DallasLex

iTrader: (1)

My wife and I looked at the ES350 this weekend and I was just concerned if there were any of them affected by the Transmission Problems in the V6 Camry(Since the transmissions are pretty much identical). I'd like to buy one but kind of affraid of the 1st yr bugs like this.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...=toyota+recall

dp5

I posted this question to the Toyota rep who is posting on the Toyota Camry Transmission Issue forum and he assured me that the Lexus was not affected. Someone else mentioned tha the only Camrys affected were the ones made in the US and all Lexus are made in Japan so we should be okay.

xfirechief

I didn't realize that all of the LEXUS models were made overseas.
I remember being told that the some were made in the US?

LexFather

1. It wasn'a RECALL. Toyota did that VOLUNTARILY.
2. It only affected 13k Lexus!

Lexus is very cautious and will VOLUNTARILY take their cars back if they see what could become a problem or is a small problem.

Remember, The cars are not perfect but clearly, as reliable as you can get.

slider71

In fact, the parts content sticker on the ES350 says that 95 % of the parts are sourced from Japan too, with only 5% North America. That is in addition to them being exclusively assembled in Japan.

Lexus_girl

All Lexus vehicles are imported from Japan, except some of the RX's. Those are out of the Canada plant.

GFerg

The ES350 probably wont be affected by the same problem as the 160 V6 Camry's because it was an assembly problem in Georgetown, Kentucky. As others have said here the ES is built in Japan. Im not saying thet ES is going ot be problem free, but this exact problem wont affect the ES.

Rockville

to insure that the Lexus ES350 did not have a 2nd gear shift issue that affected the earlier Camry production in Kentucky. No worries mate...

Rock

DallasLex

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Rock!

thegoodlif

Sorry to rain on your parade - but my brand new ES 350 Lexus has the transmission problem. It is so sad - only 545 miles on it, 1.5 weeks old, and lights came on the dash, message saying "Check VSC". It barely shifts out of 1st gear. :-(
On the promising side, the dealer is taking the high road - going to get me a brand new car.
However, I do find it very discouraging. I wanted a new car, payed top dollar to get great reliability, and now my new car is gone. Have a loaner until they get a replacement, so I guess I shouldn't be so picky, but it makes me wonder why I just didn't get used car.
I'll recover, but wow, what a bummer.
Sad, sad, sad.

nixietink

SAME problem my parents are having with their ES350. Had it SIX days. Lexus said they hadn't heard of any problems Though that is not the case. We have a loaner right now..said we should have the car back by Tues/Wed.

Goodlif-- what dealership did you get your car from? Is it a problem that cannot be repaired and that is why they are giving you a brand new car?

Enclenta

Hmm, this very new vehicle already has a problem? Looks like it's a sign.

qliu34

Man, my car is coming next week or two. I hope I won't have this problem. Toyota should've fixed this before they release any cars any more. I thought this problem is only happening on US made cars only.

thegoodlif

The dealer really was great about this, I must say. They said that they delayed the release of the ES350's one week so that they could go through each car individually making sure they didn't have this problem.
When mine exhibited a similar problem, they had a Japanese-trained engineer work on it all day. The factory wanted to get the car back so they could learn from it.
The next day I went to the dealer and got another brand-new ES350. The factory essentially "bought back" my original car.
Aside from the incovenience and worry over what was going on, I can't complain. The sales manager dealt directly with me, and they were all amazed that this had happened.
Only time will tell how prevalent this problem will actually be. However, I still love the car, and am encouraged by their interest in understanding and learning more about the issue.

On a lighter note, I ended up changing exterior colors on the second one. I hadn't had a chance to see the Aquamarine color, and they had one on the lot - wow! I went from Tungsten Pearl to the eye-popping Aquamarine Blue!
Every cloud has a silver lining, I guess.

rkramer

I own the ES 350 posted by my daughter, same issue as yours. When you brought the car back were they up front with the known issue of tranny problems? What can i expect to hear from the dealer? I don't want the car back with a rebuilt tranny, was one of the options offered by the dealer, to buy the car back or did you press the issue. Just trying to get my ducks in a row, before i go back to the dealer. Any feedback would be great, what dealer did you buy at? I bought mine at Lexus of Valencia ( CA )
Thanks for your help
Randy K