I have a 2004 Lexus RX 330 SUV. I've had 2 previous RX 300's. The new RX330 has a computerized transmission. I sometimes experience a slip, hesitation, and sometimes a clunk between 2nd and 3rd gears. It's real obvious. I have not been able to duplicate it at the dealership. It won't happen for a week sometimes and then it will do it 3 or 4 times in one day. One of the techs says it's the nature of the trans. They are not able to give out info if anyone else is experiencing this. Please if someone is experiencing this, let me know. Thanks~ TK Too much money to spend for a car with this concern!!!!

 

Go to RX-330, subsection "engine & transmission" search back minimum 100 days. Enjoy !

 

If your dealer's service department ever says, "they're all like that", or anything similar, don't walk, RUN to another dealer! Inform your salesperson of that ridiculous statement as well. You have paid for a premium vehicle and premium service. That is not it. Some dealers just don't get the concept - plenty of them do.

There is an upgrade available for early versions of the ECT software that can be flashed to your engine/transmission computer. It is free. My RX330 had a similar problem and when several on this board reported that a fix was available, I checked with my service writer and they installed it in minutes - no charge. It completely solved the problem.

One thing my service writer explained also was that a few people have noted a hesitation and a hard shift when coasting down below about 20 mph then calling for a large application of power. Naturally this will cause a downshift or two, but if you use regular fuel, you may experience a hesitation and a harder shift than you might expect. I was told that the fuel map is optimized for premium fuel, and while your RX will run happily on regular, you can experience a slight hesitation as the knock sensor quickly retards the timing when the throttle body is opened suddenly and the loaded engine knocks a time or two. You may never hear it, but that change in ignition timing - if coordinated with the shift point - can make for an occasional hard shift. I understand that this is not a common condition, but is rather a combination of two fairly unusual events. Solution? I use premium fuel in the city, but change to a less exotic blend for long highway trips.

Welcome to CL. Your'e going to love the 330!

 

Search for the word "clunk"

The problem is well documented and there's a TSB for it. Its a transmission cooling line that bangs up against the car when pressure is applied.

It sounds like a gear problem, but its really the equivalent of a rubber cord banging up on the body of the car.

I had the TSB applied and the problem is gone completely.
I also had the TSB for the Transmission ECU reprogramming, that that took care of the hestitation.

Keep hope alive!

 

Be aware that the ECU update TSB doesn't work for everyone. I have had an issue where the trans seems to "search" for the right gear before it finally settles on one that it's happy with, especially at around 35-40 mph. This is especially annoying on a particular downhill that I travel often, where the limit is 35 mph. I will be going down the hill, with the car feeling as if it's in the correct gear. Towards the bottom of the hill I will lightly apply the brake and the car will abruptly downshift, with a noticeable jump in rpm. The car will continue in the lower gear through the exit of the hill and for a short distance on the flat, then suddenly upshift, with the rpms dropping and the car feeling like it's "freewheeling" again. I contacted Lexus customer service via email, as my dealer wasn't aware of the TSB (it was just out at the time, had read about it here), and customer service assured me that the TSB did apply to my problem, and I subsequently had it done, but am still experiencing the problem.

I otherwise love the 330, but am very dissatisfied with this transmission issue. This "adaptive" transmission that supposedly "learns" your driving style seems overly complicated and unnecessary to me. While I understand the intent to optimize shift points, it would almost be better if there were a way to disable this feature, especially for those of us who had the TSB done with no results.

 

It is too bad that Lexus has dropped the ball on the adaptive transmission issue, because this type of tranny can be an excellent thing. My other car, a Mercedes E500, has one of the best transmissions that I have ever experienced, and it too is an adaptive 5 speed. While you can tell that the car is shifting (based on RPMs), I have never once experienced a rough shift and it is nice that the car holds the shift longer when I am in a more spirited driving mood. So, my hope is that Lexus comes out with another software fix to solve this problem, as adaptive transmissions are clearly the way to go.

Just a thought

 

I just had my RX330 serviced about 3 months ago and they added the S/W patch to the transmission but it still shifts back and forth around 30MPH... when i brought it in again this past week and told them it was still there they came back and told me they could not reproduce the problem. From what i read here there seems to be a serious problem. Any more info on this??? or do we just except this defect after paying big dollars??
Any comments.

thanks

 

Just wanted to post my two cents. My 2000 Rx 300 is in for a new engine and I have been driving a brand new 330. Glad to see I am not imagining this rough tranmission issue. The car itself is nice, but I will take my transmission over this one any day! Makes me love my older Lexus even more!
Erin

 

I did not experience the rough tranny issue when I test drove an RX330 a while back. It only had 200 miles on it so it's not quite broken in. Apparently once the adaptive tranny learns your driving style, it starts acting up. Go figure.

There is a fuse that you can pull for a few minutes to make the tranny "un-learn" your driving style, which might help. I believe someone mentioned that it's the yellow #13 on the RX300, not sure which fuse to pull on the RX330.

 

Hey everyone,

I'm new to this forum but was glad to find it. My wife and I share an '05 330 and have had a ton of problems with the transmission. It seems that even with the software updates it will not adjust to two totally different drivers. My wife is a slow and steady gasser while I was raised on a 4 barrell and am used to gunning the gas. Now the Lexus is so confused as to who is behind the wheel it messes up all the time for both of us.

I spoke with my dealer service rep and he informs me that there is no way of disabling the "adaptive" transmission. The only clear option would be for me to clear the memory and then have either my wife or myself be the sole driver. Funny, it seems that computers are finally restricting our ability to function...when all I really want to do is function without it.

I was thinking about filing a Lemon Law on the car. Has anyone been so inclined to do so? This is absolutely rediculous that two drivers of different styles can't drive a car safely into an intersection (the whol 2nd to 3rd gear stall out thing).

Perhaps this will let me shake this car off...las time I'll deal with Lexus I can assure you.

 

Welcome to the forum. My wife and I share our RX330 also, but we do not have issues with transmission, yet. We both don't drive aggressively, so both of us are happy. Aggressive driving is not the forte of RX, so you maybe driving the car out of character. Someone on this forum or the other Lexus forum I believe had Lexus replace his RX after threatening to file a Lemon Law. You might wanna do a more search on transmission issue. Good luck!!

 

My wife recently purchased a used 2006 RX330 with a/b 70k miles on it. The car is in great shape & well cared for by the previous owner who got it regularly serviced at her local Lexus dealership. We unfortunately have a schizophrenic transmission that has intermittent shifting problems. I've read all sorts of things on the web regarding Lexus owners experiencing this same type of transmission problem. I inquired with our local Lexus dealership about an ECM update for the transmission to "re-flash" the computer unit, but nothing is available based on our Vin #. I then asked the service manager about Technical Service Bulletin TC005-30 and he relayed it only applies to 2004 & 2005 cars. I'm at a dead end here unless someone knows info I can spoon-feed to Lexus service person to look-up in their computer. HELP???

 

Yeah,well an E500 cost`s just a bit more than the RX.

 

LOL! This quote was from 5 years ago!

 

DOH!!!