There are 2 owner-reported fuel system complaints for the 2005 Lexus ESin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
2005 LEXUS ES330. HESITATION & STUMBLING ON ACCELERATION. ALSO TRANSMISSION WILL NOT DOWNSHIFT. THIS IS A WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM WITH THE 2005 MODEL YEAR ES330. THERE WAS ONE REVISION OF TRANSMISSION SOFTWARE/FIRMWARE PROVIDED BUT IT DID NOT FIX THIS PROBLEM. AFTER SEVERAL COMPLAINTS THE LEXUS DEALER STATED "THERE'S NOTHING MORE WE CAN DO." SEVERAL INTERNET POSTINGS SUGGEST THAT THIS "DELAY" OR HESITATION IS DESIGNED IN. ALSO, IF WHILE ENTERING A HIGHWAY, FOR EXAMPLE, THE GAS PEDAL IS DEPRESSED, RELEASED AND DEPRESSED AGAIN THERE IS A MUCH LONGER 2-3 SECOND DELAY UNTIL POWER IS DELIVERED AND TO GET PROPER UPSHIFTS AND DOWNSHIFTS I HAVE TO SHIFT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION MANUALLY. THE LEXUS DEALER WAS/IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH THIS PROBLEM BUT HAS NO FIX BEYOND WHAT WAS PROVIDED FOR BACK IN 2005 BY LEXUS. THIS SHOULD BE FURTHER INVESTIGATED ALONG WITH THE CURRENT CROP OF TOYOTA/LEXUS THROTTLE PROBLEMS. THANKS! *TR
LEXUS ES 330, WHEN ACCELERATING, THERE IS A HESITATION. DEALER SAID IT WAS RELATED TO OCTANE OF GASOLINE, THAT I SHOULD INCREASE THE OCTANE TO 92. THIS DID NOT HELP. THEY LIE AT EVERY ANGLE... *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026