[Socrates]

I purchased a 2001 IS300 in mid-May. I asked about the ECU/TRAC problem then, and was told "This car is fine." Within 2 days I experienced all the early and aggressive TRAC behavior, and the potentially dangerous lack of throttle response (sometimes called throttle lag) described in this forum. I spoke with service at the dealer, and was told to use the power mode. That made no difference in the car's behavior. On some days, the problem was so severe I simply drove the car home and used one of my other vehicles. Now, the car has been at the dealer's for service for two full weeks, and I am told that it will be at least another six weeks before the TRAC update arrives. I have told the dealership I will not drive the car until it is right (I chose the IS300 over a BMW 330), and I expect Lexus to be taken seriously when they describe themselves as in the "relentless pursuit of perfection." I told the salesman I would sell the car back to Lexus before I waited another six weeks for the part, and was told the dealership would not buy a car back, AND if I wanted to trade for a 2002 IS300 I would be offered a discounted price for my car since it was known to have an ECU/TRAC problem. Relentless pursuit of perfection, indeed.

 

[IS300 Fanatic]

Yah, I've been waiting for my TRAC upgrade for almost 2 months now. The Service Manager denied such a thing to me when I asked him in person. I wasn't very impressed with that. Maybe he didn't know at that time, but I'm not pleased with the situation.

Only certain IS300's are affected by the changes. I can't remember the VIN ranges for the ECU and TRAC problems. It only affected the early IS300's produced. The newer ones (even the later 2001 models) should be fine...

In any case, I hope things work out for you.

 

[SilverLex]

Going on 6 months here ourselves.

 

[Risk3233]

I just got my update done two weeks ago, but made my formal request w/the service department in Feb. 01. It took that long. I don't recall the exact reason why, but it was reported that the service department wasn't "equipped" to do the ECU reflash and only recently was able to do so. The one good thing is that the TRAC part was physically at the dealership for most of that time so I did not have to wait for it to arrive.

I understand your frustration and wish that Lexus would take a consistent position on the ECU/TRAC issue. There are too many representations being made that IMO are at the very least keeping consumers uninfomred and at worst misleading them.

Good luck to all.

 

[marke1]

I would think that your car is upgraded since you bought it recently, however...I had my update about 2 weeks ago as well. The Trac is much better, but I think it still engages way too easily. The engagement time is shorter and less severe. I've often wondered if the LSD is causing the wheels to slip slightly on turns and the Trac is interpreting it as wheelspin? I don't know but I think it is still not fixed.

 

[inthethicket]

As soon as I read about the update on this board I went into Lexus of Salt Lake and asked about the update. The service manager said he had not heard of it. I got the part # and went back in, he said he would check for me. Then he called me and told me that they had recalled the update. I found this strange as there were still peeps on this board getting it done.
As soon as I got to Denver, I went into one of the dealerships here and they ordered it right away.
Lexus does not seem to have very good communication on this issue. I bet Mercedes, BMW and Audi owners don't have to deal with this s**t.
It seems like some dealers really treat the customer right and others don't really care.
I don't know if I will ever buy another Lexus. Do any of you feel that you should be treated better as the owner of a $35K car?
Maybe if I was the owner of a GS430 they would be more helpful. I get the feeling we are the black sheep of Lexus owners.

 

[Desmo]

I called the dealership last Monday to schedule the update. I was scheduled in for Thursday. The day before the appointment they called and said the traction control computer was backordered, but then called the next day to say they got one in.

So Monday this week I brought the car in and picked it up Tuesday. When I first called they gave me some hassle until they figured out I knew what I was talking about and described the hesitation, etc. After that it was easy.

They also did the plastic cover recall, and for "campaigns" like that part of the deal is a full tank of gas. So plan accordingly and don't fill it up on the way to the dealership.

As for the tranny/traction control I like it quite a bit more. The shifts seem firmer all the time, more positive feeling. I'll still trade it off for a manual asap, but in the mean time it's easier to deal with.

 

[01_is300]

how much are these updates cost?? if its under warranty i guess im out of luck..let me know people how much they cost..i havent seem to experience all this problem but im just curious cause it seems like everyone is getting this update..thanks

 

[01IS300INSACTOWN]

I looked at my paperwork to see if mine had ever been done (by previous owner) and it looks like it was done under warranty for free. It was done at about 82k miles. Hope that helps.

 

[diablooffire03]

I called the dealership last Monday to schedule the update. I was scheduled in for Thursday. The day before the appointment they called and said the traction control computer was backordered, but then called the next day to say they got one in.

So Monday this week I brought the car in and picked it up Tuesday. When I first called they gave me some hassle until they figured out I knew what I was talking about and described the hesitation, etc. After that it was easy.

They also did the plastic cover recall, and for "campaigns" like that part of the deal is a full tank of gas. So plan accordingly and don't fill it up on the way to the dealership.

As for the tranny/traction control I like it quite a bit more. The shifts seem firmer all the time, more positive feeling. I'll still trade it off for a manual asap, but in the mean time it's easier to deal with.

Most likely they filled you up with a full tank of REGULAR

 

[mborner]

how much are these updates cost?? if its under warranty i guess im out of luck..let me know people how much they cost..i havent seem to experience all this problem but im just curious cause it seems like everyone is getting this update..thanks

This should explain the VIN ranges and any warranty issues you may have.

 

[bartkat]

Most likely they filled you up with a full tank of REGULAR

I dunno if it matters much since 5 years have gone by since that post.

 

[sup_dave]

This should explain the VIN ranges and any warranty issues you may have.

So does this mean that my car is okay if my vin comes before the listed VINs. My is 25157. That seems kind of strange to me that cars produced before the 25186 VIN is okay, and only those that fall between 25186 - 29014 is faulty. So does those that have earlier VINs have the same TRAC ECU as the '02? Does someone have any knowledge on this, cause my IS seems to have throttle control hesistation too.