KnownCarProblems2004 Lexus ES330 Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 174 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Lexus ES330, most often about the transmission (35% of complaints, typically around 500 miles). It is the most complained-about ES330 model year since 2000 and has 2 recalls.
Most common 2004 Lexus ES330 problems
Transmission
61 complaints · 35%Half of these problems showed up before 500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline.
1. Car hesitates, transmission doesn't shift smoothly. Returned car to dealer 3 times. Delaer "reset transmission". No help with problem.
Severe hesitation when merging on to a higway at between 20 and 30 MPH. Dealer service has checked vehicle previously and "its normal for a Lexus"
Speed control
53 complaints · 31%Half of these problems showed up before 22,500 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal, cruise control.
I was driving our 2004 Lexus ES330 on a clear sunny day at approximately 2:30 pm. I stopped in the left turn lane at a very busy intersection in tucson, arizona. There were three cars in front of my vehicle and I had the car in neutral. When the left-hand turn-light signal changed to green, I pulled the gear shift…
Tl contact owns a 2004 Lexus ES330. While parking, the vehicle suddenly jumped when shifted into drive. The vehicle accelerated over a cement block, went uphill and crashed into bushes and rocks. The contact suffered minor injuries. No police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer but had not…
Air bags
24 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 80,500 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, sensor.
No accident- the passenger air bag- the cover is raise and the edges turned up as if ready to open-we fear damage to the passenger or driver -the news today said there is a recall-what do we do.
I started my car and all of the sudden, air bag light came on. I never had an accident, airbags were never deployed, I checked all the wires and even unplugged the battery for good 10 minutes and the light will not go off. In case of an accident, my car will not deploy air bags and it creates a potential threat that…
Brakes
15 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 33,000 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, antilock.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Lexus es 330. The contact was driving approximately 10 MPH on normal road conditions. There was pressure applied to the brake pedal. The vehicle failed to slow down and crashed into a building. The driver sustained no personals injury. The police and ambulance were not called to the scene. The…
When braking and slowly turning left to come to a stop in a parking space at a wal-mart parking lot my car suddenly accelerated uncontrollably at such a fast speed that my car crashed into a metal pole and pushed a parked station wagon facing my car back far into another isle. My foot was definitely braking the whole…
Engine
12 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 61,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine.
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.
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…
Electrical
7 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 154,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, wiring, 12v/24v/48v battery.
The contact owns a 2004 Lexus ES330. While driving 35 MPH, the air bag light illuminated, and the cruise control, fuel gauge, and horn failed to function. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the entire electrical housing system of the front passenger seat failed and needed to…
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…
Fuel system
4 complaints · 2%Parts named most often: fuel injection system.
This car is extremely dangerous. It's either a defective transmission or bad drive-by-wire design.the car hesitates extremely badly on acceleration. For example, when you are entering a limited access highway, if you slow down and then step on the gas, there is a long lag before the car begins to pick up speed. This…
When I tried to stop and turned right on a side street the car's brake didn't work and the car even accelerated itself. It didn't stop even I pressed the brake until it hit a street sign and knocked the tree down on the sidewalk. The air bag didn't come out after the crash neither. The car was a total lost after this…
Visibility and wipers
4 complaints · 2%Parts named most often: rearview mirrors/devices, windshield wiper/washer, defroster/defogger/hvac system.
While driving in rainy weather front windshield wipers failed to work intermittently. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
I not longer have confidence in driving my Lexus 2004 ES330 with 12,500 miles due to 2 main reasons. (a) this car continue to pull to the left to the point that I must continually put pressure to the steering wheel so the car wont move to the left. This is happening even after the dealer has supposedly fixed issue.…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2004 Lexus ES330 recalls
Engine: engine and engine cooling
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.
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.
Full defect summary
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.
Seat belts: buckle assembly
Risk: If the switch becomes unseated, the front passenger occupant classification system may mistake the rear-facing child restraint for an unbelted adult occupant, and may not suppress the deployment of the front passenger airbag.
Fix: Dealers will replace the front passenger seatbelt buckle status switch. This safety improvement campaign (ssc 40m) began on december 20, 2004. Owners should contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331 or lexus at 1-800-255-3987..
Full defect summary
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a front passenger power seat, when installing certain rear-facing infant child seat bases onto the seat with an excessively high seatbelt tension, it may be possible to unseat a component called the buckle status switch from the seat belt buckle.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Vehicle speed control
Summary
In a letter dated july 8, 2005, and after experiencing two incidents (and one crash) where he alleges his model year (my) 2002 camry accelerated without driver input, mr. Jordan ziprin petitioned the national highway traffic safety administration?s (NHTSA) office of defects investigation (odi) to commence a proceeding to determine the existence of a defect within the etc system in my 2002 to 2005 toyota and lexus vehicles, or to reopen a prior investigation preliminary evaluation (pe) 04-021.in a letter dated august 18, 2005, mr. Ziprin amended his petition to include allegations of interrelated brake and acceleration problems that allegedly result in inappropriate and uncontrollable vehicle
Questions about the 2004 Lexus ES330
- What are the most common problems with the 2004 Lexus ES330?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (61 complaints, typically around 500 miles); speed control (53 complaints, typically around 22,500 miles); air bags (24 complaints, typically around 80,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2004 Lexus ES330 have?
- 2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from November 9, 2011 (engine). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2004 a bad year for the Lexus ES330?
- It is the most complained-about ES330 model year since 2000, with 174 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.