JBL

Came across this on Toyota Sienna forum. This is a reply from Toyota USA on transmission lag and as posted earlier seems endemic to all 3.3 L Toyota/Lexus engines. "Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. We apologize for your concerns with the driveability of your Sienna. The throttle on the 2004 Sienna is motorized and there is no cable. This system continuously considers miles per gallon, emissions and driveability when responding to requests for acceleration. If the gas pedal is depressed too hard or quickly, there is not enough information for the system to make a quick decision, resulting in delayed or slow acceleration. For best results, we recommend a strong and gradual acceleration. Your email has been documented at our National Headquarters under file #200407260846. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us"

I got Honda odyssey in 1999 after 8 months of wait. With 50K miles on it , I have had no problems whatsoever so far. Problems with 330 seems to stem from after five speed trasnsmission was introduced for 2004 models. You dont need to have an accident happen before a vehicle gets recalled.With their reputation at stake, the likes of Lexus, Acura, Infinity have to fix the problems before they become a issue or somebody dies! If I want unreliability, I might as well buy an Kia for thousands less. It will still get me to my destination.

The Honda/Acura transmission recall fix is to direct some transmission oil to the second gear. Lexus 430 transmission recall is, I believe, is to replace the transmission. These problems have a fix. If Lexus does not acknowledge RX330 problem, there is not a whole lot you can do but to look elsewhere or take your chances with 330.

Well, all this goes to show that this is not a dependable vehicle. I dont care what JD powers or consumer reports say. I dont want to be that odd statistic to end up in an accident. It reminds me of that Audi 5000 fiasco that Audi never admitted but ultimately ended up with discontinuing the model. In our state it is no wonder that Acura MDX is outselling the 330 and rightfully so.

Anyway, here's a question: For those that have experienced problems with their transmission performance, is this something that occurred right away... or did it develop this problem after putting a number of miles on the vehicle? Going through the 17 odd complaints on the DOT web site, and few on Eopinions.com, there are at least few reporting the problem occuring after 5000-10000 miles. Most of them also report a clunking noise during downshifts. It is strange that Lexus is quiet on this given their stellar track record for customer response!

I think Lexus is aware of the problem: Here are couple of excerpts from the DOT web site: www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/results.cfm MANY OWNERS OF 2004 RX330 HAVE REPORTED PROBLEMS WITH THE 5-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THERE IS A SUBSTANTIAL "LAG" IN SHIFTING AT LOW SPEEDS AROUND 20 MPH WITH OCCASIONAL REPORTS OF THE CAR REVVING TO "REDLINE" WITHOUT THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGING. THIS RESULTS IN THE VEHIBLE BECOMING IMMOBILE IN INTERSECTIONS OR WHEN EXITING TOOLBOOTHS. THERE IS A SIMILAR PROBLEM AT AROUND 40 MPH. IT HAS HAPPENED TO OUR VEHICLE AT LEAST 6 TIMES, TWO OF WHICH NEARLY RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT FROM BEING "REAR-ENDED." LEXUS HAS RELEASED A SOFTWARE UPGRADE BUT THIS REPORTEDLY HAS NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. AFTER DENYING THAT THERE WAA A TSB FOR THE PROBLEM, THE DEALER SAID THAT IT COULD NOT "RECOMMEND" THE UPGRADE. ********************************************************** MY RX330 HAS JUST COME OUT OF THE DEALER SERVICE FOR THE SECOND TIME DUE TO A COMPLETE FAILURE TO DOWNSHIFT WHEN NECESSARY. ESPECIALLY AS I SLOW DOWN TO ABOUT 20 MPH, AND THE TRY TO RE-ACCELERATE, THE RPM'S GO TO 5500 BUT THE VEHICLE DOES NOT MOVE AND THE CLUTCH NEVER ENGAGES. YOU HAVE TO LET OFF THE GAS PEDAL AND LET THE RPM'S COME BACK DOWN AND TRY IT AGAIN. THIS HAS ALMOST GOT ME HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE AT LEAST 3 TIMES. ON THE FIRST SERVICE CALL THEY TRIED TO DO A TRANSMISSION "RESET" I HAVE DRIVEN THE VEHICLE 2500 MILES SINCE THEN AND IT MIGHT EVEN BE WORSE. THIS TIME IT WENT TO THE SHOP AND TWO TECHNICIANS, ONE MANAGER, AND ONE CUSTOMER SERVICE REP ALL TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SIMULATE THE PROBLEM ON TEST DRIVES BUT THAT IT IS "NORMAL FOR THIS VEHICLE", HOWEVER, THEY ARE STILL GOING TO REPORT IT TO THE MANUFACTURER. MY RESPONSE IS THAT THIS MAY BE "NORMAL" FOR THIS VEHICLE, BUT IT IS NOT NORMAL FOR "A" VEHICLE. THEY ALL AGREED BUT SAID THAT LEXUS DOES NOT HAVE A FIX. THIS IS CURRENTLY ELEVATED TO THE LEXUS COMPANY CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD GET BACK TO ME. UNTIL THEN I AM STUCK IN A DANGEROUS VEHICLE.

There are at least 15 complaints on Department of Transportation web site (DOT)on problems with RX 330 transmission which appears to have a lag and thus people are concerned that they may end up in an accident. I dont see a single thread on this topic in this forum. What am I missing?