I've noticed our RX (with 42k miles) has started to exhibit some delay in shifting gears. Fluid level is fine. Has no such issue in town but while cruising on highway at say 70mph with cruise on and if it goes up a long hill, it'll shift to 3rd or 2nd gear and stays in that gear for an extended length of time before it'll shift back to normal even after it reaches the top of the hill. It stays in that gear for at least 15 or more seconds and naturally the RPM goes up and the engine really roars during that time. I did a search in the forum that people mentioned transmission issue in the early RX but primarily on "jerking" but not delayed shifting in my vintage RX. I also asked the dealer about it and they said there was no TSB issued pertaining to my description and I should not worry about it since it is not an ongoing issue. What are your thoughts on this and your experience? Thanks.

 

Your description of the issue is not related to the hesitation per TSB where around 30 mph you will feel a hesitation and a jerk.

The hunting sounds like a normal thing. However I have not experienced the same.

 

Multiple drivers or a previous owner? The system does try to learn driving styles for shifting. If one of these is the case you might think about disconnecting the battery for a period of time to reset the system. Reminder that you would need to reset your windows and sunroof per the Owner's Manual and as previously discussed here in the forums.

 

Same driver always besides my foot is not even on the accelerator (set on cruise) when this delayed shifting occurs. It doesn't happen all the time but occasionally and only while cruising on highway (never in town). I have not experienced this type of delayed shifting in any of our other vehicles including 2 other older Lexus sedans.

 

Mine does something very similar when I have the cruise on going through central PA. I just disable the cruise until I`m through it. Toyota`s software for their transmission`s are very strange. I personally dont like the way my trans shifts even after the tsb. It`s better, but thats about all. I do however like the way the newer RX`s shift, much better.

 

Was just curious as that may have been a contributing factor. I travel quite a bit up and down the east coast going from FL to PA and back. The cruise control does have a tendency of downshifting a bit much, IMHO. When in the hills on many sections of the interstate I turn off the cruise control as my foot is better able to anticipate the hills and provide just a bit more gas in advance to prevent the downshifts. The other item of note is the drive-by-wire throttle system in the RX. No throttle cable any longer. Finally, the transmission and computer programming are geared towards fuel savings. Believe these all add up to possibly explain what you are seeing.