from this new approach?? I'll let you know!

[ImCharlie]

Hi All,

Yikes, what a mess.  I have a similar sad story.  I purchased a used 2013 ES 3500 in October 2020 that had only 9,000 mi.  What a find I thought!  The little old lady who drove around town to church and salon etc.  I thought this is my retirement car (I just retired)... with Covid I hardly drive any more than the first own but did notice the coasting / downshifting characteristic and though wasn't bothersome it was surely peculiar.  Otherwise it drives like a magic carpet ride with no hesitation and plenty of passing power.  But recently after driving for a couple of hours on at highway speed 65-70 mph that car started shaking like crazy.  It felt like the wheels were coming off with a wild wobble effect.  I slowed down to 50 and it stopped.  Luckily I was almost home by then and drove a low speeds the last 20 miles.  Since then I took it for a test drive to pay close attention... it drove fine 55,65,75,80mph.  huh?  I settled into a 70mph cruise, then after driving 10 miles or so the violent shaking happened.  The whole car shook, mostly felt in the seat, not the steering wheel.  I slowed down to 55 and it disappeared, sped up to 65 and it was back.  Then I decided to see what happens if I try to accelerate hard, UT-OH! the motor raced but the car did not speed up.  CRAP!  Could the transmission on a car that just turned 12,000 miles be a goner?  Taking it to my mechanic who has always been honest and reliable (and I don't want to be abused at a stealership).  I read in this post that transmission fluids have been found to be low (how can we tell without a dipstick?) and a top off, or a flush and refill to proper level has fixed this issue in other cars.  UGH  I really thought I may have bought my last car.