mick_foley

My wife's '02 shifts better than my '04. Hers has no real noticeable jerks like mine does and it has quicker acceleration at low speeds. But hers isn't perfect either.

bostonsnow

one more question - it seems that the 06 ES330 is not included in this discussion. Was the 06 software refined to be immune to this? I know that the ES350 did not start until the 07 model.

thx, Boston Snowboarder

lexusk8

^ That's correct. For the 2006 ES330, the factory software in the transmission was updated to eliminate the fixes seen in the '02-'05 ES transmissions. The TSB noted in the 1st post of the 1st page defines just that.

mick_foley

So you are saying that the '06 comes with the fix already installed or the '06 has completely different and better software?

bostonsnow

Mick Foley's question is a good one, because as the post's imply, the TSB does not always correct what people are experiencing as hesitation and creates some other irregularities at other RPM points.

mick_foley

Any updates on this whole tranny fix? Something tells me this will get pushed far in the background with Lexus concentrating on the ES350 mid-generation redesign. And someone described it accurately when they labeled it as "suffering". But the flash sounds worse for most drivers. It's a shame my 2.4L Camry would kill this 3.3L ES330 in low speed power and driving performance.

I called Lexus and now waiting for a call back (will take around 2 days supposedly). The Customer Service Reps aren't technical at all and never have a clue as to what I'm talking about. Hopefully, the CSR took good enough notes this time and we all actually get some good news.

Mike Sam

My 2003 ES 300 has exactly the same hesitation problem. I called Lexus and got a call back. Yes, the customer service reps are not technical at all and all I heard was "talke with local Lexus dealer".
What a great information.

nomoon

I asked this in another thread and I hope that no one minds if I ask here as well. My 2002 ES300 recently had TSB TC004-03 applied, and now it shifts really late during normal acceleration. Second gear is horrible, and the engine will whine as it revs to 4000 RPM during moderate acceleration. Millage has suffered since the change.

Can the training period be reset? I wonder if the situation could be improved if it were reset and I either:

1) Drove with lots of aggressive accellerations during the training period
or
2) Drove with no aggressive accellerations during the training period

mick_foley

Disconnecting the battery for a few minutes and reconnecting it will cause your car to try to learn all over again if that is what you mean by 'reset the training period'.

nomoon

Thanks Mick! I've recently read that it can also be reset by pulling the fuse for the ECU. I haven't tried it yet.

Does anyone have any insight into the wisdom and feasibility of trying to fool the transmission by driving aggressively/passively during the learning period?

amf1932

I tried all the upgrades when I had a 2003 ES300. The final upgrade acted exactly how your car shifts. There was absolutely NO way that I could correct it with the so called learning feature, and they told me that I couldn't revert back to the former upgrade! I finally traded in this car, with only 16K miles for a ES350.
I'm sorry I can't give you any positive feedback on this continuing problem, except that you're going to have to live with it.

Wassa786

how much they give you for the car when you traded it in?

amf1932

I can't tell you exactly, since I traded my '03 ES300 for the '07 ES350 in April, 2006. The '03 was completely loaded with Nav, ML sound, as is the ES350 UL Edition. I know that at the time I think they gave me a fair deal, since I dealt directly with my dealers retention manager.

nomoon

Alan, what exactly did you try? I'd be grateful for some details. Did you try training it while driving it aggressively (or non-aggressively)? If you tried this, how many miles did you try to train it?

amf1932

I tried every type of driving, both aggresively and non aggressively, over a course of about 200 miles or more. It didn't change the long delayed shifting between 2nd or 3rd speed. Like I said before, I tried everything to change the shifting characteristics to not avail. The training didn't help at all.