NHTSA Complaint #10292648 — 2005 LEXUS RX330

TRANSMISSION SHIFT POINTS ARE OCCASIONALLY NOT SMOOTH AND EXHIBIT INCONSISTENT ENGINE RPM SHIFT POINTS. INITIALLY NOTICED WHEN DRIVING UPHILL AND THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED LOWER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE. NO ERROR CODES HAVE BEEN FOUND BY THE DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. A FIRMWARE UPDATE ON THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN TRIED TWO TIMES WITH LIMITED SUCCESS ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS AGO. THERE WAS IMPROVEMENT BUT THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN ELIMINATED. OCCASIONAL HARD UPSHIFTS ARE FELT UNDER LOW LOAD AND THROTTLE. FEELS LIKE THE NEXT GEAR UP OR OVERDRIVE IS CONFUSED ABOUT WHEN SHIFTING IS NEEDED. CONTRARY TO THE ABOVE SMOOTH SHIFTING DURING LIGHT ACCELERATION MAY FEEL SLOW AND A BIT UNCERTAIN. DOWN SHIFT POINTS CAN HAPPEN WITH MINOR ACCELERATOR PEDAL MOVEMENT CAUSING HIGHER RPM OF ENGINE THAN NEEDED. FEELS LIKE TWO GEAR DOWN-SHIFTS INSTEAD OF THE ONE THAT'S NEEDED. THIS WAS A LEXUS CERTIFIED VEHICLE WITH 28675 MILES WHEN PURCHASED USED MAY 2008. GAS MILEAGE HAS BEEN A BIT LOW AND I SUSPECT THE SHIFTING BEHAVIOR IS PART OF THE PROBLEM. WHEN TRANSMISSION IS COLD AND SHIFTED INTO DRIVE (FROM NEUTRAL OR REVERSE) A RAPID BUT DISTINCT TWO "BUMPS" ARE FELT IF THE BRAKE IS NOT ON. I AM NOT CONVINCED THIS IS NORMAL BEHAVIOR AND NEVER HAD ANOTHER AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DO ANY OF THE ABOVE. CURRENT MILEAGE IS ABOUT 36,000. *TR