MY 2005 ES330 HAS A LURCHING PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. LEXUS JUST REPLACED THE PROGRAM IN THE COMPUTER BUT NEVER TOLD ME THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. IT IS TOO SOON TO TELL IF THE FIX WILL WORK. THEY JUST TOLD ME TO BUY PREMIUM GAS. I HAVE READ FROM MANY OTHER LEXUS CONSUMERS THAT THE "FIX" AND BETTER GAS DO NOT WORK. *JB
2005 Lexus ES complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2005 record →
I BOUGHT A LEXUS 330 OF 2005 MODEL BACK IN FEB 2005. RECENTLY MY 5 YEAR OLD SON GRADUATE FROM CHILD SEAT AND NEED TO USE THE BOOSTER SEAT. I SURPRISINGLY FOUND OUT THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR MY KID TO BE PUT IN A BOOSTER SEAT AND SEATBELT BE FASTENED. I TALKED TO THE DEALER AND I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT CAN'T HELP ME BECAUSE KIDS DOES NOT NEED BOOSTER SEAT FOR SAFETY REASON. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT ME AT [XXX] OR [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LEXUS ES330. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES AND JERKS BACK. *AK
I PURCHASED MY 2005 LEXUS ES330 AT LEXUS OF ANNAPOLIS IN MID-MARCH 2005 WITH ONLY 63 MILES ON IT. BY APRIL 9TH, I BEGAN TO NOTICE JERKING UPON ACCELERATION. I CALLED THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP ABOUT THIS AND SCHEDULED AND APPOINTMENT TO HAVE IT EVALUATED. I TOOK IT IN, A TECHNICIAN RODE IN THE CAR WITH ME AND EXPLAINED THAT I NEEDED TO USE PREMIUM GAS. I TOLD HIM THAT I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF A BRAND NEW CAR REQUIRING PREMIUM GAS, BUT I AGREED TO GIVE THIS A TRY TO SEE IF IT ALLEVIATES THE PROBLEM. IT DID NOT! HE ALSO STATED THAT IF THIS DIDN'T WORK THEN THEY WOULD NEED TO GO INTO THE CAR'S COMPUTERIZED ELECTRONIC TRANSIMISSION SOFTWARE AND RESET IT. HE SAID HE WOULD RECOMMEND THIS AS A LAST RESORT BECAUSE IT CANNOT BE UNDONE. WELL?! AFTER READING THAT SO MANY OF THESE VEHICLES ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM, IT SEEMS THAT LEXUS WILL REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM CAN BE DANGEROUS. THIS ALSO TAINTS THE NAME (LEXUS) BRAND OF THIS CAR. I HAVE DRIVEN MOSTLY TOYOTAS IN THE PAST, EACH LASTING OVER 180K MILES AND I NEVER THOUGHT ONCE TO GET RID OF THOSE CARS. I KEPT THEM TO THE DYING END. HOWEVER, THIS LEXUS, I AM ALREADY THINKING OF GETTING RID OF IT, IF THIS PROBLEM CANNOT BE REPAIRED. I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT LEXUS IS NOT WAITING FOR AN INJURY, DEATH OR OTHER TRAGEDY TO HAPPEN BEFORE TAKING THIS PROBLEM SERIOUSLY.
2005 LEXUS ES 330, SEVER HESITATION IN THE TRANMISSION WHEN ENTERING FREEWAY. FEAR OF REAR END COLLISION OR STALL WHEN TRYING TO ATTAIN HIGHWAY SPEED. LAG OF 2-3 SECONDS AFTER STEPPING ON THE GAS.
THERE ARE NO SPECIFIC INCIDENTS TO REPORT, BUT I THINK IT IS A SAFETY CONCERN. THE CAR HESITATES AT LOW SPEEDS. THIS FREQUENTLY CAUSES HARROWING MOMENTS WHEN MERGING INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC, SUCH AS AT A STREET CORNER ON FREEWAY ON-RAMP.*AK
MY NEW 2005 LEXUS ES330 HAS VERY SIGNIFICANT HESITATION PROBLEMS. LEXUS SERVICE TECHNICIANS HAVE EXAMINED THE VEHICLE 4 TIMES AND STATE THAT IT IS WITHIN THEIR SPECIFICATIONS. I'M AFRAID THAT I'LL BE INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THE HESITATION. *NM
THE AIR BAG LIGHT STAYED ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT HAS NOT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. *JB *SC
TRANMISSION PROBLEMS: I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING TRANSMISSION HESITATIONS WHICH I DO NOT EXPECT IN ANY TOYOTA PRODUCTS; ANOTHER WORD, THERE ARE HANG UPS BETWEEN GEARS, ESPECIALLY 1ST TO 2ND. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY IN A BUSY AND CRAZY HOUSTON TRAFFIC BECAUSE THE CAR DOES NOT GIVE THE SUFFICIENT ACCELERATION WHEN ONE NEEDS IT. THAT 1 OR 2 SECOND HESITATION COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. TO CONFIRM THIS EXISTING PROBLEM, I TEST DROVE THE RX 330, HIGHLANDER AND SOLARA. IT IS EVEN WORSE
I HAVE ALMOST BEEN REAR ENDED TWICE BECAUSE MY 2005 LEXUS ES 330 HAS A PROBLEM WITH ACCELERATION AFTER COASTING. THERE IS A FEW SECONDS HESITATION BEFORE THE CAR STARTS TO ACCELERATE. *JB
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2005 Lexus ES → · Every ES year → · How the figures are calculated →