Hesitation when acceleration

[Kenneth Payne]

My 2021 ES350, V6, has a problem when trying to accelerate. The car has a slight hesitation, like it's not getting enough gasoline for just a second or two. I have taken my car into Northside Lexus in Houston, Texas two times about this problem with no results. At my 5,000-mile checkup they kept my car 28 days with only the statement to me was use premium gasoline ( my 2012 ES350 6 cylinder used regular gasoline and ran great) . I have used premium gasoline since that time (January2022) and the car still hesitates, has anyone had this problem if so, what was done to correct the problem. My only conversation with the service manager was when he called to ask why I gave the dealership less than a 5-star rating. My 2021 ES350 has the 8 speed transmission with the 6 cylinder engine, I have 8,000 miles on the car in 13 months. Thanks in advance for any suggestions or ideas.

 

[Bykfixer]

I wonder if……

 

[Kenneth Payne]

I do not use two feet when driving. The hesitation is most notable up to fifth gear, If I had to guess the problem is either in the timing or the fuel line (filter or such) but that's using the ideas I have from fixing my car/truck problems before the year 2000 myself not a dealership or garage.

[RX400h]

I've found that not all mechanics have the same experience and troubleshooting experience. I would suggest taking your vehicle to a different dealership. Prepare a statement, ahead-of-time that details exactly what you are experiencing and tell them that you should not have to pay for an hour of diagnosis.

If possible, drive another ES350 and compare. There needs to be a benchmark to which to compare.

[Dennis Patterson]

We have a 2021 ES350 that hesitates on acceleration. Have had it at the Lexus dealership in Henderson NV twice. They act like they have no idea how to fix the problem. Now there sending information to there engineers . I’ve always heard great things about Lexus however our experience has been horrible. I’ve place a call to corporate and have a case number. The hesitation is slowly getting worse. 

[Kenneth Payne]

Dennis, I will be taking my 2021 ES350 in for its 10,000-mile service in a week or so, I called Northside Lexus here in Houston to arrange for them to run a diagnostic to see if there are anything on the car's computer. My hesitation seems to be getting more frequent also. I will ask them to notify Lexus about this problem and maybe Lexus international can find the problem. thank you for your input. I will keep you informed on what's happening. My email address is MARKENPAY@aol.com if you might want more information, stay in contact and maybe we will get to the bottom of this problem.

[Kenneth Payne]

On 7/14/2022 at 6:50 PM, Dennis Patterson said:

We have a 2021 ES350 that hesitates on acceleration. Have had it at the Lexus dealership in Henderson NV twice. They act like they have no idea how to fix the problem. Now there sending information to there engineers . I’ve always heard great things about Lexus however our experience has been horrible. I’ve place a call to corporate and have a case number. The hesitation is slowly getting worse. 

 

[Kenneth Payne]

Dennis, I had my ES into Lexus yesterday for its 10,000-mile service, they said the hesitation was because of low knock lean number of 16.6 and it's normally 20.0, whatever that means. The service advisor / tech said they show I need better gasoline even after I told them I used premium fuel. Just keeping you updated

[alex101]

The problem with Toyota engines that hesitate is usually a combination of bad fuel, low octane or water condensation in gas tank and or Air flow issues in intake pathways. Take the air filter housing loose and open up the intake air path to the air intake butterfly, accelerator. Get some carb cleaning spray and clean out the intake with a rag and spray. Next have someone test the mass airflow sensors for you (Oreillys or Autozone). Often the mass air flow may be covered with soot as well from carbon blowback in intake area of engine. Use premium gas every now and then and put a can of B12 Berrymans in fuel tank and oh yeah, change the sprark plugs every 100000 miles.

[alex101]

On 7/29/2022 at 5:06 PM, Kenneth Payne said:

Dennis, I had my ES into Lexus yesterday for its 10,000-mile service, they said the hesitation was because of low knock lean number of 16.6 and it's normally 20.0, whatever that means. The service advisor / tech said they show I need better gasoline even after I told them I used premium fuel. Just keeping you updated

These techs sometimes make up *BLEEP* to tell customers when they are stumped. It is simply air flow and fuel quality issues with toyota engines. They are quite sensitive. Have a mechanic tune your engine (air filter and spark plugs checked) and clean the intake air pathway at air horn or intake butterfly. A good mechanic does not work at a dealer we work for ourselves. A good mech can diagnose your car standing in the parking lot. If he is successful at his business.

[Shaboom2021]

     Taking my 2021 ES 350 (12,150 mi. on it, original owner) to dealership Friday for hesitation upon acceleration when going up hill and most pronounced when engine has not yet fully warmed up. Already changed air filter. Maybe helped a little bit, though old one wasn’t really dirty. Changing to “top tier” fuels. Premium made no difference. Sport mode may have helped a little. 
      Telephone conversation with service manager was unproductive. He had no idea. Simply said to bring it in. I fear it’s an intrinsic annoyance with these cars that I’ll simply have to live with until trade-in time,