Haha... I *just* replied to your original post 5 minutes ago. My second '04 (with 40,000 less miles than the my first one has now with its happy new owner) behaves _exactly_ the same as my first one. Let me know how things go with the TSB at the dealer.

I will say this, at the time that I was investigating this last year I had no idea it was covered under any emissions "thing" at all. I was quoted 278 to have it done (AFTER the SA dug through records and found it with my print out) and not told of it falling under any kind of emissions warranty. I don't know that I'd expect to not pay for it, but it would be a nice bonus.

 

Hi All,

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I have a "new to me" 2006 at 81k and sounds like I have exactly the same problem. Seems to me that everyone has an 04 or 05 but I'm not sure if it applies 2006's. I just want to make sure this applies before heading over to the dealer since I don't have any service that needs to be done. Mine is still covered with extended gold warranty til 110k. Anyone else with a 2006 get this done and fixed the lurching problem at around 10mph?

Thanks all!

 

If you've got an extended warranty, I'd definitely visit my Lexus dealer and ask him about it. What have you got to lose?

 

Yeah, I was thinking about just bringing it in but I don't want them to force them to do it and make any notes on my account which may or may not void my warranty on the tranny. That's why i was wondering if anyone with a 2006 has the same problem and fixed it with the TSB.

 

Interesting... I should've read this thread sooner!

I have an '05 model and I was just contemplating how the transmission shifts really weirdly, especially when I leave the house in the morning. I have a really long driveway, so when I'm leaving it's slightly downhill and I always brake at the bottom section just before I get onto the street. If I apply a little gas after I hit the street (I'm doing less than 10 MPH at this point) the engine always shoots up to 2k RPM and there isn't very much torque until it shifts gears. It's reproducible every time.

I guess this is something I'll have to live with... otherwise it's a drive to Seattle and hoping they'll do the TSB for me.

 

I had the symptoms described here: Sometimes jerky take-off from a very slow roll, with the car wanting to use first gear at bad times. Slow-speed cornering and parking lot maneuvers were never ideal as a result and the 5-15mph range always felt a bit uncertain.

I just had the TSB performed while the car was in for routine maintenance - HUGE difference. Now the car behaves as it should, and isn't nearly so eager to downshift into first when slowing down. It changes the whole demeanor of the car for the better.

My dealer covered it under CPO but if I'd known how much difference it would make I'd still have paid for it.

 

There's something with this Toyota 6 speed tranny. My 05 LS did this (even after the fix) and now my '08 Sequoia does the same thing. Big difference it's much more noticeable in a behemoth vehicle like the Sequoia :-).

I can't find a similar TSB for the Sequoia though like there was for the LS.

 

So my transmission always spun up and took off like a bat out of hell from a coast. Wasn't sure if this was the same problem and I got used to it and could generally avoid it by driving different.
My 2004 LS has 140K and after reading this thread, I though why not.

WOW! I guess it was meant for me, I truly feel like I have a brand new tranny that is always ready to go now and the shift patterns feel all different, but all good.

Wish I would have applied this 5 years ago.

 

Dealers wanted $120 to do the TSB. Thankfully I know someone who did it for $50 who has access to Lexus computer and netwrok. During the process of running health check it came up there was a TSB for engine too. No idea what it was but he patched both. The car drives completely differently. Fully recommend getting the TSB done

 

Just had this done.

The tech had never heard of this TSB and was trying to convince me that it's a common symptom with drive-by-wire cars. He
* said that even if there was a flash available, it might make the transmission shift harder
* called a few hours later to say that nothing was found, and they charged me $50 to test the transmission

I had to give him the TSB number (again) and basically told him I didn't believe him. Then he said he would need to make some phone calls to verify, and that I might need to leave the car overnight (you're kidding -- right??).

He called back an hour later to say he found the TSB, and they would apply it for $99.95. You'd think they would work harder to take my money.

I'm very happy with the change -- and can definitely tell a difference while taking a turn, or slowing down for yield signs. It doesn't downshift anymore so it's a lot smoother when re-applying the gas.

 

Mark, what year is your LS? When I got my '04 LS done 2 years ago, it was free under some EPA emissions "rule" or something, and I believe those are for 8 years. At the time, I got my headlights adjusted for free too. Then again, I've always gone to this dealership for my maintenance, so I guess it does help some times to use a dealer.

 

Hi Alexus,

It's an 04 LS. I was hoping that it'd be covered by Lexus/dealer. When I arrived at the dealer, my regular Tech was sick and I had to work with someone else.

They changed the oil and and I asked to them to program the headlight sensitivity (for free) so that it turns on sooner around dusk/dawn (I can't tell the difference).

Thanks for the tip about the EPA emissions rule. I'll follow-up with my regular Tech and see if it'll be covered.

-Mark

 

I had the procedure done on my 2004, and I think they charged me even more for it than $100. The service rep was clueless about it and I basically had to bring down the TSB and insist on it. My advice is call around. The stealership gave me one quote over the phone, then changed their mind and told me it would cost more if I wanted it done after they had it in their bay because it was more complicated then they thought.

The difference though was night and day, so I am happy with the upgrade. At low speeds, it had this "rubberband" feeling when I went into slow speed turns at around 15-20mph say in a neighborhood. Now it feels perfect.

I'm astonished the LS went out of the factory with the transmission programmed this way. If I was buying this car new and it came like that, I would likely have passed on it.

I agree the upgrade should be 100% free at all dealerships, regardless of the mileage, but I called Lexus corporate about it, and they simply don't care once a car is outside the warranty.

 

Fortunately my original owner took care of all this at 13K miles and I got a printed vehicle history from the dealer before I bought the car.

 

Do you guys know if the reprogramming affects mpg?