I leased a 2005 ES330 from Lexus a year and a half ago. Immediately after leaving the dealership I noticed that the car had a transmission problem. At low speeds, under 30 mph, the car would not transition through the gears properly and would jerk suddenly upon acceleration. I also noticed that there were times when the car would hesitate for a few seconds upon acceleration from a stop or low speeds. This jerking motion and hesitation of the transmission is a common problem with my type of vehicle and has been known by Lexus to be a problem for the past 5 years, since 2002. This vehicle is a safety hazard in high traffic situations as it does not respond appropriately to the drivers needs, or commands.

- Panorama City, CA, USA

The car will hesitate and then lurch forward when you are going at a slow speed and then push the accelerator pedal. It is extremely annoying and could present a safety hazard under the right circumstances. It has been doing this since I purchased the car. I have been to two dealers and always get the same "company story". it's a new drive by wire and it has to learn how you drive. Well, I have had my software changed numerous times and it never is fixed. I have had 4 Lexus autos, will never buy another. They know this is a problem and have corporate coverup program in place to hide it, just because no one died yet. They don't want to have to fix it and spend the money and negative publicity.

- Houston, TX, USA

I own and purchased new a 2005 Lexus ES 330 over a year ago and have continual problems with a lagging transmission which can not be fixed per Lexus but poses a definite safety problem as reported by many Lexus owners over the past year or so. I feel Lexus should be made to replace these transmissions with acceptable performing transmissions for all of the affected vehicles.

- Caledonia, IL, USA

We purchased a 2005 Lexus ES330 in March of 2005. After about a month of driving it, we noticed the transmission lagged when stepping on the accelerator. The transmission jerks really bad when it's shifting gears. This causes your head to jerk back. It's also very dangerous because if you are in traffic and are slowing down to stop and then keep going, the car doesn't react and you almost get rear ended by cars following behind you because they are expecting you to go. We have brought the car back to Lexus many times. We have talked to a Lexus rep and they admit there is a problem but that there is nothing they can do about it. This car is not the car we signed up to buy. I think Lexus needs to stand behind their faulty transmission, as it is dangerous to drive a car that does not respond the way it should.

- Savage, MN, USA

Since Nov 2005 I noticed a problem with the vehicle's transmission-a hesitation during acceleration that occurs over 50% of the time. The vehicle has been repaired 3 times for this problem and the Lexus representative on the phone just told me it is not fixable. I believe this is a safety issue as it could cause an accident.

- Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA

The automatic transmission in the consumer's 2005 Lexus ES330 would not respond at lower speeds. The vehicle hesitated when accelerating which caused loss of control. The manufacturer acknowledged the problem and is trying to find a solution.

- Irvine, CA, USA

Since obtaining the vehicle in October of 2004, there has been a problem when the car is traveling around 20 mph after slowing down. When I step on the gas, the car does not immediately accelerate. Therefore, I have to press harder on the gas so that I am not in a dangerous situation. I have taken the vehicle in three times and to two different dealers. I was initially told there was nothing wrong. The second time and new dealer said they fixed the problem. The third time I was told Lexus is working on the problem and there is nothing they can do. If I must accelerate to get out of a critical and potentially dangerous situation, the car does not respond and an accident may occur. I don't want to wait for Lexus to find the source of the problem. Can you help?

- Anaheim, CA, USA

The transmission of my ES 330 is erratic during both upshift and downshift. Initially the dealer riverside Lexus, covington, ky, said that it would work itself out in a few thousand miles. That did not happen. A few weeks ago the dealer then changed their story to one that Lexus knows of the problem.. I did see a number of other similar complaints about the ES 330 transmission on the NHTSA website. The other complainants seemed to get the same two stage response from Lexus that we did.

- Dayton, KY, USA

My 2005 Lexus ES330 has transmission hesitation when after slowing to about 5 mph, I accelerate. It takes 1 to 2 seconds for the transmission to downshift and then the car lurches dangerously forward. The dealership installed a softward fix to the transmission, but this did not solve the problem.

- East Northport, NY, USA

My new 2005 Lexus ES330 has a major transmission problem. It hesitates when needing to accelerate. First it delays upon acceleration and then it jerks ahead quickly causing whiplash and I even crashed into my garage because it jerked ahead without me being able to control it. The dealer said to just use better gas and complain to customer service at Lexus because there are a lot of complaints. Basically, I was told the computer controls the transmission and there is a problem with it but no recall as of yet. Well this is an outrage. I have a new Lexus that drives worse than an old car and they will not do anything about it. I have read hundreds of similar complaints online.

- Reseda, CA, USA

Hesitation upon acceleration of 1-3 seconds. At crucial driving points (e.g., through intersections), the hesitation is dangerous for the driver and occupants. The problem now occurs regularly.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

Lexus ES 330 auto transmission hesitates when needed the most. The problem causes a significant safety issue. The driver is not in control of the car during critical times of normal operation. The transmission will not respond to the driver commands properly. Dealer (Lexus) has told me to learn how to drive with it.

- Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA

I purchased my 2005 Lexus ES330 in August of 2004 and have had the transmission acceleration / deceleration problems cited here in since the purchase date. I have had my car to the dealer 4 times for repair, plus a fifth visit with the Lexus manufacturers representative. They have upgraded the software and reset the ECM memory each time, and state that there is nothing mechanical wrong with the car. I concur that this is a definite safety problem, especially in heavy traffic, due to the delay and lunging that can cause you to be rear ended or to rear-end someone else. Luckily, I have not had an accident - however given that this problem appears to have been reported on the Lexus ES since the 2002 model, I would expect Lexus or the NHTSA to have done something by now. Note that I have also driven the 2006 ES as a loaner while my car was being repaired, and it too has the exact same problem. I estimate the number of failures at 300, as that is the estimated number of days I have driven my car since I purchased it.

- Buda, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Lexus ES330. The contact stated that upon acceleration after slowing down the vehicle will surge forward. The dealership replaced a transmission chip that was recognized in a technical service bulletin. The problem diminished for a while, but the correction did not remedy the problem. The contact stated that this did not happen every time while driving the vehicle, but enough times to cause the contact to be concerned about the vehicle. The manufacturer stated that they were declining to offer additional assistance because the vehicle was performing under normal operating characteristics for a vehicle with ecti.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

2005 Lexus ES330 was purchased in December 2004. Sometime before taking it in for the 5000 mile service I noticed that the car would lurch when accelerated from a speed around 10 miles per hour. This is very disconcerting in stop and go traffic because the sudden, unexpected acceleration could cause an accident. I explained this at the 5000 mile service, but was told they could not replicate it. At the 10,000 mile service I explained that the same problem existed. Again, when I talked to the service consultant before picking up the car, he said the technician could not replicate it on the 2 mile test drive. But he said that this was the driver's fault. Then he did let me know that this was the way the transmissions on the ES330 were designed and that others had complained of the same thing. There were no adjustments that could be made, this was the way they are supposed to react.

- Lake Forest, CA, USA

I purchased a 2005 Lexus ES330 and have had consistent problems with the vehicle's acceleration and deceleration. The vehicle hesitates during acceleration and suddenly lurches forward. Also, during deceleration the vehicle suddenly slows down upon releasing the gas pedal. This has become a serious issue in heavy traffic and I''m concerned it may lead to an accident. I have reported the issue to the dealer on two occasions but have received a standard response that there is nothing wrong with the car. I''m hoping the dot will initiate a recall and have the manufacturer fix the problem. I'm deeply concerned and shocked at the number of similar reports filed with the dot.

- Duluth, GA, USA

The car hesitates when accelerating in traffic and then all of a sudden it lunges forward. Very dangerous and unpredictable.

- New Albany, IN, USA

2005 lexis ES 330. The car was not shifting properly or accelerate upon pressing the gas pedal and when it did accelerate it lurched forward. When slowing down and then trying to speed up was told by the dealership that the computer could not read fast enough to know what to do. This didn't happen every time, in an hour of driving I happened at least 8 times. This was a safety issue. In stop and go traffic and changing lanes, nothing happened. It took 3 seconds for the vehicle to react to the acceleration. This has happened multiple times.

- Houston , TX, USA

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.

- Coconut Creek, FL, USA

Engine hesitation when accelerating from a complete stop or a rolling stop. This has been an ongoing issue with the Lexus ES's for 3-4 years. Other Lexus models do not perform like this. Why does this model and why hasn't it been corrected after the numerous complaints around the country??

- Harvest, AL, USA