[micaISF]

i had this happen a couple times. one time i fixed it after i change the shift lever back and forth from D to M and back to D. possibly a wobbly switch between D and M. seems like there may be a bug that lexus did not smooth out completely.

 

[micaISF]

I'm pretty sure that it will do this to protect the transmission - it's not a fault. If the transmission fluid isn't warm enough it will change gears as little as possible. Just my experience.


i am no transmission expert, but seems to me that's not a good protective mechanism. first of all, that can be dangerous as the car gets stuck in 1st or 2nd gear. second, allowing the engine to redline while cold is probably not a good idea.


quote "Did it happen to everyone else in cold weather?"

i am in central california, didnt get very cold when it happened to me. definitely, not colder than 50 degrees.

 

[micaISF]

mine had the problem for the 3rd time today. it has 1004 miles on it. it happened when engine was cold after i had driven for about two blocks. i was in normal mode and outside temperature was 55 degrees.
i am not convinced it is a build in feature of the car. if that's the case, it should happen much more often. i am not suprised your dealer has no clue since they probably sold very few F so far and this problem doesnt seems to be universal. i hope in a few months, Lexus will have better clue as more people complain about it.

 

[micaISF]

i am not too worried about my transmission problem. i don't think it will damage the car, but it's a nuisance.

 

[micaISF]

came back from dealer today. my service manager told me it's normal; the transmission needs time to warm up before it will shift correctly. well, we will see if enough owners complain and eventually a technical service bulletin will be issued.

 

[micaISF]

The VA/DC area received a good amount of snow last night and I drove today in snow mode. I noticed that before the engine temperature reached 3 bars, the car would not get into 1st gear. When I was stopped at a light, it idled in 2nd gear. Does this seem reasonable? First time I've ever seen that.

Also, driving on regular tires is very difficult in the F. But I don't believe we get enough snow here to warrant me purchasing a set of snow tires. Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks!

i believe it's normal to start in 2nd gear to avoid wheel spin in SNOW mode.

 

[micaISF]

sounds like it's not an uncommon problem. anyone has any luck to get lexus to admit the problem? i imagine a TSB will be issue is a year or two after enough people complain to lexus.