ES - 5th Gen (2007-2012) Discussion topics related to 2007+ ES350

Issue with transmission

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Old 11-03-18, 01:23 AM
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androolian
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Default Issue with transmission

i have a 2007 lexus es 350 that i have bought from a private seller a little more than a year ago. after a few months, my transmission started slipping. it slips the hardest in the morning when the engine is cold. it has done this for almost a year. ive taken it to mechanics but they all have said that i need a rebuilt after trying to flush the transmission. it only happens on a specific gear... i believe 2-3 or 3-4 one of them. every other gear is perfectly fine. it's pretty annoying because it happens throughout the drive. do i just keep driving this til it dies? it shows no signs of dying. appreciate the help. below is a link with a video of the issue


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mhw (11-06-18)
Old 11-03-18, 01:29 AM
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That is called a shift flare.
Try to reflash the transmission ECU, rebuild will not help.
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Old 11-03-18, 01:31 AM
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do i take it to a dealer to do that? how much would it cost? im a college student so im trying to save as much money as i can. ive already spent a few hundred on a flush that didnt help at all even though the mechanic recommended it.
Old 11-03-18, 01:36 AM
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Call and ask the dealer. I would say it will cost you around $100.

90% of those cars had/have this problem. Some of them had been fixed with an ECU flash so give it a try.

Now, if you want to see if there’s a software glitch try this:

start the engine and wait 10-15 seconds, shift the lever to D and then to S. You will see number 4 on the screen. Manually shift it to 6 (4-5-6), than to 1 (6-5-4-3-2-1), than again to 6, then D and try to drive it.
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mhw (11-06-18)
Old 11-03-18, 01:40 AM
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okay cool thank you! so it doesnt have to deal with my transmission right because that's very costly
Old 11-03-18, 04:06 AM
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Originally Posted by LjeksesES
Call and ask the dealer. I would say it will cost you around $100.

90% of those cars had/have this problem. Some of them had been fixed with an ECU flash so give it a try.

Now, if you want to see if there’s a software glitch try this:

start the engine and wait 10-15 seconds, shift the lever to D and then to S. You will see number 4 on the screen. Manually shift it to 6 (4-5-6), than to 1 (6-5-4-3-2-1), than again to 6, then D and try to drive it.
is resetting the ecu same as reflAshing? I’ve done some googling and you can just reset it yourself by unplugging the negative terminal or by unplugging the appropriate fuses. Should I try doing that first?
Old 11-03-18, 10:38 AM
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Originally Posted by LjeksesES
Call and ask the dealer. I would say it will cost you around $100.

90% of those cars had/have this problem. Some of them had been fixed with an ECU flash so give it a try.

Now, if you want to see if there’s a software glitch try this:

start the engine and wait 10-15 seconds, shift the lever to D and then to S. You will see number 4 on the screen. Manually shift it to 6 (4-5-6), than to 1 (6-5-4-3-2-1), than again to 6, then D and try to drive it.
I just tried performing the glitch and it did not do anything sadly
Old 11-03-18, 01:27 PM
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Originally Posted by androolian

is resetting the ecu same as reflAshing? I’ve done some googling and you can just reset it yourself by unplugging the negative terminal or by unplugging the appropriate fuses. Should I try doing that first?

Reflashing the ECU it’s not the same as resetting it. When you unplug the battery you can only reset the memory that holds driving type/adaptation.
When they reflash the transmission computer they do the calibration and I know for sure that in 2008 Lexus came with software update that tried to fix this issue. For some people it was able to fix the issue. For some people they had to replace the valve body, and for
some - the whole tranny which again did the same thing.
Old 11-03-18, 01:34 PM
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Originally Posted by androolian

I just tried performing the glitch and it did not do anything sadly
OK, try one more thing, turn on the engine, shift the lever from P>R>N>D>S4>3>2>1>2>3>4>5>6>D or R and drive it normaly. It should not flare.


but yours flares too much, I never seen anything like it before.

Last edited by ESh; 11-03-18 at 01:43 PM.
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Old 11-03-18, 02:29 PM
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Originally Posted by LjeksesES


OK, try one more thing, turn on the engine, shift the lever from P>R>N>D>S4>3>2>1>2>3>4>5>6>D or R and drive it normaly. It should not flare.


but yours flares too much, I never seen anything like it before.
I have tried that just now and the flare is still happening. I just wanted to say that the flare doesn’t only happen once on cold starts like many others were experiencing. Mine happens throughout the drive until l drive for like 10-15 mins
Old 11-06-18, 09:33 AM
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For what it is worth:

I experienced the "shift-flare" issue after purchasing my 2007 ES350 in March of 2016. Had it in to the Lexus dealer a couple times, they did the software/ECU reflash (as the records show it had never been done). Nothing really seemed to change until after I had the transmission fluid flushed/changed. For some reason the combination of the fluid change and reflash seemed to help it - most of the time. Now I only experience the flare for the first 5-10 minutes of driving, and ONLY when the temps fall below freezing here in Wisconsin; the rest of the time is is fine.

Might be worth it to spend the money on the ECU flash and tranny fluid flush/change.
Old 11-06-18, 09:36 AM
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Originally Posted by teigen
For what it is worth:

I experienced the "shift-flare" issue after purchasing my 2007 ES350 in March of 2016. Had it in to the Lexus dealer a couple times, they did the software/ECU reflash (as the records show it had never been done). Nothing really seemed to change until after I had the transmission fluid flushed/changed. For some reason the combination of the fluid change and reflash seemed to help it - most of the time. Now I only experience the flare for the first 5-10 minutes of driving, and ONLY when the temps fall below freezing here in Wisconsin; the rest of the time is is fine.

Might be worth it to spend the money on the ECU flash and tranny fluid flush/change.
I’ve already changed the tranny fluid once and then followed up by a flush. It’s still there. For my flare, I also only experience it only in the beginning I’d say 10-15 mins and then it’ll stop. The colder the engine, the harder it revs. When it warms up, it seems to go away, but it’s still annoying
Old 11-26-18, 01:46 PM
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Originally Posted by teigen
For what it is worth:

I experienced the "shift-flare" issue after purchasing my 2007 ES350 in March of 2016. Had it in to the Lexus dealer a couple times, they did the software/ECU reflash (as the records show it had never been done). Nothing really seemed to change until after I had the transmission fluid flushed/changed. For some reason the combination of the fluid change and reflash seemed to help it - most of the time. Now I only experience the flare for the first 5-10 minutes of driving, and ONLY when the temps fall below freezing here in Wisconsin; the rest of the time is is fine.

Might be worth it to spend the money on the ECU flash and tranny fluid flush/change.


I know exactly why it worked after the fluid change. I did the same 10 days ago, I used Valvoline MaxLife WS and I bought new filter from Lexus. They replaced the design of the filter completely. Even the manufacturer is no longer Denso, but Roki (japanese company). This filter goes only on 6ES from 2013.
Now it works like a charm. No flare even after a cold start. I am very happy with it now.


This was the old part number:

35330-33050


this is the new one:

35330-48020

Last edited by ESh; 11-26-18 at 01:50 PM.
Old 11-26-18, 01:48 PM
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Originally Posted by LjeksesES
I know exactly why it worked after the fluid change. I did the same 10 days ago, I used Valvoline MaxLife WS and I bought new filter from Lexus. They replaced the design of the filter completely. Even the manufacturer is no longer Denso, but Roki (japanese company). This filter goes only on 6ES from 2013.
Now it works like a charm. No flare even after a cold start. I am very happy with it now.
how much was the filter? How would the design of a filter affect shift flares though? Also mine is a 2007 model
Old 11-26-18, 01:51 PM
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Mine is too 2007.
97 euros.


The new filter has better flow.


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