- The problem
- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004 avalon vehicles; 2004 and 2005 camry, camry solara, highlander, and sienna vehicles, 2006 highlander hybrid; 2004 and 2005 lexus es330 and rx330; and 2006 lexus rx400h vehicles manufactured from june 1, 2004 through march 31, 2005, equipped with the 1mz-fe or 3mz-fe engine. The amount of adhesive agent applied between the outer ring and the torsional rubber damper (inner ring) in the crankshaft pulley may be inadequate. If the adhesive is insufficient, there is a possibility that the outer ring may become misaligned and it may not properly rotate with the inner ring, causing noise and/or illumination of the battery discharge indicator light.
- The risk
- In some cases, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley which could result in a loss of power steering and a sudden increase in steering effort, increasing the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will check the crankshaft pulley to identify whether it was produced by the u.S. Supplier. If so, the dealer will replace the pulley with a new one at no charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during early january 2012. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Engine & cooling
2004 Lexus ES330 Engine problems
Owners have filed 14 complaints about the 2004 Lexus ES330's engine & cooling with NHTSA - 7% of all its complaints, most recently on February 24, 2017. They describe 4 crashes, 0 fires and 3 injuries. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
- Complaints
- 14
- Recalls
- 1
- Crashes
- 4
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 3
- Deaths
- 0
Engine recalls for the 2004 Lexus ES330
Engine complaints
I had a car accident approximately one month ago due to sudden unintended acceleration and loss of steering in a 2004 lexus es330. I am the only owner of the car and I had it serviced regularly over the past 13 years. The night of my accident I lost complete control of my car as I attempted to merge on to the local lanes of an interstate highway in northern, nj. The car accelerated to the left and crossed sped across 8 lanes of the highway, including over a median before it spun around and jerked to a stop in the...
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left lane of the west bound lanes facing east. I was hit head on by another driver. I was not injured, but the car was a total loss. Both of my parents also currently drive lexus vehicles, and both models were noted to have similar issues. Furthermore, my mother recently received a letter indicating her car was being recalled due to the passenger air bag issues, the letter stated while toyota would offer what they considered to be a suitable fix at no charge. The letter further explained that they did not currently possess the parts needed for the repairs and would be in touch in the future, no indication of the expected time frame was provided. Between my accident and knowing both of my parents are currently driving vehicles that are unsafe to drive, by toyota's own admissions, I have been and continue to experience significant distress. I am aware of the significant fines and suits settled against toyota in the past, but they continue to seem unfazed despite their cars putting all of our lives at risk daily. I am also incredibly disgusted by their history of victim blaming and would love to do whatever I can to bring attention to this issue. I feel it is only fair that toyota accept responsibility for their seemingly never ending list of wrongdoing and take immediate steps to correct ongoing issues.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 lexus es330. While driving various speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was previously inspected per nhtsa campaign number: 11v539000 (engine and engine cooling), but the repair was never performed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the crankshaft pulley fractured and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 175,000.
When starting the lexus es 330 2004 for the first time in the day it makes a horrible sound that lasts about 5 seconds while still parked then when driving it seems like I am forcing it do accelerate. After being warmed up it is fine and after subsequent starts it does not make that noise.
Since I purchased this vehicle in 2008 I had the problems with the car jerking between 40-60mph and had the dealer to investigate my concerns which I took the car to a lexus dealership for diagnosis of the problems which they never found; I was then told that this problem occurs in all 2004 330es and the problem wasn't detected. So I drove this car for all the years I have it with the same problems; until 12/19/2015 the problem continued when I was enroute to another town and the engine light came on and the...
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vehicle began jerking and slowed down and I could no longer accelerate the engine; when doing so the car made an arkward sound; so I began to turn around and head back home from where I was it was 8 miles back; and the car was jerking and shaking to where it was about to shut down completely and still pulling; I had my car towed to the dealership and left it over the weekend; and they finally found the problem code p0303 cylinder 3 misfire and po353 ignition coil, which was the problem all along but they couldn't find it because at the time there was no light indicator on; but now that the warranty expired for which the dealer I purchased the vehicle was reliable for the payment. $500 Later the problem discovered. Also recall on the issue but not the vehicle I own; since I experienced the same problems I feel that the recall should have included my vehicle and a refund due.
The driver was pulling into a parking space at the local train station. She was going forward at about 1 mph with her foot on the brake pedal in order to slow the car down as she was approaching the curb at the front end of the parking space. With her foot on the brake pedal, the car suddenly lunged forward and went over the curb and into a metal and wooden fence. The car probably would have landed on the train tracks; but, fortunately, it went into the fence which is used to support a shelter that shields...
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commuters from inclement weather. The damaged fence is owned by the union pacific railroad. The driver suffered a back injury and required medical attention, medication, and physical therapy. The incident was reported to lexus in torrance, ca. Lexus has a contractual arrangement with a vendor to inspect the event data recorder (edr) installed in the car. After the edr was inspected, the driver was informed that the edr in the 2004 lexus es 330 is very basic and not at all sophisticated enough to detect what actually occurred immediately before and after the accident. Lexus said the edr in the newer es automobiles would have been able to provide information as to exactly what occurred before, during, and after the accident. The driver was informed that the edr inspection report for this incident essentially addressed what happened with the air bags, none of which had deployed during the accident. Lexus informed the driver that they could not provide any further assistance or guidance to determine the extent of any parts or design defects.
I was parking my car in the parking lot of a garage when my car lexus 330 suddenly picked up high speed (full throttle) unintentionally. The vehicle went forward and fell approximately about 5 feet to the other parking level and violently hit the back of a pickup truck which was parked. I had my seat belt on. My body went forward and backward violently. For the next few days I had experienced muscle pain, stiffness and poor night sleep. The accident was reported to the police. *Tr
The jenci's contend that mrs. Jenci put the vehicle in reverse, it then surged, made a loud sound and lunged forward out of control. *Nm
When applying the accelerator pedal vehicle hesitated then surged forward. Consumer is concerned that this condition will result in an accident.*Ak *nm
When driving vehicle hesitated and stalled at low speed. Dealer stated that there was nothing that could be done. Manufacturer insisted there iwasnothing defective on the vehicle.*Ak
Standard complaint for this car. Engine or transmission delay when gas pedal was released then suddenly depressed. This occurs when merging onto freeways, 4 way stops, a traffic light changes, and when pulling out to pass or in certain emergency maneuvers. The delay is approximately 1 or 1.5 Seconds and disrupts timing when you depend on throttle response the most! This has led to several close calls. Dealer was made aware of the defect when car was 1 week old and I was told the adaptive system needs 1,000...
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miles to learn my driving habits. The dealer is well aware of the problem and says all the 2004 es330s suffer from the same problem. Lexus customer care claims that the "car is functioning as designed". There is and will be no attempt by lexus co. To resolve this issue. The dealer's hands are tied at this point since the company needs to engineer a fix. *La
While driving and coming to complete stop vehicle hesitated upon acceleration for a few seconds. Dealer inspected vehicle, and indicated the vehicle was operating as designed by manufacturer. *Ak
While driving at any speed and when trying to pass other vehicles it hesitated for several seconds. After accelerating the vehicle will not go into any particular gear. Also, engine would whine during this process. Dealer claimed that the vehicle was designed to adapt to the drivers habits.*Ak
Ever since I purchased by 2004 ls430, I have noticed an unacceptable engine vibration. This is noticeable during idle/first start-up. The engine vibrates and can be felt in to the cabin. This happens when the engine revs are between 1200 -1400 rpms. This is very disappointing for a $62k lexus! I have brought this to the attention of a lexus dealer and have gotten the "it must be bad gas" bs. I told them I only use chevron supreme (92), which I also use in my bmw with no problem. A second time, they indicated that it was normal and not a problem. This is something I wouldnt in a vehicle. *Ak
For the last 3 months since I purchased my lexus rx330,i have experience excessive engine vibrations in the steering wheel and the transmission is shifting improperly. Though I have taken my car into lexus many times they have not fix these problems and I believe they need to be addressed.*Ak
Lexus ES330 engine complaints by year
ES330 engine problems, every yearSource: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data