My wife took her 2003 ES300 in for it's 5K mile service. The dealer told her that Lexus had just started sending out notices about an "adjustment to the computer to fix the transmission problem". Even though we had not yet received the letter the dealer said they would go ahead and make the "adjustment" if she wished. She told them to do it.
She picked the car up yesterday and said she didn't notice the hesitation when downshifting and the car seemed to run a little stronger. She only drove it a few miles (it was going to rain and she didn't want to get it wet) but she did try to duplicate the conditions in which the hestitation was noticable.
There is a full discussion of this at CLUBLEXUS.COM. I have an '02 and, frankly, don't see what the problem is, even though those folks at CLUBLEXUS swear it's in all '02 and '03 ES cars. I got the notice but probably will NOT have the work done. If it ain't broke....
I notice the problem quite frequently, and it is very dangerous at times. There are times where my 2002 doesn't know when to kick into passing gear and it literally hangs for about 3 seconds not doing anything. Try having that happen on the I-285 speedway around Atlanta and see if you feel safe driving this car. I also notice it when doing the "California roll", or turning a hard corner without ever coming to a complete stop. The tranny gets confused, and I either sit and wait for it to accelerate, or I have to press the pedal down farther, causing the engine to race. Very frustrating, very dangerous. It does fine from a complete stop, and it does fine if you drive like a stereotypical grandmother.
I received my letter last week, but haven't made it in yet to have the fix applied. If anyone has not experienced the problem, I suggest that their driving habits have not revealed the problem yet. Bear in mind, in your decision not to apply the fix, Lexus has spent at least a year developing and testing this fix. I spoke with Lexus USA, and they said the new firmware is going into the new vehicles at the factory. I would really suggest staying current with the firmware that Lexus feels is the best solution for this car. Anything short of doing that is saying that you don't mind an occasional game of Russian Roulette. I hope for your sake your tranny doesn't misbehave the one critical time you need it...at least you know there are plenty of airbags to help soften the impact...
I don't know, I just hope the fix helps with my ES300, otherwise the car will be sold. The outcome of this software update will form my lasting opinion of Lexus automobiles.
I took delivery of a 2003 Lexus ES300 two weeks ago (early September). Does anyone know if my car would have the fix or not?
I have to say it does drive like a Ford Grand Torino in terms of acceleration. Very disappointing. I believe that I did experience the lag that others spoke of, but can't be sure because I don't make a practice of driving aggressively in the first 1000 miles of the car's life.
It's software, I doubt they go back that far. There was so much uproar over the new electronic 5 speed tranny in the 2002, that they had to do something. In my opinion, they use the computer controlled tranny to squeeze out all the MPG they could in order to meet EPA requirements. A side note, check out how cheapo the wheel well surrounds are, they're plastic, definitely was a disappointment to me...I think that was another effort to lighten the vehicle a squeeze a little more MPG out of it. I have heard that the Infiniti w/ electronic tranny has similar problems too, so who knows? Maybe electronic trannies are just a bad idea. I've always had a standard non-electronic accelerator, and it's always responded exactly as I need when I have needed it. This electronic thing likes to make your decisions for you. Sometimes that OK, but there are those times that it makes a bad decision and it hangs you out to dry. Driving home today, for example, I was driving about 25 up a slight grade, pressed the pedal a little more to try and do a slow acceleration, nothing happened, engine didn't throttle up at all. Then I pressed it a little farther, the tranny kicked down a gear, the engine kicked in, and the wheels squealed. Really ticked me off, I felt like I was driving a cheap bucket of crap.
I guess my bottom line is that if anyone is seriously considering the ES300, or any of the other Lexus electronic tranny models, then I strongly encourage you to talk the dealer into renting you a loaner car for a week. Give it a workout with your driving habits. I bought the ES300 solely on faith in the Toyota brand, and the test drive was just a formality. I have grown to regret that decision.
===========================================Legal Disclaimer: The remarks above are my opinions based on anecdotal and unscientific experiences in driving my 2002 ES300. In no way am I suggesting that Lexus automobiles are faulty or defective, and my experiences may not match any other driver's actual experiences driving this vehicle. I encourage potential buyers to seek a wide range of opinions regarding this vehicle, and not base their decision solely on the information presented here. ===========================================
When I got the car, I figured this behavior was some sort of pollution-preventing computer glitch or feature, asked the dealer about it and they just shrugged, also posted on the Acura group and got no sunshine.
Finally, at the 30k service they flushed the tranny fluid, and voila, suddenly it worked! In retrospect, I was driving around for three years with a non-working torque converter.
But then, Honda has long been known for mediocre automatics, and they've had worse problems than this with the TL recently. Too bad if Lexus now has the same problem.
Flush the tranny fluids and see if it helps -- cuz they say there are just about no other parts one can adjust in a modern automatic transmission, though I wonder about that.
Thanks for the suggestion; I'll ask for a tranny fluid flush the next time I get the car serviced. My wife is especially incensed about the poor performance of the ES300 engine. Last weekend, we were going uphill, and she wanted to pass. She gets into the passing lane, goes foot to the floor... and nothing! The car doesn't react.
Not what I expected from one of the supposedly premier automakers. Ride quality is awesome, but this engine/transmission combo just sucks. My wife IS your typical granny-type driver and even she doesn't like the way it drives.
Well, here's the extra insult. The ES300 was restyled for 2002, I bought mine soon after they came out. Today I just saw a tv commercial for the new ES330 (330, not 300) with the same body style as the ES300. I didn't catch the whole commercial, but the end of it appeared as if they were showing the ES330 as a performance/sport version of the ES. If that's the case, I'll be pretty pissed at Lexus for screwing me with an underperforming ES300, then launching a new version of it within 2 years. I bought the ES thinking it would be around in its current form for at least 3 or 4 years, and preserve my expense and resale value a little longer. By introducing the ES330 so quickly, they've just screwed everyone who trusted Lexus and bought an ES300. Not sure I'll be returning to the sales side of the Lexus business anytime in the future after this little episode. I haven't tried the tranny fix in my ES300 yet, but I've read mixed reviews from others who have. Let's just say that Lexus has lost some respect in my book.
go to the dealer and get the updated ECM reflash. keep in mind too that these new cars are no longer accelerator cabled, they are 'fly by wire' meaning there is no direct connection between your foot and the throttle plate. i drive a wrangler, and sometimes ES and LS drives me nuts with the FBW
Thanks, Ben. I'm going to try the fix, but clearly Lexus realized they had a problem with the ES300 very early in its 2002 release in order to come out with the newer version only 2 years out. It's easier for them to fix the engine in the ES and just give it a new model number (ES330) than to take responsibility for the problem with the underperforming ES300. I feel like Lexus has let their customers down, not to mention cheated a whole bunch of us who trusted them.
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