2006 ES 330 Jerky Transmission

I don't have an '06, but I do have an '05 ES with 12kmiles, and my wife drives an 04 RX which has the same drivetrain, and the same reported problems.

Neither of our cars have ever had the problem. I know it's real, since I noticed it on a loaner from the dealer I had once.

Toyota has several times released fixes which are, I think, re-programming the transmission's computer.

My wife and I are neither lead footed nor do we drive like senior citizens (yet). I've wondered if it is somehow related to driving habits as the transmission is supposed to learn the driver's style.

You'll get lots of responses to this post that are adamant in how terrible the car is as a result of this issue. If that were generally true, these cars wouldn't sell as well as they do.

I find the ES to be a very comfortable, pleasant, but unexciting car. I'm looking for pleasant transportation, and the ES is that.

Do note that this spr>I almost bought a new 2006 330 until I became aware of the jerky tranny of

We have a 2005 and would not have bought it had we known about the jerky transmission. We did get the software update that helped for a while,,,, but the problem has returned. They told us that we HAD to use premium gas after the software update or the problem would return - and we have used nothing but premium - and the problem came back anyway. The only thing I am thankful for is that it is a lease,,,, so I only have to put up with it for 18 more months. I can't wait to get rid of it.

My 2005 ES330 has not had any problem with a jerky transmission and also runs fine on regular gas. As toBMW vs. Lexus, it's like comparing apples to oranges. For value, you can't beat the Lexus. For outright performance, the Bimmer is better. But the Lexus is no slouch.

I don't know if the ES series is a slouch, but I would say it's more like a stubborn, stupid mule. Jerks with force when not called for and stays in place when acceleration is called for. If you're seriously considering an ES, just realize that many of us ES owners have experienced the transmission problem and I don't think we're a bunch of cranks, either. There are too many choices out there for you to take a chance on the ES. In fact if I were in a similar position today, I would get the Accord V6 or the Camry (unless the Camry also has the transmission problem). The Accord has a similar hesitation problem, which I think a lot of these Japanese cars have, but it's not as bad as the ES, which is truly world-class in the "bad transmission" contest.

I heard from a Toyota service rep that the manufacturers are going to a method that Volvo designed, which is supposed to help the tranny last longer. Unfortunately, not all manufactures are doing a stellar job of implementing the approach. I can understand designing it to not buck right away if you punch the gas pedal, but I think Toyota's engineers have produced at best an ineffective solution, or at worst a defective solution. As a software programmer, you try and write code to handle the vast majority, if not all, of the data conditions that are presented. I think in Toyota's case, they developed this ECU code on a flat test track, with no hills, no slow-downs and speed-ups, no passing maneuvers, and nothing that adequately recreates many of the driving scenarios around the country. In my first release of the 2002 ES300 tranny code, I had a highway-speed lag when trying to pass that was terribly dangerous. Yet the slow speed lag that's often mentioned by other drivers did not exist. The next version improved the highway-speed lag, but introduced a horrible slow-speed lag. I'm now enjoying my third version of ECU code, and I am enduring slow-speed lag and periodic jerkiness. I'm so fed up with Lexus that I have vowed not to buy another until they prove, in no uncertain terms, that they've learned how to code an ECU properly. I'm not sure how that will be proven, so I'm prepared to not patronize Lexus for quite a long time, if ever again. Sad, I expected the best from Toyota/Lexus, after driving only Toyota vehicles exclusively for 25 years, and I've not received the best.

"Mack" wrote in message news:lY5Kf.4124$yw4.3931@trnddc05...

You're a lot more forgiving than me. I will never buy a Lexus or be a cheerful booster for anybody else's purchase either. Lexus customer service on this has been awful. I hope GM or Ford pull out of their road to nowhere and are able to provide some competition because Mercedes is failing on quality too.

Methinks this is a terrible result of the push for globalization. When Toyota produced their vehicles exclusively in Japan, their quality control was excellent. One sign of the times is that Lexus had to create a new position in their overseas factories, that of quality control, something they never had to even question before. The introduction of the RX330 was peppered with myriad little annoyances (defects) in materials quality that had to be addressed immediately upon release. One thing that shocked me, when my ES300 was 3 years old, and still under warranty, my transmission stopped going into Overdrive. It would go into every other gear. The dealer had to order an electronic component that they didn't have in stock. I am literally holding my breath now that my ES is out of warranty, because if something similar breaks, it will be a $1000 repair. I'm not wealthy by any sense, and this ES was my "treat" for some hard work over the years. After owning Toyota exclusively over my driving lifetime, I expected that my Lexus experience would be stellar, and that the "major" repairs would be few and far between. I'm seriously thinking about trading this thing in sooner than later.

"Mack" wrote in message news:xJRLf.133$d61.28@trnddc05...

It looks like the door is wide open for BMW to walk through. Now, if they could get their quality up, they would be kings.