SW07ES

Why not wait until a Lexus corporate issues a TSB describing a permanent fix for the flares? Clearly the technical people at Lexus are still working on this issue. If you give them the time they need then you'll end up with the very latest update. Why are some owners in such a great rush to solve the flare problem when their transmissions are under factory warranty for 6 years or 70,000 miles?

According to the April 2007 issue of Consumer Reports, the 1999-2003 Acura TL's had failure prone transmissions (real failures, not merely flares), but Acura eventually solved the problem and took care of the affected owners. Doesn't Toyota deserve the same chance to make good on the ES350 transmission issue that's affecting a small percentage of the owners?

dreyfus

That would be reasonable except that Lexus is now denying that there is a problem at all. If they told those who are coming into their dealerships with this problem, "We're sorry, we're working on it, but here's an extended warranty to tide you over until we come up with a fix." then most owners would be satisfied.

Another problem is that if the transmission slip is severe enough, it essentially strands you in neutral for a second or two, which is very definitely a safety issue when driving.

ESDragon

How long do we have to wait for the TSB? My dealership is telling me that I have the most updated tranny and they can't replicate the flare. In other words, I am imagining these flares because the car drives perfectly fine to them. I don't think you understand how severe the problem is with the transmission. When the flare happens, you lose total control of your car for a good 2 -4 secs. I can be slamming the car in front within that time limit. So what's the "RUSH" to get this resolve?? BECAUSE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE!!!

My previous car is an 02 Acura TL and the transmission died when it was 26k miles. At least it just died at the spot instead of me experiencing these flares. Acura replaced the transmission with no questions ask and I never had another transmission failure. When I had trade in my acura I had more than 104K miles with the second tranny.

There is no excuse that I and many other here have to go through this with Lexus especially it is a brand new car. I only enjoy my car for a good 2 days before this start happening.

mmrfr

Amen Dragon, It's A Crying Same That We Are Getting The Run Around On This Major Problem. My Es Has 4200 Miles On It And The Flaring Had Gotten Worst Day By Day. Not If I Get On It Hard It Goes Past Red Line Before Shifting Into 4th. Runs Like A Bat Out Of Hello Operator But No Sure Its Good For The Engine. Everyday Brings A New "wish I Had Bought The M35.

osokuko

They have been working on the trans issue for little over a year now, must be a hard problem to slove.

ESDragon

Update: 4/5/07 - 12:55am - Stay tune guys, I have my digital camcorder all charged up tonight. If I can't replicate the flare with the tech tomorrow, I will need to prove these flares on my own. For the next couple of days I will record what I will find and post on this thread. I am off to bed, good night folks!

twister

Since I didn't have to tape my flares before (those were consistent right on a clock), how do you record it when its random? I mean, you are not going to tape a digital camcoder to your head and record everything while waiting for flare to happen? I know they sell one of those "police" cams that records everything in a loop of 30 minutes and than over-records it in a loop always keeping the last 30 min of the footage. Unbelievable what you have to go through

ES350Bob

ES....sounds like you are prepared for any event. Let's just hope your ride with tech this am ends this cannot duplicate madness and you don't need to record.

twister....He at best may need to walk out to car 3 mornings in a row with recorder to catch it. For the safety of his family, especially his little baby, and his investment and obligation for same, it is worth every minute spent 3 mornings in a row or even 6 mornings in a row if need be.

ES350Bob

You might have given ESdragon a few more days to accept his hosed up transmission before posting this.

In simple terms, he did not get what he paid for as you did if you own an ES350, along with the more important safety aspect present when they do this.

ESDragon

Well, I drove with the tech and the service advisor for a good 10 miles going through local streets and freeway and absolutely NO FLARE. The car drive just as advertised. They both fed me the same bull**** about it is a learning process...blah blah.... I was straight up and told them that I am not going to argue with you because I can't replicate the problem, but I did let them understand that I am not imagining these flares. Trust me, I have better things to do with my life than to get up 6:30 in the morning and get to the dealership and trying to convince them that there is something wrong with a brand new car.

Twister, I know what you mean recording the flare when it is not something that I can duplicate easy. I think doing this is ridiculous / silly, but I don't think I have a choice here. The dealership thinks I don't know how to drive a Lexus. Bob is right to point about why should I have to pay for a $40K car and can't even give me the assurance that it is a safe vehicle.

Ever since I left the dealership, the car has been behaving fine. Unless for some miracle that it just "fixed" itself for no reason, I know I will experience the flare again. I'm hoping the case manager from Lexus Corp will call today and I can at least let them know my situation.

twister

ES, we supposed to hit mid 20's overnight on East Coast. I hope you will be able to record something tomorrow morning (don't let your car warm up for too long). Also, keep a record of your flares, just note them down on a paper. If you have that and will be able to get on a video an evidence of at least one flare, this should make for a strong argument. Good luck!!!

ES350Bob

ES...

Don't let the claim from the standard playbook of.... it's learning..... discourage you, that was used on me, Wanderer, far too many of our members to list here, so while unpleasant as to time and effort with no resolution yet, it is not a unique thing pulled just on you if that helps.

Just press on with your plans to record it and do your best to keep your chin up in the meantime.

ESDragon

Thank you for your encouragment Bob. I will take all the necessary steps to prove my case. By the way, did Lexus bought your car back or are you still in the process in settling with them? I do apologize if you mention this before. I know you were looking or have you gotten the accord?

Nevermind Bob, I went back to see your thread and I am glad that you love the accord. If I ever get Lexus to buy back my car, I will definitely go back to Honda or Acura. I am seriously regretting getting the ES. I took a closer look at the new 07 Acura TL TypeS and it is up to par with the ES and cost almost 4k less.

garsarno

When will this crap end? When Lexus / Toyota issues a recall that fixes the transmission flare and cold engine knock once and for all. When Ford replaced the torque convertor in my '99 Town Car and '04 Mountaineer with way less than 10,000 miles on each, it was fixed. No hashing it out with their service writers, no excuses or dumb looks. We expect more from the nation of the rising sun (or that's what we were sold on).

2007es350

ESDragon,

Don't give up. The slip/flare may occur randomly, but it should occur regularly every time the car is cold. If you park your car inside your garage overnight where the temp never goes below 65-70 degrees, then you may not get the flare to occur consistently. However, when I parked my car at work with the temps in the 50s-60s for at least 6 hours, my car always slipped/flared.

When you start your car cold, keep your speed below 30 mph to prevent your car from shifting from 3rd to 4th until you have a clear stretch of roadway that allows to you accelerate to 40 mph. Once you have a clear stretch of roadway, moderately accelerate from a stop and be watchful of the 3rd to 4th upshift (which will hopefully occur between 2200-3000 rpm). By moderately acceleration, you will see the biggest slip/flare. If you accelerate too softly, the flare will occur the first time your car upshifts from 3rd to 4th, but the flare will be really small and can be mistaken for a clunk or not be evident if you take your foot off the gas between the 3rd to 4th upshift. You need to perform this moderate acceleration within a few minutes of starting your car (while your car is still cold).

A quick summary to see the shift flare/slip:

1) Make sure your car is cold;

2) Make sure you reach a clear roadway while your car is still cold (within a few minutes of startup) AND the car has NOT upshifted from 3rd to 4th; and

3) Accelarate moderately and smoothly while applying even pressure on the throttle (don't let up on the throttle when upshifting from 3rd to 4th).


This explains why some people (NOT all people) that have the transmission problem never realize it. They may drive in bumper to bumper traffic when leaving their house or work when they routinely take their foot off the throttle or apply really light throttle when upshifting from 3rd to 4th. With light or no load, the transmission just has a minor hiccup without rising in rpm betwee gear change. Once the car upshifts from 3rd to 4th while cold the first time, then the transmission usually behaves normally until the problem becomes worse.

Towards the end of my first transmission, the slipping happened like clockwork at least twice a day; once to work and once going home.