Lexus ES 330, when accelerating, there is a hesitation. Dealer said it was related to octane of gasoline, that I should increase the octane to 92. This did not help. They lie at every angle...

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

2005 Lexus ES330. Hesitation & stumbling on acceleration. Also transmission will not downshift. This is a well documented problem with the 2005 model year ES330. There was one revision of transmission software/firmware provided but it did not fix this problem. After several complaints the Lexus dealer stated "there's nothing more we can do." Several internet postings suggest that this "delay" or hesitation is designed in. Also, if while entering a highway, for example, the gas pedal is depressed, released and depressed again there is a much longer 2-3 second delay until power is delivered and to get proper upshifts and downshifts I have to shift the automatic transmission manually. The Lexus dealer was/is very familiar with this problem but has no fix beyond what was provided for back in 2005 by Lexus. This should be further investigated along with the current crop of Toyota/Lexus throttle problems. Thanks!

- Hawthorne, NJ, USA

The consumer experienced two different problems with the vehicle recently. When placing vehicle in the garage there was a strong odor of gasoline. She inspected the vehicle but did not discover any leakage. She did not take the vehicle to a dealer for further inspection. Later when approaching a stop sign she applied brake pressure and the brakes failed to stop. The vehicle proceeded past the stop sign and through oncoming traffic. The vehicle came to a stop after striking the front porch steps of a nearby house. The vehicle was towed to the dealership. The dealer was unable to determine what caused the failure. Updated 12/27/05.

- North Haven, CT, USA