ES330 hesitation?

I haven't heard of it in the Toyota line, only Lexus. Bus since Toyota is sharing so many components, it's a fair question. My 2002 ES300 has the hesitation problem, yet not all drivers of the 2002 ES300 have noticed a problem. It may be associated with driving habits or terrain that combine to produce the problem. Very unfortunate that Toyota/Lexus has not taken this problem seriously.

The new Camry with the 3.3 l engine supposedly has it too. It's all part of that adaptive tranny system. However, I have a 2004 es330, and have yet to experience it. I experienced spinning the wheels on drive pavement when flooring it - which was interesting. I thought I was Fast and Furious for about 5 seconds :) -- i have a feeling there must have been some oil on the ground or something, cuz the tires just didnt want to stop spinning...

I have that with my 2002 ES300, but certainly not when expected. At those times when I give it a bit more because I really need to move, and it idles for a couple of seconds, it will kick in like a whole herd of horses with a heavy transmission jerk. This usually happens when rolling at about

5-15mph, then hitting the gas. This ES has not been the Lexus experience I was expecting. I've never driven a car that has been unpredictable like this.

A couple of seconds seems like a long time. Is it really that bad for people? I drive a '03 ES300 and I've noticed a lag when slowing down (5-20mph) then hitting the gas, but it's only about ½ - 1 sec. Not the immediate response I expect but certainly not more than 1 sec.

I've heard pe> I have that with my 2002 ES300, but certainly not when expected. At those

A second can kill if you need to move out of the way of something. Good enough reason not to buy the kars from kudzuland.

Agreed.

Apparently it may vary based on driving conditions and driver habits, again subject to the whims of the computer that "learns" the driver's style. Lexus needs to do some serious redesign work. It's not rocket science...when the driver hits the pedal, just freaking GO! Lexus doesn't seem to understand that concept right now.

Rediculous. There are European brands and perhaps a few American brands with fly-by-wire throttle ... all under Bosch license. Hahahhaha. Buy something cheaper next time. Paying less may be "more" in this case.

Just purchased a Lexus ES 330 because I read about the problems with the 300 ES transmission. Dealership said all those problems were fixed with a computer fix. 30 miles after driving our ES home I noticed the shifting was unlike any car I had driven. I am convinced this is a problem with the 330 and mentioned it to the dealership at 1000 miles. They acted like I was the only person they have heard this from. I am at 2500 miles will send a certified letter about my frustration just so they will have it documented. What else can we do? This was an upgrade in quality when we purchased this car. We traded in a Pontiac Bonneville lemon. I thought this would be a wonderful driving experience but this transmission shifts too early.

I gotta ask: if the shifting was "unlike any car you had driven", wasn't it readily apparent during the test drive?

- Mark

Your words: "(I) Just purchased a Lexus ES 330 *because* I read about the ...

Ya did this deliberately? Nah. Yours must be a troll post. Hahhah

He bought a 330 because he heard of problems with a 300 tranny. Different meaning all together.

I accede to your point. Still, he went from bad to worse.

Wonder why he didn't buy the corrolla instead? Good ole cable straight to the carburetor.

"Straight to the carburetor" Uh, yeah. Four speed technology that works. Certainly not a mobile entertainment system. ;-)

Bad to worse? Going from a 300 to a 330 should be an improvement. No? Oh well,..... :-(

Yeah, it happens. AS an example, I just found a website that SPECIALIZES in providing earlier versions of softwares ... when the "upgrades" were found to really be *downgrades.*

That's why I needle you guys about buying cars laced with bleeding edge technology instead buying simpler models that have time tested / cost effective / low maintenance / less electronics dependent systems. (Toyotas perferred .... LOL)