NHTSA Complaint #10167745 — 2004 LEXUS ES 330

OUR 2004 LEXUS E330 HAS EXHIBITED MANY LIFE THREATENING PROBLEMS INVOLVING ITS AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PERFORMANCE. OF GREATEST CONCERNS ARE LIFE THREATENING INSTANCES OVER THE TWO YEARS. HESITATIONS OCCUR WHEN PRESSING THE GAS DURING CRITICAL ENTRY ATTEMPTS ONTO INTERSTATE HWYS, ETC. WHERE WE HAVE EXPERIENCED NEAR DEADLY TRANSMISSION HESITATIONS OF NEEDED POWER GETTING INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. MY WIFE WAS ALMOST KILLED BY AN 18 WHEELER WHEN SHE OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE HAD ADEQUATE TIME TO SAFELY MERGE HAD THE TRANSMISSION NOT HESITATED. SHE WAS FORTUNATE TO HAVE SURVIVED. JUST ONE OF MANY CLOSE CALLS. ANOTHER ES 330 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PROBLEM IS THE UNTENABLE, UNTIMELY, ROUGH DOWN AND UP SHIFTING BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND GEARS THAT LEXUS HAS ADVISED HAS BEEN CORRECTED IN THE 2007 MODELS WHICH OF COURSE WILL NOT HELP WITH THIS VEHICLE I AM STUCK WITH. SUCH ADMITTANCE SUPPORT MY ARGUMENT THAT THEY ARE QUITE AWARE OF THIS VERY UN- LEXUS TYPE PERFORMANCE IN THE 2004. WHAT A SHAME THAT LEXUS WOULD LET THE GREAT LEXUS NAME BE SO DEGRADED BY THEIR FAILURE TO SUPPORT THEIR FAITHFUL CUSTOMERS IN SUCH JUSTIFIED COMPLAINTS; THIS IS OUR THIRD LEXUS! *JB