sutter1961

I recently bought a 2007 ES350 Ultra w/72K mi. from Crown Lexus in Ontario, CA. The car could not be certified because the miles were over 70K. The car is in perfect condition, has every option available, had 1 previous owner, has a perfect car fax, and no history of any transmission repair.

The transmission sometimes delays its 3 to 4 shift- this happens right at 30 MPH, and the RPM's can go as high as 3000 before it finally shifts- sometimes very abruptly. Crown Lexus verified the problem and "flashed" the transmission. The car is still doing the same thing- some days it hardly does it, some days it will do it 6 to 8 times. Crown Lexus now says it can not duplicate the problem. They will not take the car back. I have had it 2 weeks.

Questions: Will the transmission stop doing this, or not as often, at some point? Will the life of the transmission be shortened as a result of this? What can be done to finally fix the problem? Should I dump the car?

Thanks everyone.

garsarno

Same thing happened when new on my Ultra 2007 back in 12/06. New transmission installed 2/07 and worked great since.

retired

Dont know if it will get worse, but it probably not get any better... I suggest that you contact LEXUS Corp to request them to interceed...Also, the 07 and 08 have a serious design defect in the side windows where the plastic tabs break and the window jumps off track..Before this happens the window will make a POPPING NOISE when moving to the closed position....Lexus dealer cost to replace in the $660 range...Finally, the cost to replace a water pump is $250 for the pump and $1800 labor..The engine has to be removed to replace the water pump...Now, that I have made you aware of some of the possible problems, you can decide if you should DUMP the car...If you can afford the repairs and like the car then keep the car...If you cannot afford repairs, then dump the car.........HOPE THIS HELPS....ONE QUESTION, how much did you pay for this supposely LUXURY AUTO..I also have a 2001 LX 470 and it is twice the car as my 07 es350......

sutter1961

I paid $21K out the door. Thanks for the info. Good Luck.

Barry855

I bought a 2008 ES350 w/81K from Carlsbad Lexus. The car could not be certified because the miles were over 81k.. Mine also is in perfect condition, has every option available, had 1 previous owner, had a perfect car fax, and no history of any transmission repair.

Saw your post and added my information and HAD to respond. Took it there this last Wednesday because of the same exact problem you describe, the flare between 3-4th gear. The first call back they said they could not duplicate the problem what I thought was great, it has been doing this from cold start since I got the thing a little over a month ago. I took it in after researching this problem and finding a technical service bulitan (however you spell it) issued by Lexus about the 3-4 gear flare...googled it and found. Found the link to it here on the forum.

Yesterday I was informed they were going to replace the transmission and said there was an "internal problem" and that they would be replacing it with a new transmission from the factory. Luckily, the car was within the 60 day 6000 mile warranty and it's on them. if you are within the warranty...get it in there! Hope this helps. Barry

sutter1961

Thanks Barry for the great info. You are having better luck than I am- Crown Lexus (Ontario) had my 2007 ES350 3 days last week- for a total of 3 visits over 6 days in the 23 days I've owned it, all for the same transmission issues. I can tell they have no intention of helping me. No loaner car, no phone call updates, very indifferent. I waited 10 minutes in 100 degree heat this past Friday until they finally brought my unwashed car to me. I was told by Jeff Erskine in service that the car only slipped once during this last 3-day stay while they had it, on the 3 to 4 shift. It did it for me 3 times in 30 minutes on the way home! He now says it is "the nature of the beast" and that there is nothing to fix. The paperwork I got back Friday says it never did it on the last 3-day visit, a complete lie from what I was told by Jeff in service 2 hours earlier. I am under a 30 day warranty right now- but the car was back to them with 48 hours of purchase with the transmission issues. I have the service receipts stating the car was doing the slipping 3 to 4 shift with a tech driving (with me in the car) and the transmission was flashed. My ES350 transmission slips as many as 10 times a day between the 3rd and 4th shift. Somedays it hardly does it at all, especially after a really hard slip, sending the tach as high as 4000 RPM at 30 MPH. Crown Lexus tells me the "shift points" are higher than normal, but there is nothing to fix. I am going to call Lexus directly today. Deset Lexus in Cathedral City serviced our previous Lexus- they have been very good- perhaps they can do something for us.

Thanks for sharing your story. I can't believe how poorly Crown Lexus has treated me. This all seems like a dream. Our 2004 RX330 and 2007 Camry XLE V6 were incredibly reliable. We never expected this kind of treatment from Lexus.

garsarno

I'm thinking that you should insist on returning the car for a refund under the 30 day warranty. Is there a lemon law in your province?