Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 010199 | 01/01/1999 | 609103 | Subject regarding active control engine mount (acm) system diagnosis. *tt | 12/13/1999 | |
| EG00399 | 06/18/1989 | 606191 | Information on diagnosing the active control engine mount system (acm). *tt | 08/12/1999 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 010102 | 01/01/2002 | 628655 | Special policy adjustment for customers who have experienced specific mechanical engine problems attributable to the condition known as oil gelling or sludge. *tt | 03/19/2002 | |
| EG00599 | 10/01/1999 | 610094 | Some vehicles may exhibit a malfunction indicator lamp on with diagnostic trouble code p1133 present. *tt | 04/17/2000 | |
| 1980101 | 01/01/1998 | 602526 | Information on a booming / vibration field fix. *yc | 11/06/1998 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||||
| NVO1198 | 08/14/1998 | 602281 | Reducing noise and vibration at idle speeds, a dynamic damper has been added to the center exhaust pipe. *yc | 10/20/1998 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | ||||||
| DP02004 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. | 04/30/2002 | 06/20/2002 | ENGINE SEIZURE | ||
| Alleged that the engine seizure due to oil sludge | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | |||
| 02/28/2013 | 228000 | ||
| My check engine light came on. i had the oil changed for the second time within 30 days because i thought it was an oil problem. the light went off as i was leaving the place. a couple days later the light would come on when i made turns, blink, then go back off. a few days later, it came back on steady, and the car started to jerk while i was driving on the interstate. it would jerk, then slowly increase speed. last saturday, i applied brakes, and the car rolled another few feet. had to swerve left to keep from rear ending a vehicle. today, upon slowing down to enter my driveway, it did it again, and i nearly hit a brick column at the beginning of the driveway. it doesn't jerk frequently, but it seems to do it more often when i am on cruise control. i love my suv and am always bragging about what a reliable car it is. i can't afford to replace it, retired and on disability. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 05/10/2009 | 141000 | 1 | |
| I have read as many of the owners of 1999 lexus rx300 suv , i am not surprised to know that i am now a proud owner of a brand new transmission that failed on my wife while returning from greenville to columbia sc. the transmission was indicating problems by shifting slow as many other complaints that have been filed . when these transmissions start to fail you experience slow shifting when the car has been sitting , even if you let the car warm up first before moving into any gear drive or reverse. when you try to back up in reverse the transmission will not shift into gear, then jumps into gear hard. i have been in the mechanical field for 35 years working for bridgestone/firestone ias a managing partner of retail locations and know this is the signs of transmission problems. this vehicle has been serviced only by lexus only. also are severe oil sludging problems, have serviced hundreds of these models and every horror story is the same . oil sludging causes severe engine damage restricting oil flow through out the engine. when is our rights as consumers going to be upheld by our government . i don`t think i want to buy other new transmission from toyota corporation or another toyota product . the cost to repair was $4075.00 and the only transmissions available are thru toyota with apparently with the new design . these problems were corrected in 2002 with the new design, what about us the owners of the defective ones!!!! chapin s.c. *tr | |||
| 12/11/2008 | 1 | ||
| I have experienced several problems with my 1999 lexus rx300. i have notice via the internet that these are wide spread problems but no recalls have been occurring. these are the incidences that i have problems with: * debris can get into the idle air control valve that allows air into the engine causing the engine to have a low idle speed, or stall when it is cold. (this occurred in the past, perhaps 2004. lexus eventually replaced my engine in 2005.) * sludge can build up in the engine. i routinely have to have the sludge cleaned out to avoid engine problems. * the | |||
| 08/22/2008 | 68000 | 1 | |
| I change motor oil every 5,000 miles, as per manufacturer's schedule. also performed a 'large' ($1,400) maintenance at lexus dealer. car ('99 rx300 awd) had rear engine seal leak at 68,000 miles. it seems a large number of the rx300s experience the same problem, due to hardening (defective) seal material abutting a hot crankcase. *tr | |||
| 02/25/2005 | 116367 | 0 | 11/10/2001 |
| Our vehicle's oil consumption began to increase at approximately 90k miles. it would take at least a quart of oil every 700 miles or so. the check engine light also illuminated around 100k miles. finally brought it to our lexus dealership and told that we needed a new engine block and top end overhaul. the reason given was oil sludge due to lack of proper service. the service dept quoted us 8,000 dollars to do the repairs. unfortunately we did not have the money so we are going to try and find a new engine on our own. | |||
| 07/18/2004 | 62000 | 1 | 01/04/2001 |
| Had my 60,000 mile service done on my 1999 rx300. the wife drove it when i got home and told me the car was running sluggish, didn't accelerate like it did before i brought it in. i took the car out to drive it and feel what she was telling me and noticed that when i would let off the gas and coast them give it gas there was a clunking noise. i took it to the dealer, the mechanic heard the noise and said he wasn't sure what it was. the service person said that i should just drive it normal and not try to make it clunk and it should be ok. if it kept doing it to make an appointment to bring it back. car will be out of warranty! in 4 months. *la | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 03/16/2009 | 1 | ||
| When i run the air conditioning system, water seeps from under the floor board on the passenger side, sometimes up to 3/4 inch. i have to use a vacuum and or a cup to get it out. it is damaging the body. please advise. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2000 | 9 | 02/01/1999 | |
| Contact person: kevin ezratty service manger, bob baker lexus el cajon,ca 92020 (619) 440 5398 car overheats and stalls when towing a 2500 lb r/v trailer rx300 specs 3500lb. when towing in mountain terrain with ambient temperature around 100 degrees and going up hill, the car temp indicator will approach the red zone and will lose all power and stall. there is no warning or time to pull off the road, traffic mostly trucks makes it very scary and dangerous. the transmission was replaced and the car driven 1000 miles and it happened again, with no place to pull off. i returned the car to dealer, they have no idea if they are looking for a mechanical or electrical problem, ther is no history of any lexus rx300 with this type of failure. their suggestions are don't drive in the mountains, don't drive in the desert, don't use the air conditioner, don't tow the r/v trailer, don't drive with any wind. they also requested that they be allowed to take my personal property, the r/v trailer and tow it around the mountains and desert and see if they can make it fail again. i asked if anyone in the facility had ever pulled a trailer, the answer was no one, so i declined. (i have $55,000 invested) i purchased this vehicle for the sole purpose of towing this trailer , now they tell me that just because the car is certified to tow 3500 lbs doesn't mean that it can. at this time we are at a stand still, they can't repair the car and i travel a lot and don't feel safe driving it. without the trailer it seems to be fine, it is equipped with the trailer towing package. the transmission oil temp indicator does not light up, so i think the engine is becoming hot and shutting the car down, see page 208 owners manual. your help and suggestions are appreciated. thank you. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 04/15/2010 | 130000 | ||
| While driving on a 2 lane mountain road the engine on my 1999 lexus rx 300 started knocking loudly and failed. i was able to swing into a pull out and did not get hit. this failure is due to sledge build up. i am a second owner of the vehicle and did not recieve notice from toyota about replacing a defective engine . i purchased vehicle in 03 had it in for repairs in 07 the dealership failed to inform me of the lawsut and correct the engine at that time. now this incident in 2010. i could have lost my life if i were to have been hit on this mountain road that sits on the cliff at 5,500 feet. | |||
| 10/24/2010 | |||
| Oil gel | |||
| 05/12/2010 | 145000 | ||
| My 1999 -- lexus rx300 has about 140k miles on it. the car is now parked so i dont kill myself or my family while driving. a couple months ago, my car just started jerking as if it was going to cut off and my check engine light came on. i work off a major highway and i was really scared. my car speed would be 50-55mph but the rpms would be as high as 6. i have never experienced anything like that before. i went to the car repair shop - i had some mis-fires and they were fixed for $150, no problem. the car repair recommended i get my front brakes done because my miles per gallon had slipped to 15 in the city. a couple weeks later, i got my front brakes done, no problems until one evening, i was driving home when my check engine light came on again...this time i was at the stop light and my car started idling/jerking like i needed to give it some gas or it was going to die. my check engine light is now blinking on my dash board. my husband took my car to a transmission shop and the lexus dealership they say 2-coil ignitions have failed. and that my spark plugs need to be replaced. i also have some other transmission problems but in order to get the check engine light to stop blinking i have to fix, the coil ignition problem which cost between $515 to $775. then they can run more test to see there is any more problems. my car is parked for now. there should be some sort of recall since this is a common problem with all '99 lexus rx300. this is crazy. | |||
| 03/10/2000 | 20000 | 1 | |
| I want you to know during this time of toyota problems and coverup, that we leased new a 1999 lexus rx300, it was maintained at meade lexus according to plan and my wife was driving on a freeway and the engine suddenly seized and the car quit working. the car had my two infant children in it at the time and she was stuck near the exit ramp with vehicles/trucks/semis bearing down on her. she and the children were scared and nearly collided with at its sudden location to stop. the car was towed to the lexus dealer and discovered sludge had ruined the motor. they would not repair it and towed the vehicle to our garage where it sat as i made payments on it. i took lexus to arbitration with my maintenance receipts and lost as the arbitrator said i may have abused the vehicle after the toyota rep showed a sample of the sludge. the vehicle still sat in the garage and months later lexus admitted fault with the oil passages on the motor and replaced the engine just in time for me to return it off lease. i agree they finally repaired it 5-6 months later, but this failure nearly cost my families life and was ignored by lexus. the dates stated here are approx and here is an informational link i found http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/01/toyota_sludge_settlement.html i would love to testify about the poor treatment and ignoring attitude about my problem. *tr | |||
| 11/25/2006 | 88000 | 2 | 06/17/1999 |
| Lexus 1999 rx 300 had oil sludge in 2000 and i was originally charged by lexus pembroke pines then about 1 year later reimbursed as a customer convience. my lexus now has thrown a rod at 88,000 which i feel and can get expert mechanics to verify that this is the after effect of the oil gel. the only thing that was done was a oil cleaning and gasket change. the internal parts oil pump, rods,crankshaft were not dismantled and thoroughly cleaned removing any left over remnants of oil gunk which after time would restrict oil flow to the working parts. lexus denies all liability and i feel this falls under the class action suit and i need protection which i cannot afford. your assistance and further help in pointing out cases in complete engine breakdown will help me get lexus to open there eyes and hopefully help others. *nm | |||
| 01/05/2003 | 1 | ||
| I own a 1999 lexus rx300 and have had an engine sludge problem which was repaired by the dealer with the valve seal replacement being performed. also had front exhaust manifold and front down pipe failure(crack) occurring at about 71,000 miles. unsure as to any relationship between the two.*jb | |||
| 03/24/2002 | 88000 | 1 | 02/22/2002 |
| I own 1999 lexus rx300, since february of the last year, i had numerous problems with the car's engine (it has sludge), transmission, emission system, and over use of gas per mile. first problem started during the first month of my ownership and since that time the vehicle has spent weeks in auto repair shops. lexus dealer and others charged me lavish fees but never fixed the problems and lexus dealers even never admitted that serious problems existed. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 4 | |||
| Vehicle did not start four times in six week period. battery replaced twice. problem still exist. *tt | |||
| 10/01/2001 | 1 | ||
| Engine design fault in the cooling channels to the cylinder head of the vehicle were made too small resulting in excessives engine operating temperatures causing frying of the engine oil turning it to sludge, the sludge clogs the engine ports eventually causing engine failure. nlm | |||
| 06/05/2001 | 1 | 03/01/1999 | |
| Engine failed due to sludge. took to arbitration did not win. vehicle out of service for last 10 months. lexus dealer and customer service contacted over 50 times. even with new policy engine still has not been repaired. lexus and dealer have treated me like a villian. piad for vehicle that is unuseable. *ak | |||
| Engine design is faulty. while driving vehicle oil becomes very hot and turns into sludge. engine check light illuminates on dash continuously. please provide any further information. *ak | |||
| 01/28/2002 | 1 | 03/01/2001 | |
| Engine sludge, resulting in engine replacement. *ak | |||
| 10/01/2001 | 1 | ||
| Engine design fault in the cooling channels to the cylinder head of the vehicle were made too small resulting in excessives engine operating temperatures causing frying of the engine oil turning it to sludge, the sludge clogs the engine ports eventually causing engine failure. nlm | |||
| 07/15/2000 | 3 | 04/01/1998 | |
| Engine stalls at idle, dealer claims from high oil viscosity despite oil being changed every 5000 miles. dealer says that because of the way the engine is mounted that it runs hot and that only certain oils are reccomended. says that quaker state oil, which we used, should be changed every 3000 miles since it is not as good as the oil they use at the dealer. this is not suggested in the owners manual and i would suspect poor engine design that allows development of excessive heat. secondly, the gas tank sensor failed- gas gauge ran half when the tank was empty. dealer says he has seen this several times. suspect problem with this component. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 01/25/2005 | 1 | 04/07/1999 | |
| Took 1999 lexus rx 300 in for regular service at 39,000 miles, and asked dealer to check engine noise. dealer found cracked exhaust manifold and split exhaust pipe coming off manifold. maifold replaced under extended warranty plan but split exhaust not covered because car was out of original warranty. dealer carried exhaust manifolds in stock due to frequency of problem. this was a design/manufacturing defect and should have been covered by manufacturer.*ak | |||
| 07/01/2002 | 1 | 05/01/2099 | |
| Exhaust manifold on right side of engine cracked, which resulated in replacement of the manifold and 2 sensor at owners expense. the part cracked at 71,000 miles and lexus would not reimburse repair because the car was out of warranty. exhaust manifolds should not crack at 71,000 miles, if ever. dt | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||
| 02/16/2007 | 122000 | 1 | 09/01/2005 |
| I have a lexus rx300 awd and just found out that the transmission needs to be replaced at 120,000 miles. i was very shocked when i took my vehicle in for scheduled maintenance and was told that the transmission is going out and it would be $5720 to repair it. i am very disgusted with this because i started researching the issue and have found that there are several problems with this so called luxury vehicle that is suppose to last you to 250,000 miles or more. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE) | |||
| 03/24/2002 | 88000 | 1 | 02/22/2002 |
| I own 1999 lexus rx300, since february of the last year, i had numerous problems with the car's engine (it has sludge), transmission, emission system, and over use of gas per mile. first problem started during the first month of my ownership and since that time the vehicle has spent weeks in auto repair shops. lexus dealer and others charged me lavish fees but never fixed the problems and lexus dealers even never admitted that serious problems existed. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 08/10/2003 | 80600 | 1 | 07/10/2003 |
| Exhaust manifold crack. *la | |||
| 01/05/2003 | 1 | ||
| I own a 1999 lexus rx300 and have had an engine sludge problem which was repaired by the dealer with the valve seal replacement being performed. also had front exhaust manifold and front down pipe failure(crack) occurring at about 71,000 miles. unsure as to any relationship between the two.*jb | |||