NHTSA — Power Train Problems

2.6

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
57,348 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2005 Lexus ES 330 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2005 Lexus ES 330:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2005 Lexus ES 330 Owner Comments

problem #13

Mar 012020

ES 330

  • 72,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2005 Lexus ES350. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond with the accelerator pedal depressed. The contact was concerned that the transmission was defective. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

- Republic, PA, USA

problem #12

Jun 252019

ES 330

  • 98,644 miles
Just bought car today. Had new tires installed and they told me they put the car in park but ir started rolling. Had to restart in neutral and put in park again. When I left went to auto parts store and parked and turned vehicle off. As I was getting out realized car was rolling. I put foot on brake and car restarted without putting in neutral. Shifted to drive and back to park and it stopped this time.

- De Soto, KS, USA

problem #11

May 012014

ES 330

  • miles
The automobile seems accellerate just a little bit.when you are stepping on the gas it, kind of jumps forward some, without putting more pressure to the pedal.in motion at any speed.

- East Walpole, MA, USA

problem #10

Nov 012013

ES 330

  • 125,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Did not have a car accident, or experience any injuries or car damage, but this car, like numerous other cars of the same make, model, and year has some serious transmission/computer software issues at times. It hesitates and lurches often. I drove on the highway yesterday and the car acted up in the worst way ever.but it seems to me that with information on these same transmission issues plastered all over the internet, your organization would make Toyota engineer a permanent fix for this problem, and recall and fix these cars.

- Ridgeville, SC, USA

problem #9

Aug 252014

ES 330

  • 132,000 miles
1. headlights: Before purchasing the vehicle, I noticed the blinking caution light on the dashboard. Service manager said the automatic headlight adjustment was working fine and to ignore the blinking caution light. Nothing could be done. I later researched and found there are lots of complaints about this. 2. transmission lags at low speeds. This is incredibly dangerous especially when driving through traffic circles and going through busy intersections. Service manager said this is normal operating and to use a higher octane gas. I am returning vehicle to Lexus.

- Lake Mary, FL, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #8

Jun 142013

ES 330 6-cyl

  • 98,083 miles
I did not have a car accident, or experience any injuries or car damage, but this car, like numerous other cars of the same make, model, and year has some serious transmission/computer software issues at times. It hesitates and lurches often, especially in D4. I drove on the highway yesterday in D4, and the car acted up in the worst way ever. I later tried driving in D, and the car did better in town and on the highway, but it seems to me that with information on these same transmission issues plastered all over the internet, your organization would make Toyota engineer a permanent fix for this problem, and recall and fix these cars. By the way, this car had the Lexus software update for its transmission issues last summer, and I only use the highest octane gasoline. The car actually belongs to my elderly mother, which makes me very concerned about the possibility of her having an accident, or complete transmission failure leaving her stranded somewhere.

- Burlington, NC, USA

problem #7

Aug 272009

ES 330

  • 22,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2005 Lexus ES330. The contact was driving 25 mph when the transmission shifted extremely hard, causing the passengers to be thrown forward. The failure recurred numerous times and became worse with each incident. The failure was reported to the dealer and the contact was told that there was a remedy for the issue but the remedy would destroy the computer in the vehicle. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 22,000 and the current mileage was 70,000. Updated 10/11/12

- West Hartford, CT, USA

problem #6

May 112012

ES 330

  • 61,203 miles
When I press the accelorator there is a hesitation in the car speeding up and while driving there is sometimes that same hesitation.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #5

Dec 012011

ES 330

  • 52,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Lexus ES330. The contact stated that the vehicle would hesitate to accelerate from a complete stop and also while attempting to accelerate at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was also made aware of the failure, but could not diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 52,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

problem #4

Jan 012011

ES 330 6-cyl

  • miles
Transmission hesitates and jerks at all times putting the driver in unsafe situations. There appears to be a endless list of complaints regarding this and Lexus not taking any action to correct it on their own. I just received a recall notice for a pulley problem that may cause a belt to come off but their is no recall issued for a dangerous transmission issue, seriously?? I hope someone forces them to take action soon since they don't appear to be concerned with customer safety or loyalty.

- Kenosha, WI, USA

problem #3

Apr 202011

ES 330

  • 61,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2005 Lexus ES330. The contact stated while driving at the speeds of 30 mph applying pressure to the accelerator pedal the vehicle would shift gears, but the speed would not increase. The dealer was contacted and stated this was a common problem. The vehicle failure was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was 61,500 the current mileage was 65,000.

- Costa Mesa, CA, USA

problem #2

Dec 152009

ES 330

  • 23,100 miles
Transmission hesitates from a stopped position on my 2005 Lexus ES330 causing a feeling that the car may stall or lunge forward unexpectedly. I purchased the car a few months ago with 22,500 miles. I brought this problem to the dealer's attention and read about it online. Apparently, Lexus provides a "flash" fix to the software. But, my local Lexus service manager suggested not using the fix because, according to his personal experience, the fix can cause damage somehow to the car's computer that is irreparable. Apparently, the fix is not always a good fix. I was told the fix cannot be set back once it is been addressed. It is my understanding thousands of Lexus dealers have been effected. Also, occasionally I feel like my car lunges forward suddenly and briefly for no apparent reason. Any guidance you can provide about these matters would be appreciated.

- West Hartford, CT, USA

problem #1

Aug 052005

ES 330

  • miles
Consumer 2005 Lexus ES 330 transmission hesitates when coming to a stop at 3-4 mph. * ts the consumer noticed that when slowing to 3-4 mph or doing a roll stop, the transmission would hesitate on acceleration then lurch forward with enough force to jerk the occupant heads. The dealer claimed that the transmission was functioning as designed.

- Shrewsbury, MA, USA

Not what you are looking for?