The contact owns a 2005 Lexus ES330. The vehicle accelerates and jerks back.

- Hollywood, FL, USA

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 Toyota 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.

- Clinton, MD, USA

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.

- Leawood, KS, USA

I bought a new 2005 Lexus ES330 in December 2004. I currently have about 3,900 miles on it. Beginning at around 1,000 miles and continuing to today, I regularly experience a serious transmission problem. When I am in stop-and-go traffic and press the accelerator pedal down smoothly to accelerate, the car does nothing for about 1-2 seconds. Then the car surges forward uncontrollably. I have nearly rear-ended other cars because I cannot predict or control this transmission hesitation/surge problem. I experience the same problem when I am merging onto a freeway and need to accelerate quickly. If I press down on the gas pedal, nothing happens for 1-2 seconds, then the car leaps forward uncontrollably. I have come close to crashing into other cars because my car jerks forward so unpredictably. Two months ago, I took the car to the dealership where I purchased it (Lexus kearny mesa in san diego) and was told by two different service staff that "the car is performing as designed" and "you'll get used to it soon". this problem is neither normal nor safe. Every second counts when it comes to traffic safety. Two weeks ago, I called the Lexus customer satisfaction dept. At 1-800-255-3987 and was told that they get complaints about this transmission hesitation/surge "daily". I also went back to Lexus kearny mesa and spoke with the service dept. Manager. He admitted that some ES owners are experiencing this problem and that he understands that it can be a safety hazard.

- San Marcos, CA, USA

When driving at various speeds, vehicle jerked when transmission shifted gears. The cause of the problem was undetermined.

- Bloomingdale, IL, USA

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.

- Honolulu, HI, USA

Lexus ES330 2005 ecti transmission problem. The consumer stated he noticed on the first day of purchasing the vehicle, there was a distinct hesitation upon accelerating, followed by a lurch. The dealer informed the consumer there was nothing they could do at the dealership, because it was a design problem related to the electronically controlled transmission with intelligence and the factory was working on a remedy.

- Santa Monica, CA, USA

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.

- Huntington, NY, USA

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

- Houston, TX, USA

After decelerating to a range of 5-15 mph and upon trying to accelerate the car exhibits a significant lag before it accelerates. Dealer states per a test drive that this behavior is per design specifications, and recommended the use of premium fuel (per Lexus owner's manual, regular unleaded fuel is recommended). The problem is 100% reproducible at any time within the speed ranges and scenario described.

- Fair Oaks, CA, USA

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.

- Saratoga, CA, USA