amf1932

You got that right!!

bostonsnow

yup. It was never a fully resolved issue. I have just put up with it and kind of got used to it.
If , like me, you have an 02-05 ES, and this is the only engine or transmission issue there is for you in 2016, be glad that you have a Lexus and not another manufacturer where you may have had major engine or tranny problems by now!

mmatheny

Got an '02 with about 68k on it. Didn't really notice how bad it can be until I was coming back from Austin to Houston weekend before last in miles of stop and go traffic - literally thought I was going to split a gear when giving a little gas from a rolling stop!

lostape45

I think Lexus was lacking in the transmission programming department in the early 2000s. My dad's 4ES transmission acts terribly in stop and go traffic and my 2GS can be finicky too. Sometime it will slam into second if I just barely tap on the gas while rolling. Just a transmission programming issue across the board

mmatheny

Apparently they tried reprogramming to quite the outrage, but it didn't fix it, only caused more issues, including lower fuel economy and later shifts!

speedkar9

The ES330 is geared really low. On my older Solara, it takes 2 shifts to get to 60KPH and the engine will happily rev up to 2500 RPM before shifting. With my ES330 there's 4 gear shifts, most occurring under 2000 RPM. This makes the car feel slow!

I can say having my Solara as a second car has spared me from getting rid of my ES any sooner. Every time I drive it in rush hour traffic I find myself driving more aggressively cursing at the transmission lag.....so much so that I've nicknamed it LAGBERT! lol

Its just so saddening that this is otherwise such a beautiful car, build quality, reliability and ride quality are all top notch, and probably even a step above the latest models from Lexus.

Marty54

I bought two ES330 vehicles this year, and was not aware of the Transmission problems. If I had been aware, I may have chosen differently. The 2006 ES330 I bought for my daughter, is simply the smoothest running vehicle I ever drove in 42 years of driving. And I liked it so much, , I got a 2005 ES330 for myself. Hope it stays that what.

alan311

I have a 2002 ES300 that sometimes jerks during the switch from 3th to 4th gear. Overall the transmission is slow to shift. I want to keep the car running for a few more years and the transmission is basically the only problem. I can spend around $1000 for a rebuild or whatever.

When I bought the car in 2009 with 100K miles (now 130k) on it, I took it to the local Toyota dealer who did the following service:
I remember faintly that I thought the issue didnt go away and in fact maybe it had started shifting late or later. The jerk between 3th and 4th was still there. That certain jerk may not be able to be fixed by re-programming (it could be a bad part or some other issue).

Someone says this on the first page of this post:
I can find this part on Ebay for $40-$100.

So what should I do? I'm thinking:
- Transmission oil change, flush and replace filter (see if that helps first)
- Take to Lexus dealer and ask them about "Technical Service bulletin# TC004-03"

However for this fix, someone here said on the 2nd page in this post:
Another person said they did not like the fix.
One post mentions multiple dealers not liking the fix.

Not sure what to do. Maybe I should only try the transmission oil flush/replace and filter change. And I can keep the car running until I cant drive it anymore and then I can buy another car.
If I tried a rebuild, it may not improve or there may be problems after the rebuild. I dont want to spend $1000-$1500 for a rebuild, take that risk and make the situation worse. Considering the car is only worth $4500 right now according to KBB, I dont want to invest too much time or money on this issue.

Oro

The service you quoted says they installed "the fix" (reprogramming the PCU).

It sounds like your transmission is behaving normally post-"fix" from what I have read of it. I do not have it, but it alters shift points to try to hack around solving the issue. I have heard the results described as you say yours behaves. Also, it reportedly drops MPGs 10 to 15% so if that is off on yours, that indicates the reprogramming "fix." But it seems clear they did it to your car.

It appears they did a drain/fill at that time with 4 qts of T-IV. It would now be time to do another one. Don't bother with the filter, it is a wide wire mesh and does not clog, only trap large particles. I see no reason to drop the pan on your car. The other thing to check are the mounts. The powertrain in this car is inadequately mounted and they wear pre-maturely. Usually the upper strut is the 1st to go (front front of engine to the R. side upper shock mount - aka "dog bone" - peel back the rubber disc and examine the rubber bushing inside). The lower mounts then wear, but usually you feel a lot of vibration as well as harder shifts; it does not sound like you have that issue.

LeX2K

The filter is a felt like material not steel mesh, they are known to clog if the transmission has been poorly serviced.

Oro

That sounds like it would be an aftermarket filter on a 2002? I have not seen an OE filter that was not wire mesh.

There was also a case reported here a while back where someone replaced their mesh screen with a cellulose one from Autozone and promptly had driveability issues consistent with restricted pick-up and inadequate Torque Converter flow. Returning it to the wire fixed it.

I imagine something to add to the differential diagnosis for shifting woes is to open 'er up and see if a prior service had replaced the free-flowing factory screen with a too-restrictive cellulose filter.

LeX2K

The one on my car was original it looked like this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/272052208260
I bought an aftermarket one but didn't like the quality so got it from Toyota.

jgcec

What Lexus or Toyota product would anyone buy today ?

I leased a new 2010 ES350 for 2 years and loved it.
The only problem was some wind noise in the drivers window that was fixed.

I have been looking to buy a ES 300/330 or a good ES 350,
but after reading about the 300/330 transmission lag that was never fixed, I am not so sure.

carcomplaints shows that the es 300s of 2001 and before have less transmission problems.
Would you be ok buying a 2001 es 300?
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Lexus/ES_300/

The transmission flare in the 2007-08 ES is mentioned by some people,
but I have never experienced it test driving a few different 07-08s ES350s.

My budget is 10-12,000 max.
I live in the San Francisco area where prices are about 20% higher than normal.

jgcec

do the earlier es 300, in 2001 and before have the problem?

PFB

No they don't.