mdavies509

In the middle of July, we were excited to be the proud new owners of a 2004 Lexus. After only 1 1/2 months, the transmission went out. This is sad and very disappointing. I know lemons happen in all cars, but with the reputation of the Lexus this was the last thing we expected.

We have gotten a wide range of estimates for repair. Is it true that the Lexus transmission has more sensors than other transmission, therefore more costly to repair?

Kansas

What do you mean by "the transmission went out"? Has the problem been diagnosed by someone particularly knowledgeable about Lexus/Toyota transmissions? Exactly what is the diagnosed problem?

Did you buy the car "as is" or with any warranty at all? Can you go back to the seller?

Modern automatic transmissions are complex but it is doubtful that the transmission in your ES is any more complex than those in other makes.

Your ES330 transmission is identical to the transmission used in the 2004 Toyota Camry V6 -- I just now checked and verified that it is the same part number. The automatic transmissions in Toyota/Lexus products are usually very reliable. The automatic transmission in our 11 year old Camry V6 has never had a problem and the car is at 110,000 miles

Avoid name brand transmission repair chains -- you don't even want to know what goes on in some of them. Take your ES to a Lexus or Toyota dealer or to an independent repair shop that specializes in Lexus or Toyota.

Megafast13

yeah, I highly doubt your transmission "went out"

GEORGE_JET

The Lexus/Toyota has a typical modern transmission, nothing unusual about it. While Toyota has a good reputation for quality, they also have higher than average cost for replacement parts.

You need to provide more detail on exactly what the problem is. Did you have a mechanic check the car before you purchased? Since this is a electronic controlled transmission, it is possible that something as simple as a broken wire could cause significant problems. But with no error codes, or even any discription of the problem, who knows.

mdavies509

I guess "went out" is layman's terms for very serious problems. We bairly got home and it had to be towed to the transmission place. They said it needed to be rebuilt. It won't change gears and won't go in reverse at all. $3,400 is what they are charging with a 2 year 20,000 mile guarantee. I still hope to get many years out of the car.

JSM1284

Where did you buy the car, and whats the mileage on it?

mdavies509

The car had 75,000 miles on it when we purchased it in July so we thought we had many miles to go before problems.

My husband heard from the mechanic today. Something about the clutch was burned up and the parts in the transmission were fused together. After a lot of work on it we should have it back by the end of next week.

Kansas

mdavies509, what company is rebuilding your transmission? Did you take it to a Toyota or Lexus dealer or to a company that specializes in rebuilding transmissions.

peppertree

If you bought it from a dealer, then your State's "lemon law"
should apply.
Usually, the full powertrain is under warranty for the first 30 days
or so many miles. Contact your state.
You have had the car only a month and a half, this could still be
covered under warranty, either Lexus's or the selling dealers.
You must look in to you rights fully.
Second, I would ONLY bring it a Lexus dealer to have the tranny checked,
get an estimate there.
This just does NOT make any sense for a Lexus with that few
years and miles for the tranny to just fail
Something is really wrong with this, if you have to get hold of a number
of people involved in your states, call Lexus first.

03 ES

Very odd....i dont think ive ever heard of these transmissions failing...theyre known to shift loopy but theyre pretty stout.
i suspect theres an occasional lemon tho...ive seen it on other toyotas...either that or the previous owner abused the car.
Either way im sorry for your current state of affairs.