2002 Lexus ES300 Transmission and drivetrain Problems

“My 2002 Lexus ES300 has been jerking and shifting very hard on acceleration. It seems to have more of a problem when I accelerate slowly in the lower gears. It jerks very noticeably. I was told it was just the nature of the car, but it has been getting much worse over the course of the last year. It also hesitates when stepping on the gas after deceleration.”

“My 2002 Lexus es 200 was dying or not starting at all. Suddenly, it was working fine. 2 days later, while idling or when my foot was on the brake, it would lurch forward and start accelerating at sometimes 40mph. I had to slam on the brakes, then emergency brake to stop, then after I turned it off, it would shake forward.”

“I present this as information to complement the present issues with toyota motor company and its institutional failure to respond to safety related incidents. I owned a 2002 Lexus ES300. The mechanical/computer problem with this car involved the failure of the transmission to downshift effectively when merging into traffic at 40-50 MPH. This issue was first observed when I attempted to merge into the freeway in front of a fast moving truck. …”

“I have a 2002 Lexus ES300. My car at slower speeds has been jerking/surging at lower speeds and lurches forward without notice. It is a nightmare to drive this car in traffic. I keep being told its normal, it seems hundreds of others have complained, but I'm not getting anywhere. The Lexus dealership did a software upgrade recently, it only made the matter worse. I hate driving this car, everyone in my family avoids driving it, as we just don't feel comfortable in the way it accelerates and shifts gears. Its a 2002 model, with 49k miles. …”

“I own a 2002 Lexus ES300, and the car is dangerous! I've taken it to the dealer many times to have the transmission checked out, because it hesitates in traffic when you press the gas.they just say some babble about the transmission just needs to get used to the driver , im sorry but just because we can afford an expensive car doesnt mean that we're stupid. This is my wife's car, and I really don't think there needs to be any injuries or fatalities to have something done about this wide spread problem.”