Nexgen76

Okay I own a 2005 Lexus ES330 and I'm in the market for a new car so the Lexus ES350 really caught my eye, The Lexus ES330 I own is a great car minus the transmission hesitation issue that Lexus never seem to had a solution for. My question is do the Lexus ES350 2007 model still have this issue or transmission issues that plagued the last gen ES models ? Thxs

christcorp

Depends on what you consider to be a transmission issue. I have a 2007 ES350, and I don't think I have a transmission issue. Sometimes when it's cold, and I start driving too soon, there will be a slight surge between 3rd and 4th gear. Some speak of this as a "FLAIR". But if my car is warmed up or the weather isn't sub freezing, this doesn't occur. And the reason I don't consider it an issue, is because MANY cars I've owned had similar issues. My 1966 Mustang was notorious for this. Until it was warm, if seemed like the transmission/clutch would slip. But my lexus isn't any where near the same. Just a slight hesitation going from 3rd to 4th. And again, that only lasts for a minute or two until the car is pseudo warmed up. Then it never happens again. Only when it's really cold and I don't give it a couple minutes to warm up properly. So other than that, I haven't experienced any transmission issues.

jagiovana

I've been driving a 2007 since...well, since 2007 - I've noticed no transmission issues.

xanderES

iTrader: (8)

Although there is the transmission flare issue when cold... I believe he is talking about the drive by wire hesitation. It's the delay in the car accelerating after pressing the gas pedal.

Its the throttle mapping of the drive by wire systems.
Most new cars have been programmed this way.

christcorp

I can't speak for anyone else, but when I floor my gas peddle, there's definitely no hesitation. My car truly flies. I've definitely never had any problem with a delay. I've even had a few people say the proverbial "Holy Shiite" when they get pushed back in their seat.

MikePA

Obviously, xanderES is not talking about hesitation when you 'floor' the accelerator pedal. He's talking about when you press on the accelerator pedal to smoothly pull away from a stop sign or when the light turns green.

treborr

I'm a new es 350 owner and I too have noticed a little squirrellyness at times when accelerating, but I wans't sure if it was just me getting use to the vehicle or whatever....btw, I also own a '03 expedition which was my daily driver, so I'm still getting acclimated to driving a car

Oh, and this is my first post as well!

Cheers!

christcorp

OK. I guess the simplest thing for me to say is that I don't get any hesitation under any circumstances. Floored, normal acceleration, starting from a stop, etc.... The only issue I've ever had in my 2007 is as I said when it's cold.

LexBob2

What you are describing is torque steer. Very common with front wheel drive vehicles. Welcome to CL.

xanderES

iTrader: (8)

I guess ill have to clarify.

Im talking about the throttle delay of the (tps) throttle position sensor map. The way it is programmed there is a bit of a "delay" because of the flat curve.
If you take a look at what the marketed "throttle controllers" <- link on the market do you'll understand how they change the mapping essentially to feel like the delay is minimized. This is done by a bit of ecu/tcm tricking by the unit through the tps sensor.
Essentially, it tricks the car into thinking you pressed the pedal farther than what you did eliciting a stronger response.

oldgrump

There should be NO throttle "delay" with the ES 350. There should also be no "bogging". If your car demonstrates either, then get it diagnosed with a scantool, after first trying a change of gasoline brand. Try the next higher octane rating of fuel as well. If you've been using "Regular" with your pre 2011 car use the recommended 91 (or higher) Premium fuel, and see if that makes a difference.
I'm not talking about a transmission issue where there is a delay in the engagement of the transmission going into gear (into D or R) from P or N.

Nexgen76

Thanks guys I just got one from a auction in Chicago hopefully it will be here by this weekend.....I was referring to the hesitation issue that plague the 2005 models.

KCFAN

I bought a used 2011 ES 350 and have noticed the hesitation issue since day one. I too thought it was just something I needed to learn about the car. After future research there are hundreds of complaints about this and the acceleration issue that was in the news a few years ago. I have not experienced the acceleratin issue and hope I never do. Is there a way to remap the TPS so that you do not notice the hesitation so much? I do not care for it at all and sometimes it causes me to over accelerate the car because I am trying to pull out into oncoming traffic. It seems a little unsafe.

Lexi66

Can you tell me your mileage when you bought it and current mileage? Thanks!

unklexus

In my 2011 I've only noticed the bogging(hesitation) when trying to accelerate hard when the engine hasn't warmed up fully. My Avalon did exactly the same thing. After it's warmed up all is well.