Automatic Transmission Problems of Lexus RX330 - part 1

2004 Lexus Rx330 transmission jumps and will accelerate when depressing brake pedal. Has almost caused a few accidents. Lexus will not honor any TSB's due to the age of the vehicle. There are thousands and thousands of complaints about this same issue.

See all problems of the 2004 Lexus RX330 🔎.

Vehicle periodically (approx. Weekly) surges between 2nd and 3rd gear (automatic transmission). Has been doing this since purchase in oct. 2003, as a brand new vehicle, up through the present date. For years I complained verbally, and wrote letters and e-mails to Lexus. They first denied there was a problem, then changed tactics and blamed it on me, then said they didn't know what the problem was or if there was a problem, then Lexus finally admitted there was a problem--"off the record," but didn't know how to fix it. Every time I brought the car in for routine service, they would install computer updates to see if that would fix the problem--which it did not. Years ago, I researched through government records and found numerous complaints of the same kind with 2004 Lexus RX 330s. In light of recent recalls of Toyota vehicles, I am concerned that this may someday turn into the same unintended acceleration problem that is happening with other toyotas. I do not feel safe in my car!.

2005 Lexus Rx330 was driven at 40mph under normal highway conditions when the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own. The vehicle was immediately put in neutral where the engine kept revving. The driver coasted to the side of the road and turned the engine off. The vehicle was restarted and brought to a dealership the following business day for diagnosis. The dealership said they did not find any error codes.

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I have a 2005 Lexus Rx330 which was a re-certified vehicle with 27,000 miles. The response to the accelerator pedal is erratic and causes unexpected surges. This happens less than 5 % of the time but I cannot tie it to any specific conditions (ie cold temperature, down-shift or up-shift, cornering, or road conditions. It occurs randomly but could be very dangerous depending on when it happens.

Transmission shift points are occasionally not smooth and exhibit inconsistent engine rpm shift points. Initially noticed when driving uphill and the transmission downshifted lower than it should have. No error codes have been found by the dealer on several occasions. A firmware update on the transmission has been tried two times with limited success about eight months ago. There was improvement but the problem has not been eliminated. Occasional hard upshifts are felt under low load and throttle. Feels like the next gear up or overdrive is confused about when shifting is needed. Contrary to the above smooth shifting during light acceleration may feel slow and a bit uncertain. Down shift points can happen with minor accelerator pedal movement causing higher rpm of engine than needed. Feels like two gear down-shifts instead of the one that's needed. This was a Lexus certified vehicle with 28675 miles when purchased used may 2008. Gas mileage has been a bit low and I suspect the shifting behavior is part of the problem. When transmission is cold and shifted into drive (from neutral or reverse) a rapid but distinct two "bumps" are felt if the brake is not on. I am not convinced this is normal behavior and never had another automatic transmission do any of the above. Current mileage is about 36,000.

Transmission delay/slip during acceleration. Requires an ecu update. Lexus will charge for the update, up to $100. The update should be mandatory and free of charge.

I was traveling south bound doing the speed of 70 on the expressway when all of a sudden my power was lost it dropped to zero, it could have been a very bad accident, but I thank god it was not, I had to coast and try to get off the freeway onto the side of the freeway.

Transmission jerk, lags and hesitates, car looses power when shifting between 2nd and 3rd gear. On going problem, had dealer perform ecm reprogramming as per technical service bulletin, condition persists, get worse. Safety issue when trying to accelerate out of traffic or avoid an object on the road. Brought car back to dealer service, they stated condition is "normal". Many many more similar complaints on several blogs and message boards on the internet. Car not safe to drive. Should have the transmission replaced.

We have a 2006 Lexus Rx330 SUV. It has a very significant hesitation when trying to accelerate to change lanes or enter highway etc. We have a 3 year old and we are very scared most of the time driving on the highway with this kind of hesitation of the transmission. I have taken the SUV to the Lexus dealer and they have told me that this is a normal operation of these SUV's. We have no where to go except NHTSA to take action against Lexus like recalling these cars before this situation causes the loss of lives. Thank you. Raif caglar.

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I own a 2005 Lexus Rx330. I purchased it used in September 2007. Shortly after I purchased it, I had several instances where when I pushed on the gas pedal there was a feeling of a loss of power - a hesitation. I took the vehicle in for work under work in February 2008, and the dealer said it was an improper shift in the transmission and it was recalibrated by a technician. Since that time I have again had several instances where there was a hesitation in supply power. I want to know if others have had this similar complaint and if my vehicle is under a recall for this issue.

Upon acelleration, this vehicle sometimes hesitates and at times almost causing an accident. I have taken this to the Lexus dealership and they are aware of it. They say there is no fix. I was told to use premium gas, and I havebeen told that the new software is in and that is all they could do.

Transmission hesitation on 2004 Lexus Rx330 nearly resulted in high speed accident on several occasions. On July 14, 2007 while merging from I-75 in tampa on ramp into rush hour traffic, the Lexus at first failed to slow (to match speeds) when gas pedal was released, then when the pedal was depressed to accelerate after the merge (traffic flow was erratic), it failed to accelerate for about 2 seconds, and we had to drive off the pavement to avoid a rear end collision. We have reported the transmission hesitation problem to Lexus 5 or more times so far, and they say it is operating as designed. This situation is hazardous under certain common traffic conditions. The July 14, 2007 incident was one of several where we nearly had a serious accident because of the transmission delay. Updated 01/09/08. The consumer stated in heavy rain defogger turned to keep windows clear. While driving if vehicle hits a large puddle a/c will turn off and no way to restart the a/c other than to turn the ignition off. Updated 12/12/07.

I own a 2004 Lexus Rx330. Since I have owned it, there has been a power "fade" when I make sudden speed changes usually from a slow down to quick acceleration--say a lane change to avoid slower traffic. There is approximately 2 or 3 seconds when there is no response from pressing the accelerator. It feels like all power falls away. I am left like a sitting duck until the vehicle decides what to do with my command. If I am crossing a median, I must allow for this delay. However, if I have to change lanes to avoid another vehicle making an unsignaled turn or sudden stop, I am putting myself and others in danger because I cannot count on having the power to avoid the vehicle in front of me by changing lanes and then I risk an incident in trying to match the speed of the vehicle that is now behind me. I have addressed this with Lexus on several occasions including one trip where I demanded that the master mechanic ride with me. He explained that Lexus is aware and that it is a computer problem for which there is no patch available. As of today, there is still no cure. The last update my vehicle received was in sept 2006.

2004 RX 330, still having trouble from day 1. I almost got slammed into by a truck 2 days ago. The have flashed the computer, for transmission hesitation, but insist it is performing the way it was intended. It is a design flaw, and Lexus won't do anything about it! someone is going to be killed! this is very serious, it happens at about 20 mph, when you need to accelerate to get on freeway, etc, it will hesitate, and act like it died, or revs up, and does nothing. Then you let off pedal and hit it again, and it hesitates a sec then goes. I already have been to the dealer 6 times for this, and called 80025lexus twice, and they are not doing a recall they say. It is performing to the specs of the transmission.

Since we purchased this 2006 Lexus RX-330. It has been returned to deals 4-5 times for major hesitation problems. . Car is unsafe to drive. Will not accelerate in a safe way.

Hesitation, jerky when shifting. Took to dealers 3 times and unable to resolve issue. They stated that vehicle is operating within parameters. Now it is jerky when shifting most of the time.

My 2005 Rx330 hesitates and I feel it's dangerous. There are times that after making a turn and stepping on the accelerator that the car behind me has almost rammed me.

The automatic transmission has a lag in it at low speeds. This is apparent when releasing the accelerator to slow down and then accelerating again. In this situation the transmission does on engage or it lags causing an unsafe condition by its unpredictable behavior. This situation happens on a frequent basis. I have seen many complaints about this transmission problem. Is NHTSA going to hold Lexus accountable for putting a defective transmission on the road? I have read that Lexus' repeated reply is to state this behavior is normal. Lexus can not win this argument on repetition, it is defective. If this lag is *normal* why didn't Lexus design this nice lag into all of their cars? I'm sure this would be a feature they would want to run an ad campaign on.

2004 Lexus Rx330 has problems with transmission shift. The transmission hesitates when pulling out into traffic. The consumer believes that simply upgrading the computer chip would correct the problem.

Transmission is hesitant, switches up and down in rapid jumps, is very unpredictable!! almost caused several accidents. Been doing it since I bought it 2 yrs. Dealer claims known problem, and no fix yet!!!.

Toyota/Lexus needs to address their power train problem on the 2004 RX 330 instead of seemingly ignoring it. The reprogramming does not work. I've had it done. Seemed to be a band aid fix for a major problem. Will it have to be a death before they recall these lousy transmissions. I have been in several near miss situations because of this awful transmission since purchasing this SUV brand new April 15, 2003. And after paying cash ($45,000) for their supposed great product I want to sue for my money back. The lag between gears, the high revs before getting into a gear is utterly insane. Can you say recallllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

This has been a continuing problem since purchased new in Dec 2003. As has been reported numerous times, my car acceleration hesitates from a stop or from low speeds. Also my vehicle has extensive pause or lag between gears. This has created numerous dangerous situations where I was stuck while other vehicles had to take action to avoid hitting my Rx330. Often, while making left turns against oncoming traffic, this lag is so long as to be dangerous. In the past, I have accelerated harder than I feel necessary in order to compensate for this lag. This results in a sudden downshift and forward lurch that is very dangerous. I have reported this to my dealer on 3 or more occasions and their response is that this is normal for my model. They say there is nothing they can do to correct this problem. The dealer did document this complaint on my service record the last time I visited on 8/13/04.

Transmission problems rendered the vehicle completely unsafe, prone to potential accidents. The consumer described the problem as lag or hesitation when the transmission shifted from first to second and or second to third, sometimes the vehicle revved up to the redline with out the transmission engaging. The dealer reset a computer chip that was involved in regulating the power train system. The dealer informed the consumer there was else that could be done. The transmission was the result of the design of the vehicle. (lawyer ira newman on behalf of client, peter janczuk).

Since I have bought my car the transmission has not been shifting properly. It hesitates in low gears when the car accelerates . The most bothersome is the lack of proper response when the driver needs to slow down and then accelerate (such as turning left or changing lanes to avoid obstacles or double parked cars). In these cases transmission seems to go into neutral, and after about a second goes into third or fourth gear with a rapid , jerky movement of the whole car, which I would compare to being rear ended by another car. It happened to me and my wife 4 times and resulted in neck pain and headache, and almost being hit by another car. Lexus dealer and customer care state that the car was designed to work this way and there is nothing they can do.

Transmission has a serious delay in downshifting when trying to accelerate suddenly. This has caused more than one instance where a collision could have occurred due to inability to avoid faster traffic.

Our 2004 Lexus Rx330 (now about 15,000 miles) continues to have terrible shifting problems with the automatic transmission. In particular, two major issues -- (1) doesn't upshift correctly, usually between 2nd and 3rd gears, but the real concern is (2) when slowing down, coasting anything above 0 mph (even 1), then hitting the gas pedal, the car simply doesn't respond for 3-5 seconds, then slowly accelerates. We've almost been hit 5 times because of the 2nd problem. We've taken the car to the dealer four times to have it looked at. The first time the dealer denied the problem existed. The second time they recognized it (after a test drive with me) and reset the software/driving chip, telling me the car "learns" our driving habits after about 300 miles, so to get the car to respond [the way it should], I should floor the gas all the time for the first 300 miles or so, which I did from every stoplight for 350 miles. It didn't work. Now during my third and fourth visits Lexus has declined to reset the chip or do anything about it. The lead mechanic told me they simply don't have a fix, and he knows it's an issue. In fact, a month ago (service appt #4) they said I would have to pay about $300 to have them reset the chip again (which likely wouldn't work anyway, as described above). I've been told by the service advisor he's heard compaints from many new Rx330 owners about the same problem, but short of a recall from Lexus, "that's the way the transmission works on the Rx330 and we can't do anything about it". It's terribly frustrating that Lexus denies there's a problem, even though many have reported it, and we've almost been hit by another automobile because of the problem. I just hope it doesn't take a major accident or worse for Lexus or the NHTSA to do something about it.

Hesitation problems with my 2004 Lexus Rx330. At low speeds of 10-15 mph to up to around 40-50 mph. Let off of the gas pedal to slow down & press the gas pedal there is a hesitation. This has happen changing lanes on a highway or turning around a corner. This hesitation has happen many times since the I leased this Lexus from the dealership. I have taken this Rx330 back to the dealership 3 times for this problem. The Lexus dealership has called it a situation not a problem. But there is nothing they can do about it. I have voiced my complaint at the Lexus customer relations in California. I have repeatedly called. They tell me how sorry they are when I tell them someone is going to die or be seriously injured in this vechicle I have but there is nothing they can do. I have had at least 4 near accidents with this Lexus Rx330 since July of 2004.

1. There were no events that led up to the problem that I have been having. . The transmission on my brand new Lexus RX 330 doesn't shift properly. It kicks when steping on the the gas pedal, there is a hesitation when accelerating from a stop, & between 20 - 40 mph, as the transmission shifts, the transmission has trouble up shifting and engine revs up and down several times before shifting 3. The dealer has tried to reprogram the transmission computer, and has tried switching to high octane fuel. Neither has worked. The dealer is trying to correct the problem, however, I know of several RX 330 owners who are all experienceing simmilar problems with their transmissions. It seems apparent that there is a manufacturing defect in some part of the transmissions used in the RX 330.

Just left my Lexus dealer for my 20,000 service. Finally the service mgr acknowledged my transmission woes. See my previous post. He said Lexus is aware of the concern "nation wide". They changed? the tranny for 2005!!! they are also postponing the hybrid for 6 months due to the concerns of the 2004 RX transmission though we know that's a totally different application. The kicker is though it's still an open case, Lexus at this time does not have a fix. So 20,000 miles later I have a 40,0000 SUV that has a transmission of a yugo. No offense to the yugo. I was told how frustrated they are with this. I believe my frustration is greater, seeing how I make the payments and drive this car daily. Also not much they can do right now until Lexus makes a move. Aaaaaarrrrrggggghhhhh. Not happy in the twin cities.

Acceleration with this SUV is not positive and you never know if you are going to move when you depress the accelerator. This SUV uses "drive by wire" technology so there is no physical link between the gas pedal and the engine. When you depress the gas, there is a delay in the reponse which can cause you to end up in some other driver's path. This car is very unsafe to drive and needs to be recalled and fixed by the manufacturer before someone is killed. I took my SUV to the dealer and he "reset my on-board computer and the computer that communicates to the transmission . . . . . . . . . . This did nothing! I plan to take my SUV back to the dealer again and if he cannot repair the problem I am going to terminate my lease!.

Our 2004 Lexus 330 automatic transmission has never worked properly. The transmission hesitates and seems to "bounce" between 3rd and 4th gears. We have returned the vehicle twice to the dealership to no avail. This seems to be a design problem.

The automobile has a latent defect and is inherently dangerous. In November 2003, I attempted to back up in a crowded parking lot, and while in reverse, I pressed the accelerator - there was a lag and the vehicle then accelerated backward very rapidly, striking another vehicle. I assumed the fault was my own (since in moving my foot from the accelerator to the brake, my foot was caught under the brake because the pedals are close together, but that is another item) and after the vehicle was repaired (approximately $7,000 worth of damage) I resumed driving the vehicle. On June 29, 2004, again I was attempting to back up and again the vehicle was in reverse and again when I pressed on the accelerator, there was a lag and then again the vehicle accelerated rapidly backwards, striking a building. It is estimated that the damage to the vehicle is over $10,000, and I do not know what the cost of the damage to the building is. Interestingly, as well, in neither case did the airbags deploy. The second incident received some local press coverage, and on July 8, 2004 I received a call from a visitor to massachusetts from florida who had heard about the second incident and who reported that on July 1, 2004 that driver while in a parking lot had also had sudden rapid acceleration and had struck a building, damaging the driver's Lexus RX 330. That driver also stated that she had heard of a third incident in massachusetts of a Lexus RX 330 striking a building following sudden acceleration. The faulty transmission, coupled with the power and torque of the vehicle and the resulting sudden acceleration, is a serious defect; I will not drive the vehicle again. The response of the Lexus dealer when the incidents were reported to it was silence.

Supplement to consumer complaint #10091268 Lexus RX 330 transmission/throttle problems. Automatic transmission hestiates, hunts, shifts inconsistently, hangs in between gears, delayes, etc. The throttle delays at the first application of gas and the rate of acceleration surges up and down unevenly. Dealer could not find a problem.

My Lexus RX 330 has had repeated transmission and throttle problems. The automatic transmission hesitates, hunts, shifts inconsistently, hangs in between gears, delays, etc. The throttle delays at the first application of gas and the rate of accelleration surges up and down unevenly. The result is that the car often cannot avoid hazard situations. If one is trying to pull into traffic the delays create hazards. If one anticipates and applies the throttle early to compensate, one sometimes lurches into traffic. When you attempt a lane change the same problems cause the same troubles: delays and a hazard. The delay also has caused me to be almost rear ended at stop lights. I have repeatedly reported this problem or package of problems to my local servicing dealer and have been told that Lexus knows of the widespread nature of the complaints but that there is nothing that Lexus will do for it (other than one reflash that did not work for the issues). Amazingly, when I raised these issues in writing, the written response on my service records showed "no problems". When I pushed the service personnel on this, they admitted that all of my complaints were found but that Lexus claims these problems are "normal" to the design, therefore, they have been told by Lexus to simply respond that "there are no problems because the transmission is performing as designed. A bad design is just that. Local service people simply throw their collective hands up and say the they know about the gravity of the problem but that Lexus will do nothing about it. I have been told to expect no solution and to just live with it. Significantly, this is the largest selling Lexus model. Therefore, these problems and the hazards that they create affect thousands of motorists.

My RX 330 has a transmission lag at 20-25mph. The car just doesnt go and it is extremly dangerous in intersections. Someone is going to get killed and I hope it is not me.