122 of the
862 complaints filed about the Lexus ES300
are about the transmission —
14% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2002.
122
Complaints
14%
Share of all complaints
4
Crashes
0
Fires
Transmission & Drivetrain complaints by model year
I PURCHASED A USED 2003 LEXUS ES30FROM USED CAR DEALER. AFTER A COUPLE DAYS OF DRIVING IT I NOTICED IT WAS SHIFTING GEARS INNORMALLY. IT WOULD SURGE UP TO 4000RMP BEFORE SHIFTING TO 2ND GEAR AND AT ONE POINT WASN'T MOVING WHILE I HIT THE GAS THE ACCELERATION VERY FAST OUT OF NOWHERE. MY MOTHER ALSO HAD THIS SAME YEAR MAKE AND MODEL VEHICLE A FEW YEARS BACK AND IT HAD THE SAME PROBLEM BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. I DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND MANY OTHER LEXUS CUSTOMERS EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. I FOUND A WEB SITE THAT CLAIMED THAT THERE WAS A TSB PUT OUT FOR THIS VEHICLE AND THAT THE LEXUS/TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS WOULD FIX THIS PROBLEM WITH AN UPGRADE. I WAS WONDERING IF THIS UPGRADE IS STILL AVAILABLE AND IF MY VEHICLE WOULD QUALIFY? AND IF SO HOW WOULD I GO ABOUT THIS PROCESS.
NHTSA complaint #10720988 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I WAS DRIVING AND THE VEHICLE STARTED TO STALL AND THEN JOLT INCREASING AND DECREASING IN ACCELERATION BY ITSELF I HAVE ALREADY HAD THE TRANSMISSION SERVICED AND REBUILT A COUPLE YEARS AGO AND NOW IT SEEMS TO BE DOING THE SAME THING.
NHTSA complaint #10689755 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND GEARS AT A SLOW STEADY SPEED(APPROX 20MPH) THE CAR WILL FREQUENTLY VIOLENTLY JERK. MY CAR HAS 75000 MILES AND HAS DONE IT SINCE DAY ONE.
NHTSA complaint #10593191 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE FROM CARMAX ABOUT 2.5 MONTHS AGO WITH AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. AFTER DRIVING MY VEHICLE DAILY BACK AND FORTH TO WORK, I NOTICED THE HESITATION WHILE COMING TO COMPLETE STOP OR A TRAFFIC LIGHT. THE RPM WOULD INCREASE WHILE THE TRANSMISSION WOULD HESITATE WHEN I PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR BETWEEN THE SPEEDS OF 10 - 35 MPH. AT FIRST SIGN, IT APPEARED THE TRANSMISSION WAS DEFECTED, SO I DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO CARMAX SERVICE CENTER. TWO DAYS LATER I RECEIVED MY 2003 LEXUS ES300 WITH A CLEAN SLATE (THE SERVICE TECHNICIANS INDICATED THE TRANSMISSION DID NOT INDICATED WEAR) AND I WAS TOLD TO BRING IT BACK IF I STILL HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I AM TAKING MY VEHICLE TO THE SERVICE CENTER WITH MORE INFORMATION TOMORROW. LEXUS/TOYOTA NEEDS TO EITHER RECALL THESE VEHICLES TO FIX THIS ISSUE OR THEY WILL HAVE A MAJOR LAWSUITS FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH A CLASS ACTION SUITE. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESS FROM LEXUS/TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVES TO KEEP TOYOTA/LEXUS IN GOOD STANDINGS. AFTER READING OTHER COMPLAINTS, I AM REALLY NERVOUS ABOUT DRIVING MY VEHICLE AND I JUST PURCHASED IT.
NHTSA complaint #10552312 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
MY 2002 LEXUS ES300 HAS BEEN JERKING AND SHIFTING VERY HARD ON ACCELERATION. IT SEEMS TO HAVE MORE OF A PROBLEM WHEN I ACCELERATE SLOWLY IN THE LOWER GEARS. IT JERKS VERY NOTICEABLY. I WAS TOLD IT WAS JUST THE NATURE OF THE CAR, BUT IT HAS BEEN GETTING MUCH WORSE OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST YEAR. IT ALSO HESITATES WHEN STEPPING ON THE GAS AFTER DECELERATION.
NHTSA complaint #10489419 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
WE HAVE EXPERIENCED ON SEVERAL OCCASSIONS THAT VEHICLE HESITATES WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE AT STOP SIGN OR WHEN INITIALY IN START TO DRIVE AT ABOUT 20-30 MILES PER HOUR AT TIMES FOR FEW SECONDS & AT TIMES IT RATTLES 3-4 TIMES. THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED AS CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED FROM LEXUS DEALER IN EXCELLENT CONDITION IN 2006 THAT CAME WITH EXTENDED WARRANTY UPTO 75000 MILES BUT THIS PROBLEM STARTED WITH SLIGHT & SMOOTH JERK ABOUT 3 YEARS BACK, TOOK IT TO DEALER AFTER NOTICED FOR FEW TIMES TO DIAGNOSIS. AT FIRST INSTANCE THEY COULD NOT FEEL IT SINCE IT WAS NOT CONSISTENT BUT WHEN AGAIN COMPLAINED FOR SECOND TIME WAS TOLD THAT IT COULD BE FUEL INJECTORS CLOGED FOLLOWED BY OTHER LIST OF POTENTIAL SERVICE ITEMS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT $1000+ EXPENSE WHICH WE DENIED IT SINCE WE HAVE ALWAYS MAINTAINED OUR CAR GOOD & ALWAYS USE 93 OR 89 OCTAINE GAS WITH MAINTENANCE SERVICE AS RECOMMENDED. THIS ONE IS MY WIFE'S VEHICLE & USED TO COMMUTE TO WORK MOSTLY ON EXPRESS WAY. WE DO HAVE COUPLE OTHER ISSUES WITH THIS CAR BUT NOT AS IMPORTANT. NOW, LATELY THIS HESITATION FREQUENCY HAVE INCREASED & FROM WHAT I HEAR IS THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE AND THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH SOME OTHER ES300 OWNERS AS WELL.
NHTSA complaint #10462547 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 LEXUS ES300. WHILE DRIVING 8 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED A BUMP VIBRATION COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD UNEXPECTEDLY SHIFT INTO REVERSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT METAL FILLINGS WERE FOUND INSIDE OF THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC, WHERE THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 110,000.
NHTSA complaint #10456444 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2003 ES 300 - TRANSMISSION ISSUES: I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING HESITATION UPON ACCELERATION ALMOST EVERY TIME, ALONG WITH HARD SHIFTING 50% OF THE TIME. THE ACCELERATION HESITATION CAN BE SCARY IF I'M TRYING TO ENTER THE HIGHWAY, OR TURNING LEFT. THE HARD SHIFTING FEELS LIKE I GOT HIT FROM BEHIND. BOTH PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN GOING ONGOING FOR YEARS AND LEXUS DEALER HAS NEVER BEEN ANY HELP. I READ MANY OF THE ONLINE FORUMS AND FOUND THAT BOTH OF THESE PROBLEMS ARE VERY COMMON AS ARE THEIR RESULTS FOR GETTING THESE ISSUES FIXED - NOT MUCH LUCK FROM THE DEALER - "IT WORKS AS IT IS DESIGNED". REALLY? LEXUS NEEDS TO STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MANY COMPLAINTS I HAVE READ (100S) AND THEIR HASN'T BEEN A RECALL. HOW DOES A CONSUMER GO ABOUT PUSHING FOR A RECALL, OR CLASS ACTION OR WILL THE LEMON LAW WORK?
NHTSA complaint #10437715 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
MY 2002 LEXUS ES 200 WAS DYING OR NOT STARTING AT ALL. SUDDENLY, IT WAS WORKING FINE. 2 DAYS LATER, WHILE IDLING OR WHEN MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE, IT WOULD LURCH FORWARD AND START ACCELERATING AT SOMETIMES 40MPH. I HAD TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES, THEN EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP, THEN AFTER I TURNED IT OFF, IT WOULD SHAKE FORWARD.
NHTSA complaint #10419895 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
LEXUS (2002 ES) HAS DRAMATIC TRANSMISSION STUTTER AT LOW OR HIGH SPEEDS, JERKING OCCUPANTS AND MAKING QUICK STARTS (TURNING ACROSS LANES) VERY DANGEROUS.
NHTSA complaint #10353695 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2004 LEXUS ES330-CAR HESITATES WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE. VERY UNSAFE WHEN TRYING TO MERGE INTO HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. ALMOST HAD SERIOUS ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. COMPUTER CHIP FOR TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO FIX PROBLEM. USED PREMIUM GAS AS SUGGESTED BY MECHANIC- NOTHING HELPED.
NHTSA complaint #10339990 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2002 LEXUS ES300, CAR LUNGES AND JERKS DURING ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION. CAR DROVE FINE UNTIL LEXUS UPGRADED SOFTWARE, AND THEN 100% NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCE IN PERFORMANCE. CAR WAS BROUGHT TO JM LEXUS APPROX 4-5 TIMES FOR PROBLEM, AND ONCE TO PALM BEACH LEXUS. CAR JERKED DURING TEST DRIVE WITH MECHANIC. I WAS TOLD IT WAS A "CHARACTERISTIC" OF THE CAR, AND THERE WAS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO FIX IT. MECHANIC STATED HE HAS SEEN THE SAME PROBLEM ON OTHER CARS. PROBLEM HAS BEEN GETTING WORSE.
NHTSA complaint #10332251 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I HAVE A 2002 LEXUS ES300. MY CAR AT SLOWER SPEEDS HAS BEEN JERKING/SURGING AT LOWER SPEEDS AND LURCHES FORWARD WITHOUT NOTICE. IT IS A NIGHTMARE TO DRIVE THIS CAR IN TRAFFIC. I KEEP BEING TOLD ITS NORMAL, IT SEEMS HUNDREDS OF OTHERS HAVE COMPLAINED, BUT I'M NOT GETTING ANYWHERE. THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP DID A SOFTWARE UPGRADE RECENTLY, IT ONLY MADE THE MATTER WORSE. I HATE DRIVING THIS CAR, EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY AVOIDS DRIVING IT, AS WE JUST DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE IN THE WAY IT ACCELERATES AND SHIFTS GEARS. ITS A 2002 MODEL, WITH 49K MILES. I AVG 25K MILES A YEAR DRIVING, DO THE MATH, THIS CAR SUCKS, AND I AVOID USING IT OUT OF FEAR/ANNOYANCE.
NHTSA complaint #10331886 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2003 LEXUS ES300 WITH ACCELERATOR PEDAL, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, AND VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL ISSUES. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE FROM A LOW SPEED THERE IS A DELAY BEFORE THE ENGINE RESPONDS. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED HE EXPERIENCED A SIGNIFICANT ABRUPT DOWNSHIFT WHEN SLOWING DOWN FROM HIGHER SPEEDS AND AN ABRUPT UPSHIFT WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A SLOW SPEED. IT FELT AS THOUGH THE TRANSMISSION COULD NOT DECIDE WHAT GEAR IT SHOULD BE IN. THE CONSUMER WAS ADVISED A COMPUTER PATCH WAS AVAILABLE FOR THE PROBLEM, BUT IT USUALLY DID NOT WORK AND IT COULD MAKE THE PROBLEM WORSE.
NHTSA complaint #10312121 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I HAVE A 2000 LEXUS ES300 WITH ABOUT 100,000 MILES. TRANSMISSION FAILED SUDDENLY AND CAR STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. JUST READ THE EDMUNDS FORUM AND THERE ARE 1,384 POSTINGS ABOUT TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ON LEXUS. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND NEEDS ATTENTION.
NHTSA complaint #10310671 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I PRESENT THIS AS INFORMATION TO COMPLEMENT THE PRESENT ISSUES WITH TOYOTA MOTOR COMPANY AND ITS INSTITUTIONAL FAILURE TO RESPOND TO SAFETY RELATED INCIDENTS. I OWNED A 2002 LEXUS ES300. THE MECHANICAL/COMPUTER PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR INVOLVED THE FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION TO DOWNSHIFT EFFECTIVELY WHEN MERGING INTO TRAFFIC AT 40-50 MPH. THIS ISSUE WAS FIRST OBSERVED WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO MERGE INTO THE FREEWAY IN FRONT OF A FAST MOVING TRUCK. THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED BUT DID NOT ENGAGE IN 3RD GEAR, BUT SIMPLY DISENGAGED THE ENGINE FROM THE WHEELS; THE ENGINE RPMS INCREASED, THE TACHOMETER WENT TO THE RED LINE AND THE COMPUTER SHUT OFF FUEL TO THE ENGINE. THUS THE CAR DECELERATED IN FRONT OF THE TRUCK. THIS WAS EASILY REPLICATED, AND MANY SIMILAR STORIES FILLED THE AUTO CHAT ROOMS AT THAT TIME. LEXUS RESPONSE AT THE DEALER LEVEL: " YOU USE THE WRONG FUEL; YOU HAVE DRIVEN INCORRECTLY AND PROGRAMMED THE COMPUTER TO RESPOND THIS WAY; THIS IS THE ONLY CAR BEHAVING LIKE THIS" THE SHOP FOREMAN DROVE WITH ME, OBSERVED THE PROBLEM AND WROTE AN INCIDENT REPORT TO TOYOTA. I DEMONSTRATED THE EFFECT ON A NEW LEXUS WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER, WHO STILL WAS NOT ABLE TO ADMIT THAT A SERIOUS PROBLEM EXISTED. LEXUS RESPONSE AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL: "NO PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED ON A PROBLEM YOU DESCRIBE." FINALLY A SERVICE REP SHOWED ME A PRINT OUT FROM NATIONAL LEXUS SERVICE, "TELL THE CUSTOMERS THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS BEHAVING THE WAY THAT IT WAS DESIGNED! " OF COURSE, IT WAS INCORRECTLY DESIGNED AND IT BEHAVED THAT WAY. AFTER TWO YEARS, A PARTIAL COMPUTER UPGRADE WAS SENT TO THE DEALERS AND INSTALLED. MINE WAS THE SECOND CAR WITH THE FIX, THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP OWNER WAS THE FIRST. MY POINT IS THAT THE TOYOTA/LEXUS CORPORATE RESPONSE TO SAFETY ISSUES AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL HAS BEEN TO STONEWALL AND DENY THE EXISTENCE OF PROBLEMS EVEN WHEN THEY COULD PRODUCE POTENTIAL CATASTROPHIC RESULTS. THIS HISTORICAL POLICY OF DENIAL EXISTED LONG BEFORE THE PRESENT ISSUES GAINED NOTORIETY.
NHTSA complaint #10310654 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ON 11/20/09, I WAS PARKED IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE IN MY 2002 LEXUS ES300. WHEN I PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE, IT BOOMED FORTH, AND THE BRAKE DIDN'T WORK. I TRIED TO GET AROUND THE CAR THAT WAS PARKED IN FRONT OF ME BUT THE SPEED WAS SUCH THAT I HIT IT. THERE WAS DAMAGE TO MY CAR AND THE CAR I HIT. THE DRIVER WAS IN THE CAR AND HAS SINCE CLAIMED SHE WAS INJURED. I HAD ANOTHER INSTANCE OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION 2 YEARS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT BUT WAS ABLE TO STOP. I URGE YOU TO PUSH TOYOTA TO ADMIT THAT THERE ARE CASES OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION IN MODELS THAT PRE-DATE THE ONES THEY ARE RECALLING AND TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #10307119 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I WAS DRIVING SLOWLY, LESS THAN 10 MPH, APPROACHING A RED LIGHT BEHIND ANOTHER VEHICLE. SUDDENLY, MY CAR ACCELERATED FORWARD AND COULD NOT BE STOPPED BY BRAKING. I COLLIDED WITH THE REAR END OF THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THERE WERE NO INJURIES, BUT BOTH CARS HAD SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE.
NHTSA complaint #10306870 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.