downtown1

I have this same problem with my 2008 ES 350. If the temp is below 28 degrees and the car has been sitting for several hours, like overnight or during work, I have the same issue as described in the post. It idles fine, it goes in and out of drive/reverse fine,it runs forward and back ward fine on idle or slight acceleration, it goes slow fine, it is only when I attempt to accelerate, like pulling out into traffic, and then the tach goes up but the car barely moves. After about 30-45 seconds of this, it is fine and once the temp gauge gets moving, it is ok. It never does it above 30 degrees and is otherwise fine. This started last year with about 90,000 miles on the car. I took it to both a Lexus dealer and a Toyota dealer and left it over night last winter and they say they could not find anything wrong with it and could not replicate the problem. They said they hooked it up to the diagnostics and everything checked out. I am sure they did not try to accelerate because the problem occurred the next morning. They just idled around the parking lot, which you can do all day and not notice the problem. The fluid level is fine and the fluid has been replaced. Otherwise once it is warmed up it is fine with no problem. I decided it was just something that happened due to extreme, prolonged cold last winter here in Northern Ohio. Now it has started again this week as the temp has dropped into the teens for a few days. The car has 99,000 miles now. It is my uneducated belief that it is a software problem of some type, otherwise if it was a mechanical problem, wouldn't it occur with greater frequency and gradually start happening regardless of temperature? My other thought it possibly the wrong transmission fluid was used by the local shop? Any further thoughts? Thanks