Django44

I have an '08 ES 350 with 8k miles and I've been experiencing a strange cut back on the throttle whenever I take my foot off the gas to coast, such as when approaching a red light. The cut back noticably slows the car especially when traveling in the 20-40 mph range. At first I thought it was down shifting to a lower gear (that's the feeling) and had the dealer take a look at that during the 5k servicing but they said there was no downshifting happening. I now suspect that it is the throttle cutting back on fuel going to the engine. The evidence for that is the Current MPG display (the little bar graph) that shows the bar go to 90 mpg as soon as I feel the cut back in gas. (I suppose with the car doing 30 mph and no gas going to the engine I would get 90 or better mpg!) The wierd thing is that it will cut back and slow the car and (without touching the gas or brake) as I approach the light only to have the throttle kick back in by feeding gas to the engine with a resultant slight surge forward. I then have to hit the brake harder then you would expect. Has anyone experienced this? Are there any service bulletins out on this problem? I'm close to taking it in to have it looked at and want to know if I'm the only one having this problem.

Hitcher

I've only recently reached the 1000 miles mark but I feel the same thing, mostly as a surge as I'm coming to a stop somewhere between 20 to 40 miles an hour. I don't really notice a throttle cut back as much as I feel the surge and definitely have to apply more braking force. It is not too bothersome except for slowing down through a curve while applying the brake. I almost suspect it is downshifting a little bit before its proper time. I will be bringing the issue up with the dealer next week and will let you know if I get any different news.

jkayca

I've noticed this too. It happened when I slowly coasted to a stop at a light. I assumed it was the transmission down shifting to first. It's annoying and I'm going to talk to my dealer when I bring her in for her first service later this month.

kewl

Your will likely find it to be a normal thing with this car...because of how some people drive some don't notice it, but most do. You will quickly learn to ignore it. I didn't like it at first either, but got use to it.

clarky86

Drop the gas pedal = engine braking
Ease off the gas pedal slowly = engine coasting

Just in case you were not aware of this feature on the ES.

Django44

Clarky86, I tried what you suggested - letting off the gas gently to see if that would avoid the sudden cutback on the throttle and instead provide a nice coasting to a stop. It doesn't work. No matter how gently I pull back on the gas pedal as soon as my foot is off the throttle it cuts back to nothing and I feel the sudden braking effect. Its really annoying and happens consistently between about 20 and 40 mph when cruising to a stop or just slowing down in traffic. (Above 40 the momentum of the car seems to smooth the cutback effect out.)

(This all reminds me of a Mazda GLC I had in the early 80s that did much the same thing. You could actualy see the gas pedal moving up and down when the car was idling.)

MD350

Might be as simple as a computer flash update or reprogram. Something doesn't sound right.

Drive another ES350 and see if it has similar characteristics.

MARINE

Here's what i notice. When turning right into traffic...or out of Mickey D's parking lot....if i gun the motor from lets say a crawl so no one rear ends me (miami Drivers have no licenses), she completely bogs down then picks up. it feels like I am going to hit the darn windshield. This happened in my old 07 ES too. Only from a crawl. From a deadstop, the tires spin and at normal city speeds shes responsive.... Im at a lost.

Django44

MD350, exactly what is a Flash Update? What does it involve and what can I expect? Same for a Reprogram. How is it different from the Flash Update. How much time do these take? Thanks for any help you can give.

MD350

Yes, like a reprogram with updates. I am not a mechanic, this is just my guess since I had similar issues with a Toyota I owned previously.

It takes a few hours, I believe. You should get a loaner from your dealer.

I could be wrong, the car could be running normally. I do suggest driving a few other ES350s and see if there is a difference.