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Another reason that we can be more confidence with the transmission in 03 model..
Toyota puts the 5 speeds transmission into 03 Camry, a cousin of ES300....
They sell 400+ thousands Camry a year... it will be a suicide mission for them... if they are not sure with their 5 speeds transmission...
Again:
- Did they fix the problem for 03 ?.. no confirm
- 03 has problem ?.. no confirm (so far)..
if you own an ES 03 and have problem with transmission.. we are dying to hear from you...
- chance of having a problem with 03...??... believe should be very low....
For whom has problem with 02 model: you should try again with dealer.. or ask for replacing the entire transmission for you...
The problem as you've described... not just annoy but link to safety issue...: delay in passing, can't merge on highway => really dangerous... It won't be rude.. if you threat them with law suit....
richm4: I see there are some inconsistent in what you have been posted in Edmund... I'm suprised to hear that you gave up ES 300 (have it ever in your list)... Based on what I read... you are in favor with Pontiac...
Anyway, if you like more sporty car.. then ES 300 is absolutely not suitable for you.... it is conservative style driving...
Are you picking up your new Pontiac GP tomorrow ?... Good luck with your purchase
I'm partial towards GM due to significant discounts that I can get as a relative as a GM employee, although I would have gladly forgone those discounts to have bought the ES300.
I just can't justify paying $35K for a car that has those dangerous transmission issues.
And yes, I test drove an 03 and was able to reproduce the 1-2 second hesitation at 40 mph that many have experienced.
I know this isnt a real fix, but maybe you all should just manually shift into 4th gear when driving aggresively (also more fun). Regarding the mixture, for about 300-500 you can buy JET perfromance chip to increase performance while fixing the problem. The fuel maps are changed.
Im in the process of buying an 02 ES300. I need suggestions for any Inspection services because I am quite far away from the car.
Good Luck.
I've started to see some patterns with the problem... I think... I got some idea that may be helpfull...
(I have M.S. in Computer Science from a Engineering school, Polytechnic Unv... so why don't let me try)
First, I need some of your information:
1. What month/year was your car made ?
(you can see on your driver side door)
2. When problem started to occur:
odometter reading: xxx miles
months: xxx months
at what speed: xxx mph
3. Do your car has VSC/Traction control ?
4. During the first 1000 miles:
- did you have hard acclerations ?
- did you drive (constantly) at about same speed ?
5. What kind of gas (regular, premium) do you use ?
6. Overall:
What is your highest speed you ever drive with your ES ?
(hope not 140mph :-)
What is your avg speed (mph)?...
you can estimate.. or You can see it in computer info by using the button on the left of your steering wheel...
And what a big different, now my car get off the line with much more push and it actually feels more lively when I accelerate. I think they somehow changed the transmission shift point and it really help this ES300 with the lazy transmission. You guys should ask your dealer about this.
Too late since I just bought another car a week ago. Maybe I'll consider the ES300 in a few years when I'm looking again.
They don't have the part in stock and said he couldn't find any TSB's about from lexus' secure site, so he doesn't know if it would indeed fix the shudder and other tranny problems but he would ask the manager about it. The manager is on vacation and I won't get an answer until next week.
1. Tire noise
2. When Braking - Wheel vibration
3. Transmission problem - shuddering/hesitation 30-42 mph. There are more detailed explanations of this problem in other message posts.
They have fixed the #2 brake/rotor problem as discussed in previous messages. The service advisor said it was on the Technical Service Board.
However, my service advisor said that they cannot replicate #1 and #3. He wanted me to come in and take the mechanic for a test drive. He said that there is no known transmission problem on the Technical Service Board. They did not hear the tire noise nor experience the transmission problem I was reporting.
I mentioned to him that I have been experiencing the problem since I bought that car and the transmission problem is a known issue. I also cannot take time away from work to go test drive a vehicle with a mechanic (he acknowledged and understood this point). I just want the problem fixed and I don't want to keep bringing the car back to the dealership for the same problem. I also provided him the engine computer part number mentioned in akw3's previous message. He said he would check it out and get back to me.
He called back 30 minutes later and said this part 89666-33442 is not a Lexus part number. He also wanted me to fax him the information on the internet where I found this part number. He said a lot of information is on the internet and may not be true.
Well, I left him a message and basically said to keep my car until they fix the problem and don't call me back until they have it fixed. I don't have time to fax him information from the internet nor give driving lessons to a bunch of mechanics. I also mentioned a dealership has actually had a lawsuit filed against them over this transmission issue and I suggest they call other Lexus dealerships around to figure out a solution to this problem.
My wife followed up with another phone call and explained that their mechanics only drove the car once (probably only around the block!) and I have been driving the car for several thousand miles. She has also felt the same acceleration problems that I have and detailed that to him.
The service advisor said he would call the manufacturer and try to figure out a solution. He will call around about the part number I gave him.
As of now, my car is still in the shop and meanwhile, I have a loaner RX300 which drives very nice which gets me around town just fine. No transmission problems on the RX300 I might add. Drives the way a Lexus vehicle is intended to without Lexus' "secret" ES300 transmission problems we have all been experiencing.
However, I am willing to take this to the next level if Lexus does not own up to their ES300 2002 transmission blunder. I would like to explore a class action law suit if this transmission issue does not get fixed very soon. Believe me, Lexus does not want to have the tranmission problem make their company look bad and hurt sales. I hate being taken advantage of and jerked around...
I will post the outcome soon.
I seem to have 2 problems:
1) On rapid acceleration, especially from a slow speed, the trans delays a second before kicking in causing the car to die and then lurch forward
2) when slowing down below aprox. 20 mph and then when I apply th e gas (slow or fast it doesn't matter) the trans will delay before engaging. I don't have a problem from a complete stop or above 20 mph.
I have also noticed lately when taking my foot off the gas at highway speed the trans does not appear to coast. It feels like the trans is slowing the car down.
I can cause the trans to shudder by shifting from drive to neutral and back to drive. It shudders under approx. 30 mph when going back into drive.
It appears these problem arises when the car has to downshift.
I plan on sending complaint letters to Lexus. Hope everyone will do the same to create some concern. I'm sure the attorneys would love to get involved once someone is injured.
Also no luck with Lexus 800# cutomer service number.
I also complained about the foul smell eminating from the A/C on damp days and apparently Lexus has issued a TSB and a fix is now available. My car no longer smells like a sewer.
Top vehicles by category
Here are the top three vehicles, ranked by quality, in their individual market segments, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2003 initial quality study. The study is based on responses from more than 52,000 people who bought or leased new 2003 cars and trucks. The survey is done in the first 90 days of ownership.
Entry luxury car: Lexus ES 300, Cadillac CTS, Acura TL.
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/0503/07jdpowerlist.h- - tml
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2003-05-06-quality_x.htm
The transmission in the new car is better in most cases, though still somewhat disappointing. The slip and surge in stop and go traffic seems to be worse, and it seems to bog down a bit going from first to second gear. I didn't notice that in the '02. The improvement is that I haven't experienced a complete power failure. I've got to tell you that's a very helpless feeling. At times, at higher speeds, I have noticed some slippage when needing to negotiate lane changes in heavy traffic. It's such a shame because I like everything else about the car.
Since I paid top dollar for this luxury Camry, I still expect top quality and a second rate transmission, though improved, is not acceptable. I hadn't heard any complaints about the '03 and was hoping it would be fixed. Also, I'd driven a loaner car where I didn't notice the slippage at all. It does seem to vary a little between cars. Given Lexus arrogance about this issue, I was able to get a little vengence, recently a man came up to me at a filling station and asked me about the car. He was considering between it and a BMW for his wife, and I told him this was a new car because the last one was a lemon, Lexus lost a sale. My next step is to file with the National Transportation Safety Board. I looked into a class action suit, but since I allowed Lexus to settle instead of getting a decision made, I undercut my own case. Bottom line is we need raise as much noise about this as possible. Don't believe them when they say it's about to be fixed. A loss of sales or a big lawsuit will eventually get Lexus attention.
Can you give more detail on the TSB fix. Does it has anything to do with the cabin filter?
I love the es 300 but i don't want to buy a lemon. It seems taht both 02 and 03 have had trouble with the transmission, right?
thanks
optimist2
We have gillions of Lexus ESs and Camrys around and even in this very litigious area, I've yet to see a complaint about the Lexus transmissions. In fact, in checking my records, I've only worked on two Lexus cases - a GS400 with engine management problems (fuel injection-related) and an ES 300 with electrical problems (weird water leak caused all kinds of sunroof and power windows/locks problems).
And, Lord knows, I would see them, in droves. We either have a very isolated number of these problematic vehicles, or it's a regional thing.
The firm I work for would have already been on the Lexus bandwagon if there was anything significant (number of vehicles-wise). They started the Kia Sephia and Mitsubishi Galant class-action suits, so they know how this all works.
Jim
We have people who shoot themselves in the foot constantly by taking internet discussions into an arbitration, saying "I talked to 50 other people who have the same problem". Sunddenly, you're not special anymore, the spotlight gets pulled from you, and you get nothing.
I'm glad they repurchased the first one for you, but I'm very surprised they did.
"Thank you for contacting the Lexus Customer Satisfaction Department regarding your 2002 ES300, VIN ######. We appreciate the time you have taken to share your thoughts. As you requested, we are responding in writing.
In a constant effort to listen to customers and improve our product, we have become aware that some 2002 and 2003 ES 300 customers have expressed dissatisfaction with the responsiveness and the shift feel of their vehicles. In the interest of satisfying customers, Lexus is working hard to address and resolve this situation and provide ES 300 customers with a satisfactory resolution. Lexus engineers are currently developing driving responce and shift feel improvements. These improvements must undergo extensive testing , to ensure they meet Lexus performance targets under a broad range of driving conditions and driving styles. As soon as the development work is complete, Lexus will make the update available through the Lexus dealerships. As there is much work that needs to be done to achieve this goal, the resolution may not become available until late 2003. When this update becomes available, customers with affected vehicles will be notified by mail, and Lexus will make the update available at no cost.
Please contact your Lexus dealership, or the Lexus Customer Satisfaction Department at 1-800-255-3987, Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, if you require further information or assistance.
Sincerely,
Elston E. Gentle, Jr.
Customer Satisfaction Representative"
As you can see Lexus is working on this problem.
you aren't being taken seriously or aren't commincating correctly.
My dealer also claims that they test drove my vehicle and they cannot duplicate the problem. This is very frustrating since all that I have to do is quickly accelerate, and then stumble. The shuddering is less frequent so it is understandable that they wouldn't experience this one. You have to own the car to experience it.
Lexus has already lost one sale that I know of due to this issue. I just bought my second car, a Honda.
What does that mean?
I had read about and he addressed each one.
We then looked at a ES300. I mentioned to the Lexus dealer
that I had read about some transmission problems. He said that he had
never heard of any in the 6 years that he had owned the dealership.
He said that I shouldn't buy a Lexus if I felt that way. I ask him to repeat
that and he did. Now if he, as owner, reacts like that how would the service
department treat any concerns?This is not the image that I had of being
a part of the "Lexus community". Jo
Look at the Cadillac CTS boards. The CTS owners absolutely love them.
web site, purchased the car and haven't been able to reproduce those complaints with my car. I have also driven "loaner" '02 ES300's with no issues.
I sympathize with those who have complaints, but I don't think the transmission issue is as pervasive as the logs on this web site suggest.
The car is a luxury car, very comfortable and smooth. It drives similar to my previous Lexus.
If you want quick response, high rpm and racing capability - look to BMW.
Call me cautious, but when spending $35K on a car I do not expect to be holding my breath and hoping that I'm not buying such a dangerous/annoying transmission condition.
I also agree with the J.D. Power award for entry level luxury sedan - Lexus ES300. If I'm not mistaken, that award is based on a response from a large number of OWNERS of a specific car, who have first hand experience.