2003 LEXUS ES300 Engine And Engine Cooling Problems

2003 ES 300 - TRANSMISSION ISSUES: I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING HESITATION UPON ACCELERATION ALMOST EVERY TIME, ALONG WITH HARD SHIFTING 50% OF THE TIME. THE ACCELERATION HESITATION CAN BE SCARY IF I'M TRYING TO ENTER THE HIGHWAY, OR TURNING LEFT. THE HARD SHIFTING FEELS LIKE I GOT HIT FROM BEHIND. BOTH PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN GOING ONGOING FOR YEARS AND LEXUS DEALER HAS NEVER BEEN ANY HELP. I READ MANY OF THE ONLINE FORUMS AND FOUND THAT BOTH OF THESE PROBLEMS ARE VERY COMMON AS ARE THEIR RESULTS FOR GETTING THESE ISSUES FIXED - NOT MUCH LUCK FROM THE DEALER - "IT WORKS AS IT IS DESIGNED". REALLY? LEXUS NEEDS TO STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT. I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MANY COMPLAINTS I HAVE READ (100S) AND THEIR HASN'T BEEN A RECALL. HOW DOES A CONSUMER GO ABOUT PUSHING FOR A RECALL, OR CLASS ACTION OR WILL THE LEMON LAW WORK? *KB

THERE IS A DELAY AFTER SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT AND THEN AT TAKE OFF. THE DEALER COULD DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER STATES THAT IT IS THE NEW DESIGN. *AK THE PROBLEM WOULD ALSO OCCUR WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN, MERGING INTO TRAFFIC, ENTRANCE RAMPS, INTERSECTIONS AND PARKING SPOTS. *SC *JB

VEHICLE HESITATED FROM A STANDING START POSITION. THE RPMS WENT UP BUT THE VEHICLE DID NOT MOVE UNTIL IT GOT INTO ANOTHER GEAR. IT WILL DRIVE FOR A WHILE AND THEN VEHICLE WILL STOP. CONSUMER DID NOT FEEL SAFE. *AK THE TECHNICIANS CLAIM THAT THE CABLE FROM THE GAS PEDDLE TO THE ENGINE WAS REMOVED AND REPLACED BY A COMPUTER IN THE 2003 MODELS. ON THE HIGHWAY, IF THE VEHICLE WAS SLOWED DOWN, A HESITATION WOULD BE PRESENT WHILE PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDDLE TO RESUME SPEED. THE ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON ALONG WITH THE HESITATION, ALSO WHEN THE ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON THE VEHICLE WOULD LOSE POWER ALONG WITH BLUE SMOKE BLOWING OUT OF THE EXHAUST, AND THE REAR SEAT CONTAINED A FLAW. *SC *JB