Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||||
| 00503 | 08/11/2003 | 00503 | 10016159 | To improve the transmission shift feeling during specific operating modes, the engine control module (ecm) calibration has been revised. original was not received. *tt | 08/31/2005 |
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT | |||||
| 5034C | 04/26/2005 | 10015648 | Repair manual correction for the differential mount cushion (4wd). 00245-rm113-6u3. *tt | 08/02/2005 | |
| POWER TRAIN - TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE) | |||||
| 00106 | 03/17/2006 | 10019656 | Transfer case extension housing seal. *tt | 04/13/2006 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 10/13/2012 | 77900 | 1 | |
| I am having serious quality problems with my 2005 rx330. the vehicle is kept in the garage and being taken care of like a family member. i took the suv to a lexus dealer for routine maintenance and was told that the steering column was leaking and need to be replaced - approximate cost $1800. i was also told the front differential was leaking and need to be replaced - cost another $1000. this is not the end! approximately six months ago my water pump failed at the middle of a busy intersection, and i had to replace my water pump, timing belt, drive belts, etc only at 65k miles - cost $1200. why every major key components are failing so early? i drove a car made by a competitor upto 110k miles without any of these issues. lexus/toyota is using defective/cheap parts at the expense and safety of consumers. i would recommend starting an investigation against lexus/toyota for faulty steering and power train components in rx, and based on the investigation, start a recall if needed. i reached out to lexus in the past, but they don't acknowledge any quality problems with rx330; however, when i searched the internet, i see hundreds of owners have the same issues and they are helpless. lexus will not do anything, and therefore, we need nhtsa's help to push lexus to recall rx330 steering and power train components. *tr | |||
| 10/13/2012 | 77900 | ||
| I am having serious quality problems with my 2005 rx330. the vehicle is kept in the garage and being taken care of like a family member. i took the suv to a lexus dealer for routine maintenance and was told that the stearing column was leaking and need to be replaced - approximate cost $1800. i was also told the front differential was leaking and need to be replaced - cost another $1000. this is not the end! approximately six months ago my water pump failed at the middle of a busy intersection, and i had to replace my water pump, timing belt, drive belts, etc only at 65k miles - cost $1200. why every major key components are failing so early? i drove a car made by a competitor upto 110k miles without any of these issues. lexus/toyota is using defective/cheap parts at the expense and safety of consumers. i would recommend starting an investigation against lexus/toyota for faulty steering and power train components in rx, and based on the investigation, start a recall if needed. i reached out to lexus in the past, but they don't acknowledge any quality problems with rx330; however, when i searched the internet, i see hundreds of owners have the same issues and they are helpless. lexus will not do anything, and therefore, we need nhtsa's help to push lexus to recall rx330 steering and power train components. | |||
| 04/05/2011 | 92000 | ||
| I was parked in a garage on a ramp and left the car in gear (drive) and after exiting the vehicle, it rolled back into another car. the lexus 330 is supposed to prohibit one from removing the keys from the ignition when in gear. my car continues to allow me to remove the key (engine off) while in drive. | |||
| 11/01/2007 | 43000 | 2 | |
| I own a 2005 lexus rx330. i purchased it used in september 2007. shortly after i purchased it, i had several instances where when i pushed on the gas pedal there was a feeling of a loss of power - a hesitation. i took the vehicle in for work under work in february 2008, and the dealer said it was an improper shift in the transmission and it was recalibrated by a technician. since that time i have again had several instances where there was a hesitation in supply power. i want to know if others have had this similar complaint and if my vehicle is under a recall for this issue. tw* | |||
| 02/19/2008 | 42000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 lexus rx330. after parking the vehicle in the driveway, the contact left the gear in drive and removed the key from the ignition. she exited the vehicle and it began rolling backwards. as a result, the vehicle struck a parked vehicle. the vehicle was able to be driven away; however, the contact believes that the key should not have been able to be removed from the ignition while the gear was not in park. a report was filed with the manufacturer and sent to their insurance division, but they have not yet stated whether or not they would be responsible for the repair cost. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 42,000. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 11/01/2009 | 80000 | ||
| Transmission delay/slip during acceleration. requires an ecu update. lexus will charge for the update, up to $100. the update should be mandatory and free of charge. | |||
| 01/01/2009 | 85000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 lexus rx330. while driving 20 mph the transmission does not engaged and caused sputtering. the vehicle was taken to the dealer at least three times and each time they adjust the ecu but the failure still persist. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 85,000....mw | |||
| 02/27/2010 | 48000 | 1 | |
| 2005 lexus rx330 was driven at 40mph under normal highway conditions when the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own. the vehicle was immediately put in neutral where the engine kept revving. the driver coasted to the side of the road and turned the engine off. the vehicle was restarted and brought to a dealership the following business day for diagnosis. the dealership said they did not find any error codes. *tr | |||
| 11/01/2007 | 43000 | 2 | |
| I own a 2005 lexus rx330. i purchased it used in september 2007. shortly after i purchased it, i had several instances where when i pushed on the gas pedal there was a feeling of a loss of power - a hesitation. i took the vehicle in for work under work in february 2008, and the dealer said it was an improper shift in the transmission and it was recalibrated by a technician. since that time i have again had several instances where there was a hesitation in supply power. i want to know if others have had this similar complaint and if my vehicle is under a recall for this issue. tw* | |||
| 12/12/2009 | 1 | ||
| I have a 2005 lexus rx330 which was a re-certified vehicle with 27,000 miles. the response to the accelerator pedal is erratic and causes unexpected surges. this happens less than 5 % of the time but i cannot tie it to any specific conditions (ie cold temperature, down-shift or up-shift, cornering, or road conditions. it occurs randomly but could be very dangerous depending on when it happens. *tr | |||
| 11/17/2009 | 28675 | 1 | |
| Transmission shift points are occasionally not smooth and exhibit inconsistent engine rpm shift points. initially noticed when driving uphill and the transmission downshifted lower than it should have. no error codes have been found by the dealer on several occasions. a firmware update on the transmission has been tried two times with limited success about eight months ago. there was improvement but the problem has not been eliminated. occasional hard upshifts are felt under low load and throttle. feels like the next gear up or overdrive is confused about when shifting is needed. contrary to the above smooth shifting during light acceleration may feel slow and a bit uncertain. down shift points can happen with minor accelerator pedal movement causing higher rpm of engine than needed. feels like two gear down-shifts instead of the one that's needed. this was a lexus certified vehicle with 28675 miles when purchased used may 2008. gas mileage has been a bit low and i suspect the shifting behavior is part of the problem. when transmission is cold and shifted into drive (from neutral or reverse) a rapid but distinct two bumps are felt if the brake is not on. i am not convinced this is normal behavior and never had another automatic transmission do any of the above. current mileage is about 36,000. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2006 | 20000 | 1 | |
| My 2005 rx330 hesitates and i feel it's dangerous. there are times that after making a turn and stepping on the accelerator that the car behind me has almost rammed me. *tr | |||
| 06/03/2005 | 02/28/2004 | ||
| 2004 lexus rx 330: basically, the transmission will not gear down satisfactorily, until it comes to a complete stop. a slow turn and then acceleration will 'always' result in 'lagging' of gear changes, then it will finally gear down and lurch into the lower gear. it's aggravating and can be downright dangerous in tight crowded freeway driving conditions where it's not unusual to have to slow down and then speed up without getting rear-ended. the transmission also has a very loud whining as soon as you let off on the gas pedal. the car has been doing these things since i purchased the car in feb 2004. at the 5000, 10,000 servicings, i complained to the service manager about the transmission and each time was told that nothing was wrong with the car. | |||