Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 00504 | 08/26/2004 | 10009396 | Proper identification of the 5 solenoids used in the u140e/u140f transmissions. *tt | 09/29/2004 | |
| TC00100 | 10/20/2000 | 618462 | Information on automatic transmission fluid leak. *tt | 04/13/2001 | |
| TC00299 | 08/06/1999 | 610099 | Some vehicles may exhibit an intermittent shudder during the 2-3 shift under light throttle acceleration and / or engine and transaxle operating temperature. *tt | 04/17/2000 | |
| TC00299 | 08/06/1999 | 6088666 | Exhibiting an intermittent shudder during the 2-3 shift. *tt | 12/29/1999 | |
| 010199 | 01/01/1999 | 605942 | Subject regarding automatic transmission fluids. *tt | 08/02/1999 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 04/25/2012 | 106857 | ||
| On april 25, 2012, my wife and i were driving to my brother | |||
| 09/15/2009 | 275000 | ||
| Accelerator entrapment in aftermarket floor pad of a lexus rx 300 last september. (i don't know what kind of floor pad, i bought it in 1999 and installed it then, it is one of the thick ones that is good a holding snow and water.) i figured out that the floor pad was the problem while the engine was revving to 90 mph and the brakes would not stop the car. lexus could find nothing wrong but said nothing to me about this being a problem in toyota products. no crash and no injury since i figured it out; the floor mat felt thick to my foot so i yanked it out from under the pedals. just really scary.... specifically, i came out of a side street on to a main road and needed to get ahead of traffic so i stomped in the accelerator pretty hard- not my typical driving style- and then the accelerator stuck, the car revving and going to 90- 100 mph. i stood on the brakes but it would not stop. i tried to throw it into park ( but thankfully the car wouldn't let me- i was thinking about trying to use the parking brake to stop it, but it doesn't have a hand brake so that's why i was so stupid and tried to throw it in park. the noise from that was so horrifying i did not put it in neutral). then i felt the lumpy floor mat and yanked it out from underneath the pedals. it was late at night and there were no cars on the road so i had a mile of clear road to work this out. car had about 275,000 miles on it. built in july 1998, jt6h10u7x0032830 is serial i can't give you the exact date because i can't find the service receipt- sorry! | |||
| 12/06/2009 | 99376 | 1 | |
| On or about 12/5/09 my daughter was driving home from work on 55 when all of a sudden she said the car seemed to lose traction and she said before she knew it she was inches away from going into a ditch and just missed hitting another car,thank god the traffic behind her did not crash into her. a guy she missed hitting got out of his car and asked if she was ok and that she almost hit him. we contacted lexus that morning and was told to bring the car in so we had it towed and was given a loaner for about a week and was finally told what was wrong,the front differential was locking up &fluid inside was completely black from metal shavings to the tune of $5000.00 we at that time asked if there was any recalls on the car because everybody we talked to said the car should not have done that,was told by the service guy there were no recalls,we went looking on the internet about differentials and happened upon lexus website and there we found recall on my car 1999 rx300 recall #72421 describing exactly what happened to us.contacted lexus was told it was not my car,not my vin #,different manufacturer. after numerous calls to try and resolve this getting the runaround was told by the service manager he would be willing to do the labor for free and but did not feel like he should assume all responsibility and to call corporate was told by them that there was no recall that it was a technical bulletin.and finally they would allow 25% off of parts and that was a final offer,also i received a $500.00 gift card toward parts,there is a recall # .i took very good care of my car,spent $2000.00 in 11/08 for work on the car.besides the fact no one was hurt lexus is giving me the runaround they flatly said no recalls even though their website has recall with recall #. i think they are taking advantage because we are women and supposedly was not going to pursue this. if the service guy said to contact corporate which we did as well as the bbb,and mr. fix it from the sometimes. *tr | |||
| 05/28/2008 | 150000 | 1 | |
| I have a 1999 lexus rx300...transmission failed at 150k miles no warning just stranded me while out running errands. the cost to fix this was 3k and no car door over a week. this car also had an engine that lexus replaced due to oil sludging. really wanted to kept he car until 200k but now the check engine light is on. *tr | |||
| 05/24/2005 | 68320 | 09/17/2002 | |
| The manifold system on my 1999 lexus rx300 had to be replaced at only 68,320 miles which cost well over $1,000. usually the manifold system on a car is not replaced. lexus should be repsonsible for this problem. please look into this problem for us. i also had the jellying problems with the engine. yes, i do all the required only changes and etc. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 08/17/2011 | 89000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1999 lexus rx300. the contact stated while driving 40 mph uphill there was a burning smell and the vehicle stalled. there were no warning lights illuminated. the contact drove the vehicle onto the shoulder. the vehicle was towed to a dealer who stated the transmission failed. the dealer stated there were no recalls and the repair cost would be $5000. the manufacturer advised the contact that a representative would return the call. the failure mileage was 89,000. rvk | |||
| 06/15/2011 | 142500 | ||
| 138,000 used vehicle. upon purchase did timming belt, water pump and all belts. then had a transmission flush. went on a 500 mile round trip and upon returning lost overdrive. made it home then next day a severe lose of power and trans would not shift. after restarting would shift but no overdrive. after investigating found hundreds of similiar incidents when you query lexus transmission failure. i can understand losing a transmission but reading all these complainants it is clear that this product is defective. | |||
| 02/18/2011 | 128030 | ||
| Lexus rx300, transmission shift problems at gear 3 and 4. rpm goes over 4000, irrespective of warm or cold engine. i have an engine light code 0765 (solenoid shift d malfunction) | |||
| 06/15/2011 | 142500 | ||
| 138,000 used vehicle. upon purchase did timming belt, water pump and all belts. then had a transmission flush. went on a 500 mile round trip and upon returning lost overdrive. made it home then next day a severe lose of power and trans would not shift. after restarting would shift but no overdrive. after investigating found hundreds of similiar incidents when you query lexus transmission failure. i can understand losing a transmission but reading all these complainants it is clear that this product is defective. | |||
| 02/18/2011 | 128030 | ||
| Lexus rx300, transmission shift problems at gear 3 and 4. rpm goes over 4000, irrespective of warm or cold engine. i have an engine light code 0765 (solenoid shift d malfunction) | |||
| 06/15/2011 | 142500 | ||
| 138,000 used vehicle. upon purchase did timming belt, water pump and all belts. then had a transmission flush. went on a 500 mile round trip and upon returning lost overdrive. made it home then next day a severe lose of power and trans would not shift. after restarting would shift but no overdrive. after investigating found hundreds of similiar incidents when you query lexus transmission failure. i can understand losing a transmission but reading all these complainants it is clear that this product is defective. | |||
| 02/18/2011 | 128030 | ||
| Lexus rx300, transmission shift problems at gear 3 and 4. rpm goes over 4000, irrespective of warm or cold engine. i have an engine light code 0765 (solenoid shift d malfunction) | |||
| 06/15/2011 | 142500 | ||
| 138,000 used vehicle. upon purchase did timming belt, water pump and all belts. then had a transmission flush. went on a 500 mile round trip and upon returning lost overdrive. made it home then next day a severe lose of power and trans would not shift. after restarting would shift but no overdrive. after investigating found hundreds of similiar incidents when you query lexus transmission failure. i can understand losing a transmission but reading all these complainants it is clear that this product is defective. | |||
| 02/18/2011 | 128030 | ||
| Lexus rx300, transmission shift problems at gear 3 and 4. rpm goes over 4000, irrespective of warm or cold engine. i have an engine light code 0765 (solenoid shift d malfunction) | |||
| 06/01/2008 | |||
| I purchased used 1999 lexus rx300 in 2008 and so far i've had to replace the transmission due to unexpected catastrophic failure, both air ratio sensors, both knock sensors, oxygen sensor, front strut mounts, and now possibly have to change the transmission again (not shifting correctly). i was not aware that the 1999 to 2001 rx300s were so problematic. since this is my only vehicle and i am still making payments on it, i am stuck footing the bill for all these repairs. which from what i have researched are attributed to bad engineering. i am constantly having to repair a vehicle which is supposedly known for quality. the problems that i've mentioned are just the major repairs. i have other minor issues such as rear power window must remain locked or it opens on it's own, dashboard lights do not illuminate,and power roof gets stuck open intermittently. | |||
| 07/09/2011 | 228000 | ||
| 1999 lexus rx300 which had transmission service on march 17th 2011 at henessey lexus in dacula georgia, began to make a whirring sound and slip out of gear while driving on interstate 85 north on saturday july 9th 2011. i immediatly pulled off onto the shoulder of the interstate to check the fluid and it showed full on the dip stick. on monday july 11th 2011 the rx300 in question was taken to the same dealership which performed the service of the transmission on march 17th 2011, and they informed me that i would need a new transmission costing upward of $4500. after further investigation i have found there are thousands of complaints regarding the rx300 model years 1999-2001 describing the exact same drive train failure. it is apparent that lexus is aware of this issue and has failed to issue any type of warning to its consumers of impending transaxle failure due to an inferior shifting apparatus. as stated earlier service was performed on my rx300 and any mention of impending problems were absent. as a consumer i feel that it is the responsibility of lexus to warn its customers of any problems which may arise due to inadequate equipment. below are links to other websites which list complaints of the exact transaxle failure. a recall for repairs should be issued as this is a serious vehicle failure. if i had been informed of this impending issue costly repairs and damage certainly would have been avoided. us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=28020 - http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/webx/.f111d9c/1 | |||
| 06/01/2008 | |||
| I purchased used 1999 lexus rx300 in 2008 and so far i've had to replace the transmission due to unexpected catastrophic failure, both air ratio sensors, both knock sensors, oxygen sensor, front strut mounts, and now possibly have to change the transmission again (not shifting correctly). i was not aware that the 1999 to 2001 rx300s were so problematic. since this is my only vehicle and i am still making payments on it, i am stuck footing the bill for all these repairs. which from what i have researched are attributed to bad engineering. i am constantly having to repair a vehicle which is supposedly known for quality. the problems that i've mentioned are just the major repairs. i have other minor issues such as rear power window must remain locked or it opens on it's own, dashboard lights do not illuminate,and power roof gets stuck open intermittently. | |||
| 07/09/2011 | 228000 | ||
| 1999 lexus rx300 which had transmission service on march 17th 2011 at henessey lexus in dacula georgia, began to make a whirring sound and slip out of gear while driving on interstate 85 north on saturday july 9th 2011. i immediatly pulled off onto the shoulder of the interstate to check the fluid and it showed full on the dip stick. on monday july 11th 2011 the rx300 in question was taken to the same dealership which performed the service of the transmission on march 17th 2011, and they informed me that i would need a new transmission costing upward of $4500. after further investigation i have found there are thousands of complaints regarding the rx300 model years 1999-2001 describing the exact same drive train failure. it is apparent that lexus is aware of this issue and has failed to issue any type of warning to its consumers of impending transaxle failure due to an inferior shifting apparatus. as stated earlier service was performed on my rx300 and any mention of impending problems were absent. as a consumer i feel that it is the responsibility of lexus to warn its customers of any problems which may arise due to inadequate equipment. below are links to other websites which list complaints of the exact transaxle failure. a recall for repairs should be issued as this is a serious vehicle failure. if i had been informed of this impending issue costly repairs and damage certainly would have been avoided. us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=28020 - http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/webx/.f111d9c/1 | |||
| 07/02/2011 | 165000 | ||
| The automatic transmission on my 1999 lexus rx300 failed at 165,000 miles. it constantly tried to downshift, and as a result it ran hot and burned transmission fluid. prior to failing, it ceased shifting into overdrive while i was on the highway, forcing me to drive in a low gear at 4,500 rpms and waste gas while i drove as far as i could toward the mechanic. | |||
| 06/10/2011 | 145000 | ||
| My daughter was driving her 1999 lexus rx300 to work when, in heavy traffic, the transmission completely disengaged almost causing her to have an accident. several cars almost hit her while she tried to navigate the car off the roadway to a safe place. carried the car to the local toyota dealer (there is no local lexus dealer here) and was told the transmission would need to be replaced and the cost would be $3,700. there were no advanced indications the transmission was having problems it just suddenly quit working. this is a very dangerous scenario and we are blessed that our daughter was not involved in an accident due to the transmission failure. | |||
| 02/27/2011 | 145000 | ||
| Transmission failure at 145k no warning 4k to repair | |||
| 11/26/2010 | 110000 | ||
| Transmission failure at 110k miles; required transmission replacement | |||
| 10/01/2010 | 94000 | ||
| Began with very rough idle. transmission then refuses to shift to overdrive gear. | |||
| 08/17/2009 | 128712 | ||
| While driving my lexus rx300 i heard a slight pop under the front. and the car stopped. i was told the transmission went bad. the car has 128000 miles. | |||
| 05/07/2010 | 91000 | ||
| 1999 lexus rx 300 91k miles, owned since new, all service at dealer as required, transmission just went out. found a website with many complaints, same thing, low miles. obviously a dealer defect, this is not right! i bought a lexus so it would be reliable. my chevy silverado 1993 is going stronger than this car. since i bought the car, it did not upshift right. lexus always said this was not a problem. i notice other people complaining of the same symptom. this failure was sudden other than that. just in a parking lot & suddenly it would not shift going forward. 1 1/2 years ago my mechanic happened to check my tranny fluid, it was black. he drained & replaced it. i was livid, i had paid for all dealer maintenance. that was at roughly 80k miles. supposedly this was done at 60k miles by lexus (i'm not sure if they did the work now, or not) there were metal shavings in the fluid. something appears to be wrong with this design, and looks like they did a bandaid in later models. i am seriously considering getting a class action lawsuit against them, i should not have to pay $5k for a new tranny now, that is why i bought a lexus. my celica was still going strong at 175k miles when i sold it. check this website: http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/lexus/rx300/r54694/comments/page-2/ pam ragland cell 714-287-0001 | |||
| 04/13/2010 | |||
| I have a popping in the steering column. i hope that the steering is not lost from this popping. | |||
| 05/13/2010 | 96000 | ||
| I was driving on a interstate and the transmission started slipping until it gave out. | |||
| 01/07/2010 | 99000 | ||
| 1999 lexus rx 300 vehicle 99,000 miles in very good repair suddenly stalls due to transmission failure on the freeway. no previous warning. i was very fortunate to coast off the highway into a safe area to stop the vehicle. it would no longer move, transmission was reported to be dead by two mechanics. after researching this model there are many reports about transmission failures some causing accidents and injuries. neither was the case with my incident but it is a disturbing trend. | |||
| 04/07/2010 | 113440 | ||
| About one week ago, i noticed a tinny/humming noise coming from somewhere under the hood of my rx300. i took it to several mechanics to have them tell me what was wrong with it, but by the time i got there the engine was operating at normal temperatures and the noise was practically non-existant. yesterday morning, while traveling at highway speeds, it would suddenly lose power and the tachometer would show the rpms raising suddenly, as if it was in neutral. it would do this for several seconds or more before deciding to apply power to the wheels again when it wanted to. this has caused me to have to creep along at times, unsure of what it might do next. not being in control of when (or where for that matter) my vehicle will go is a safety concern. will it poop out on me when i'm needing to pass somebody or trying to turn left across oncoming traffic? will it lunge me forward on its own at an unpredictable moment? yesterday afternoon my check engine light came on, my mechanic told me the code rang up as shift solenoid. this car has always been taken care of according to manual specs. my last tranny fluid change was about three months ago. the car also appears to have a rear engine leak at the gasket between the engine and tranny. this quality lexus car has less than 114k miles on it! my sister just had her rear engine seal replaced and her transmission rebuilt for $4400 and hers has just 125k miles on it. what a joke! i will never by a toyota again. i've always gotten better safety and longevity out of fords. poo on you lexus. i am scheduling a time to have my mechanic repair this; still waiting on a quote though. i expect a min of $400, but once he opens the tranny up he may advise me to rebuild the thing (another $4-$5k). lexus either believes in safety, in which case they should fess up to poor engineering and fix their mistake, or they don't! deaths/injuries:? = not yet. | |||
| 03/31/2010 | 118000 | ||
| Transmission failure | |||
| 03/05/2010 | 142000 | 1 | |
| I have had idle problems for over a year. then abruptly while driving on surface streets my transmission quit shifting. the transmission had totally failed. this lexus 1999 rx300 has hundreds of consumer complaints with the same problem. i was lucky enough to get 142,000 miles before it failed. i had planned to drive this car for over 200,000 miles knowing it was a toyota vehicle. in the past, toyota's were valued for their durability and reliability. i was very lucky this did not happened at high speeds. *tr | |||
| 03/03/2010 | 98456 | 1 | |
| I have owned a 1999 lexus rx 300 since it was new. now has 98,000 miles and transmission went out yesterday. i have read and talked to service people that said the 1999 and 2000 models have transmission defects but the service people tell me it will cost between $4 to $5,000 to repair. this is on a car that is worth about $7,000, doesn't make sense to repair. with all of toyota's problems this rx300 should be on recall! *tr | |||
| 01/14/2010 | 170320 | 1 | |
| Wife driving 1999 rx300 lexus w/ awd and it just stopped and unable to engage reverse due to transmission failure. it was towed home and after some inquiries just parked until enough money can be raised to attempt repair (very costly). *tr | |||
| 02/02/2010 | 45765 | 1 | |
| I purchased a lexus rx300 in october 2009. the car has been maintained and proper fluids checked or replaced. on february of 2010 the transmission went out. no warning lights indicating that there was an issue with engine or transmission. now i am told that it will cost approximately 4400k to replace. as i research i come to find out that i have purchased a top of line vehicle with a mid class transmission (camry). car is sitting in driveway still no check engine or warning lights. something is wrong with this picture. *tr | |||
| 12/27/2009 | 86192 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1999 lexus rx300. the contact stated that she noticed a noise on the front end of the vehicle and within a few minutes while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle suddenly stopped moving forward. she turned the vehicle off and tried to restart it; however, after 10 attempts to restart the vehicle she was unable to do so. the vehicle was towed to a dealer who stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer offered her a 50% discount off of the total repair costs. the vehicle had not been repaired to-date. the current and failure mileages were 86,192. | |||
| 11/26/2009 | 134000 | 1 | |
| We owned a 1999 lexus rx 300 suv. we recently encountered a complete transmission failure on 11/26/2009 (thanksgiving day) at ~134000 miles while driving to attend a thanksgiving dinner. the car was well-maintained and well-kept since the purchase. the entire maintenance history can be verified & confirmed by lexus of portland in oregon. we were very surprised that the transmission went out so soon for a lexus. this is very disappointing. not only the situation was dangerous and unsafe for my wife & i (we were on a highway) but we later found out that lexus is charging us $4400 to replace a rebuilt transmission. as i investigate further, sounds like lexus/toyota is well-aware of the problem and not offering any compensation to help with the heavy burden replacement cost. we would like to file this complaint as a way to get higher authority to help the affected lexus owner. hopefully you can review & investigate into the matter with lexus/toyota for us. *tr | |||
| 09/10/2009 | 170000 | 1 | |
| I had some diagnostics run on the transmission, and the verdict was that the planetary gear would likely need to be replaced if the transmission was rebuilt. apparently the original planetary gear had four gears mounted in an aluminum carrier... who knows, heat, wear whatever the carrier fails and allows the gears to tilt, and then your tranny is toast.. the new replacement planetary gears are mounted in a steel carrier, with 6 gears instead of the original 4....very interesting.... and much stronger i spoke with the service manager at my local lexus dealer (who himself had an rx300 and had to replace the transmission, ironically), and he went to lexus corporate and got them to pay for half of the replacement cost. this brought the estimated cost to about $2200 including tax. the estimated costs on the overhaul were between $1500-$2000. the lexus service manager had said that when his own transmission went out, he'd grilled the lexus engineers on the remanufactured part. he said that the engineers admitted that there were some improvements made in that transmission post-2001 and that they'd rather have a remanufactured 2001+ tranny than a brand new 2000 transmission. they never admitted to an issue, only that the 2001+ part was definitely better. i consider myself to be pretty darn good at knowing when someone isn't telling the full truth, and this guy was, so i believe him. *tr | |||
| 03/15/2009 | 1 | ||
| I am trying to decide what to do at this rock and hard place with my 1999 lexus rx that i purchased new. i love this car, however since the warranty ended, i've had a series of problems. sensors mostly and a check engine light that always seems to be linked to co2 issues. it has been on and off for about three years now. finally, i had a checkup done when my car started to infrequently shudder when it downshifts from 3rd to 2nd gear or delay reverse when put in gear. nothing showed up engine/transmission wise...... thought it was an alignment problem with the tires so had it realigned. problem still remains and appears to be worsening and i'm getting concerned about driving it. the car has 86,000 miles on it and i have always had the lexus dealership do the scheduled maintenance when appropriate. this is a very poor quality issue for a company who claims to have quality as their main goal. i guess they just don't claim to have good or great quality as their motto. i will be shouting this loud and clear to all of my friends. *tr | |||
| 09/10/2009 | 130000 | 1 | |
| Transmission on my 1999 lexus rx300 started slipping. we took it into a lexus dealer and were told to not do anything until the transmission failed, then bring it in. i asked if we should have it serviced or some maintenance to prevent a failure and they advised that it was not worth it. it failed, then the dealer wants $4,200 to fix it. research shows that this year and model lexus has transmission problems nationwide and suggests it is a widespread problem. this is a safety issue as well as general mechanical failure. *tr | |||
| 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 | |||
| 07/09/2009 | 157000 | 1 | |
| '99 lexus rx300 with 157,000. transmission died. it started jerking and had trouble shifting. i was able to limp about 5 miles to the dealer. i had read about a number of these failing and paid extra at the last regular service to have the transmission flushed in addition to the regular service. that was 1,000 before failure. lexus charged $4700 out the door to diagnose and replace the transmission with a rebuilt one. *tr | |||
| 06/19/2009 | 75000 | 1 | |
| I have a 99 rx 300 lexus with 75,000 miles. the transmission just died today. i did all that lexus recommended with fluids replacement (each 10k miles which is outrageous) and with all that the transmission died i hope that you can do something about it. *tr | |||
| 05/15/2009 | 140000 | 1 | |
| 1999 lexus rx 300 transmission broke on freeway. seems this is very common among these cars. they know about it and are burying their head in the sand and not helpful at all. we need a class action lawsuit. *tr | |||
| 05/16/2009 | 146992 | 1 | |
| This is my second transmission failure in this vehicle. if you read any lexus owner's blog, you will realize that the early rx300 models have a seriously high fail rate for transmissions. most fail around 80k miles. mine has averaged 70k miles per transmission. lexus really need to own up to their design flaw. *tr | |||
| 04/10/2009 | 1 | ||
| Transmission failure. *tr | |||
| 04/02/2009 | 147200 | 1 | |
| Transmission failure in a lexus rx300. *tr | |||
| 04/01/2009 | 89300 | 1 | |
| My 1999 lexus rx-300 automatic transmission failed to engage in higher gear and continued at 2nd gear. i have flushed the atf with original toyota type 4 atf fluid every 30k miles. this vehicle has always been well-maintained regularly and driven under normal driving condition. *tr | |||
| 03/25/2009 | 94000 | 1 | |
| 1999 lexus rx-300. i have 94,000 miles on it, original owner. have gotten every scheduled maintenance service on it including 30,000 , 60,000 and 90,000 miles service in october 2008. now march 2009 and have complete transmission failure at 94,000 miles when i had 92,000 miles on my car for its service in october 2008. saw all the talk on the internet about thousands of people in same situation and lexus customer service says they have no idea what i am referring to! *tr | |||
| 03/25/2009 | 152052 | 1 | |
| Transmission had slipping problems about 6 months ago. drained trans & changed filters. removed shift solenoids & checked to see if they operated. road tested fairly good. found out from reputable trans repair person that this particular year model trans has had many problems that lexus has not been addressing. they can rebuild trans but cannot update computer for the shifting problems which will ruin trans during test drive. now my trans will not go into reverse. *tr | |||
| 03/17/2009 | 103671 | 1 | |
| During normal driving - the engine started to rev higher than normal - barely got the car home (2 1/2 miles) - going down the road with a 55mph speed limit at 20 mph, the next day i took the car for a short test drive and it would not shift - will be taking the car (99 rx300) to a shop to have it fixed. *tr | |||
| 02/27/2009 | 147000 | 1 | |
| Lexus rx300 1999 model complete transmission failure at just over 100k miles. based on internet comments this is a real problem that should be a recall. cost to replace is from $3500-4500. on an expensive car like this, it is crazy. *tr | |||
| 12/10/2006 | 125000 | 1 | |
| I was just driving along and as i began to accelerate the rpms went real high and the speed would not increase. after stopping and starting again it began jerking and would not change gears. it turned out that my transmission had failed. i bought a 2000 reconditioned one to save money. now i'm having problems with it! *tr | |||
| 02/27/2009 | 110000 | 1 | |
| My 1999 lexus rx300 transmission suddenly broke while driving. the rpms went up then the car would not move. transmission fluid was full. the car service record is as recommended by lexus. mileage around 110,000m. i found on the web hundreds of similar reported problems but the dealership says this is an isolated problem. please check it out and take action to have lexus stand behind the car. luckily no one was injured. *tr | |||
| 02/20/2009 | 100108 | 1 | |
| I have had continued problems, that at times left me stranded. the transmission has broke on various occasions. at this time it left me without the 3rd and the overdrive gear (4th) while driving on a main interstate causing a hazard due to the speed in which i was traveling. the posted speed was 65, but i could only travel at 35mph. *tr | |||
| 01/14/2009 | 100000 | 1 | |
| I own a 1999 lexus rx300 fwd. i have had multiple problems with this vehicle. when i bought it jan 2008 ignition coil 1 and 3 failed. two months later 3, , and 6 failed. both times when vehicle failed i was driving on interstate 85 vehicle would not go over 45 and would not go into overdrive!!! now the transmission is acting up. it is slipping and also decides to gear down when doing 70mph down the interstate. was at a stop light and the light turned green and the vehicle wouldn't move, finally caught gear and jerked. was almost hit by oncoming traffic. i do not feel safe in this so called luxury vehicle. it is still under extended warranty, and is going to lexus dealership tomm. i cant wait to hear what they say the out come is. car has been fully serviced and up to date. just came out of lexus dealership 2 weeks ago having problems!!??? now its going back. lexus needs to recall the transmissions they are faulty!! i have read several complaints and not one action from the manufacturer yet?? they have already replace rear main seals, cam seals, and something else at 2000.00 dollars...ugh when its cold, it takes the car about 12 mins to go into overdrive. i keep hearing a whining sound, and shudder sounds. i only have like 16,000 miles left on warranty. so some one please tell me what to do or where to go!!! this is such a headache!! *tr | |||
| 02/14/2009 | 115000 | 1 | |
| Simply driving the transmission started to slip, very quickly (20-30 miles) the transmission was slipping so badly the car had to be put into 2nd gear to get it to the auto repair shop. the car will not drive in drive and can only move forward in the lower automatic gears. *tr | |||
| 01/10/2009 | 150000 | 1 | |
| I am the owner a 1999 lexus rx 300 that had a transmission failure. depending on who i talk to it will cost anywhere from $4000 to $6500 to repair the vehicle. i found out since this failure that this is a common problem with this vehicle. my source for this information has been the internet, transmission repair shops and the dealership employees themselves. this a well known problem that has been known for a while. lexus should do the right thing and recall these vehicles to correct this problem. i should not have to pay for a transmission that has a design flaw. thank you *tr | |||
| 02/03/2009 | 136000 | 1 | |
| The transmission on my 1999 lexus rx300 failed. there was little to no indication of the problem before full failure occurred. my wife was driving the vehicle when it stalled and was almost in an accident. this looks to be a very common problem with this vehicle. it will cost me $5000 to repair. *tr | |||
| 01/20/2009 | 101000 | 1 | |
| The transmission on this car went completely dead last week. the car was running fine and then it suddenly would not go anywhere. you can put the car in gear and push gas but it won't budge. i got it towed to a lexus dealership and they confirmed that the transmission was gone. *tr | |||
| 01/09/2009 | 98000 | 1 | |
| My wife was driving home from work @ midnight in her 1999 lexus rx300 with 98,000 miles and transmission goes out with no previous signs of malfunction. now a new transmission is needed at the price of $4000. many other owners of the lexus rx300 have the same problems and feel lexus should be responsible for poor product. *tr | |||
| 12/29/2008 | 132000 | 1 | |
| On december 29, 2008 the transmission in my 1999 lexus rx 300 failed in rush hour traffic. i have since learned that this is an existing issue with the 1999-2000 lexus rx 300 and has not been recalled by the toyota motor company, usa. i am disturbed that toyota has not taken the responsibility and recalled the vehicle. please contact me. *tr | |||
| 07/08/2008 | 110500 | 1 | |
| Even though having all major service performed to the lexus owners manual specs, the transmission failed at 110k miles, left my wife stranded in a remote location, and nearly caused an accident. it needs replacing at a cost of $4000. i am aware of hundreds of others who have had similar problems with the rx300. *tr | |||
| 10/05/2008 | 140000 | 1 | |
| I had a 1999 lexus rx300. it had transmission sensor replaced at ~86k miles. and recently, at 140k miles, the transmission totally broke down. from reading http://www.carsurvey.org/viewmorecomments_review_54694_4.html, there are so many 1999 rx300 owners had the same transmission problem. *tr | |||
| 12/31/2007 | 145652 | 1 | |
| On 12-31-2007 my husband and i were coming home from a restaurant. we live in the country,so there are no street lights and it was late at night. we were driving home and all of a sudden our lexus stopped accelerating was no place to pull off the road,needless to say the vehicle would not pull in drive or reverse. si we had to sit there in the road. after a period of time the lexus would pull again not far and then it would quit pulling. i believe this is a safety hazard and something has to be done about it. since january 2008 i have read so many complaints on the internet people having the same problem. i filed a report with nhtsa and as far as i know there has not been an investigation you don't think transmission failure is a hazard please let me know. i don't have the money to have the transmission fixed,my lexus will pull a short distant so if know one thinks this is important enough to do an investigation or no one sees the hazard that could happen. then i am left with no choice but to start driving my 1999 lexus rx 300. i have been waiting since january 2008 and nothing has been done nor have i heard back from anyone. and as far as the dealership all i get is the run around. and to tell you the truth i am tired of it. someone please give us consumers an answer we deserve that much. to this day i have no vehicle to drive. do i see a hazard yes. someone please hear our cries. we need your help. *tr | |||
| 08/24/2004 | 130000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1999 lexus rx300. while driving less than 75 mph, the vehicle dropped to low gear and would not accelerate past 25 mph. the dealer stated that the transmission failed. the repairs were made at the contact's expense. less than four years later, while traveling after an extended drive, he attempted to accelerate from a stop sign. the vehicle hesitated and would not shift into gear. the vehicle continued to slip into first gear intermittently. an independent mechanic serviced the vehicle and stated that the transmission either needed to be rebuilt or replaced. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 130,000 and current mileage was 240,000. | |||
| 09/13/2008 | 102000 | 1 | |
| Lexus rx300 transmission failure at 100,000 miles. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2008 | 99200 | 1 | |
| While running local errands on 9-1-08, my 1999 lexus rx 300 suv experienced sudden failure of awd automatic transmission, resulting in rapid deceleration and momentary loss of control. the vehicle was towed to local toyota dealer, which stated that transmission was destroyed and had to be replaced. estimated cost is $5,100. *tr | |||
| 07/19/2008 | 104000 | 1 | |
| Noticed inability of the transmission to consistently upshift into overdrive in freeway conditions with minimum load, flat surface. *tr | |||
| 07/10/2008 | 93000 | 1 | |
| Transmission went out of my 1999 lexus rx300. *tr | |||
| 06/16/2008 | 130000 | 1 | |
| Own a 1999 lexus rx 300. engine transmission has been sluggish since i purchased the car in 2001. since we have owned the car we complained the dealer that when you start to run the car in the morning it will take a few minutes before the car will shift from 2nd to 3rd gear. the dealer kept telling us that was normal for the model car. the transmission got continually more sluggish over the years meaning that there was hesitation or jerky ness when you would pull your foot off of the gas. last week i started to hear a grinding noise when the car was shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear. i just got back from the repair shop where i was told that the transmission which just turned 130,000 miles was shot and that the only fix was to purchase a rebuilt one from lexus at a cost of $4,500 to $5,000. they told me they were aware that this was a common problem with 1999 - 2001 rx 300 transmissions but that there was never a recall or service bulletin issued. if this is a common problem then i think someone should do something about it. *tr | |||
| 06/20/2008 | 167000 | 1 | |
| Transmission failure 1999 lexus rx 300. *tr | |||
| 06/06/2008 | 149000 | 1 | |
| The transmission completely failed. could not drive the vehicle. occurred on the freeway at 60 mph. *tr | |||
| 05/15/2008 | 76000 | 1 | |
| I own two 1999 lexus rx300's. one with 100,000 miles and one with 76,000 miles. within the last two months, the transmission has failed in both cars. *tr | |||
| 05/14/2008 | 1 | ||
| My 1999 rx 300 has 110k miles on it. the transmission went out in the middle of street and almost got an accident. i did some research, its definitely a manufacturer's defect. there are so many other owners with same problem. please let me know if you guys can investigate this. *tr | |||
| 03/20/2007 | 112000 | 1 | 12/15/1998 |
| The transmission of our 1999 lexus rx300 failed suddenly and completely while at highway speed. the transmission seemed to be in neutral and no longer in drive. this was a dangerous situation on an interstate highway in heavy traffic. the transmission was replaced at our expense since the drivetrain was out of warranty. a cursory search of the internet shows that this is a common failure in the 1999 rx300 and is well known to lexus. this type of complete failure is not normal. lexus should be warning of the possibility of this failure and helping to prevent/correct it. *tr | |||
| 03/21/2008 | 60440 | 2 | 07/20/2002 |
| I am the owner of a '99 lexus rx 300 with only 60k miles on it. i recently experienced serious transmissions problems. it first started when i tried to get out of my parking space and could not put my car in reverse. the car would not respond for the first initial attempts and then it violently jerked into reverse. i took my car to my mechanic and he diagnosed a transmission problem. i am having a rebuilt transmission put in the car for $2000, which appears pretty competitive compared to the average price of $4k that is being quoted over the internet. lexus should be responsible for paying for this obvious defect in this make and model vehicle. *tr | |||
| 12/24/2007 | 51915 | 1 | |
| Transmission locked up at @55mph on rt 100 on a clear warm sunny day while driving in a straight line. the wheels locked up and the 99 lexus rx300 spun 220 degrees into an adjacent stone lined drainage ditch. len stoler lexus replaced the transmission. *tr | |||
| 01/25/2008 | 1 | ||
| 1999 rx300 first heard knocking from the hood and cut off, next day the car would not go forward or backward. *tr | |||
| 12/18/2007 | 87082 | 1 | 06/30/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1999 lexus rx300. the contact stated that the he was unable to drive more than 5 mph. the mechanic drained the transmission fluid; however, the failure continued to occur. in addition, they recommended that the transmission be replaced. the manufacturer offered a $1,500 voucher towards the repair; but the contact declined the offer. the current and failure mileages were 87,082. | |||
| 01/07/2008 | 89000 | 1 | 12/22/2001 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1999 lexus rx-300. the contact stated that he heard a crackling noise when he applied the brake then the vehicle stalled. the contact stated that ten minutes later he was able to restart. he took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the transmission caused the failure. as of january 7, 2008, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. the failure mileage was 89,000 and current mileage was 89,000. updated 02-14-08. *kb the consumer stated the vehicle would frequently loose power. | |||
| 12/26/2007 | 157000 | 1 | 02/01/2003 |
| Rx300 1999 transmission died at about 160,000 km (100,000 miles): engine will start and then from 50-60 kmph die down after driven for a little while. got the car towed to a repair shop where it is waiting to be fixed. i live in ontario, canada. i went to lexus owners forum and found numerous other owners of rx300 complaining about the tranny failure at around 75,000-85,000 miles. other owners are frustrated and complaining about the poor design by lexus for this part and also strongly feel that lexus should be responsible for the repair costs. i also own es300 1993 whose tranny also failed about 2 years ago at about 220,000 km (137,500 miles) and i got a used one replaced and paid for it myself about $2,000 cdn. one of the owners in the forum mentioned about sludge in the transmission admitted by one of the lexus customer service representative being the cause of the tranny failures. my family only drive lexus cars as mentioned above and are very disappointed with the tranny problems with both and feel very strongly that lexus should pay for it's repair. *tr | |||
| 10/28/2007 | 2 | ||
| My 1999 rx300 lexus lost it's transmission at 110,000 miles. i paid to have the transmission replaced. the new transmission now failed again. the sun gear, ring gear and 4 planet gears on that one stage have extensive tooth fracture. failures of this type can generally be attributed to one or more of the following causes: 1. poor design analysis resulting in improper gear selection resulting in tooth overload and tooth fracture. 2. improper alignment at assembly resulting in non-equal load distribution leading to fatigue fracture of the teeth. 3. foreign material, getting into the planetary gearing from either contamination at assembly or breakdown of other components within the transmission. *tr | |||
| 03/01/2007 | 2 | 08/01/2003 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1999 lexus rx300. the contact stated that the vehicle would not move and the engine revved while attempting to accelerate from a stop. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and they replaced the transmission, which had only 90,000 miles. the repair was not covered under warranty. she paid for her new transmission, but after 6,000 miles, the vehicle involuntarily accelerates. she will return to the dealer to have the vehicle inspected. the speed and mileage information were unknown. | |||
| 06/20/2007 | 91039 | 1 | 12/10/1998 |
| Complete transaxle failure - at 91000 miles, the transmission on the 1999 awt lexus racks failed at 50 mph without warning. although the engine was running normally, there was a sudden loss of power to the drive wheels and the car coasted to a stop. this happened on a narrow country road with heavy traffic and it was only luck that avoided an accident. the car had been routinely serviced as required by lexus and had been in for a routine service the day prior. review of the nhtsa complaint database suggests that this is not an isolated incident and, if so, it represented a serious safety concern for this model and year of car, in general. it was very troubling that any vehicle would have the type of defect that could lead to an unannounced sudden major failure at less than 100000 miles. the repair required replacement of the transmission. lexus was contacted for more information, but was of no help beyond noting that the car was no longer under warranty. lexus required that the removed transaxle be returned to them, unopened.*ak | |||
| 11/28/2006 | 130000 | 1 | 01/13/2000 |
| In november 2006, the transmission on my 1999 rx300 unexpectedly failed. while traveling home, the car started to rev up, but would not move - as if in neutral. i had the rx towed to local lexus dealer, and was told that it was the transmission and i could probably save money by going to a transmission rebuilder. i had the work done - around $5000. my rx has been regularly serviced and had 130k miles on it at the time of the event. now, i'm hearing that this may be a common problem. | |||
| 06/22/2007 | 97000 | 1 | 10/31/2006 |
| The transmission failed in my 1999 lexus rx300 with no warning at only 97,000 miles. *tr | |||
| 03/27/2007 | 1 | ||
| The transmission on the 1999 rx 300 wa s serviced exclusively by performance lexus, started to slip, and by the time i got it home it had no gearing. i had a problem with it one year ago, and took it to my dealer, who said they could not find anything wrong. *ak | |||
| 05/26/2007 | 123000 | 1 | 05/23/2003 |
| My transmission broke down on me and had to be replaced on my 1999 lexus rx 300, with less than 124,000 miles. there was no indication that the transmission was going bad. | |||
| 05/24/2007 | 127000 | 1 | 11/24/2001 |
| I was driving on the highway when the transmission failed suddenly leaving me stranded. *tr | |||
| 05/20/2007 | 105000 | 1 | 04/01/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1999 lexus rx300. while driving 55 mph, the vehicle suddenly began to decelerate. the contact attempted to depress the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle felt as if it was in neutral. the vehicle failed to accelerate and began hearing a grinding sound. the vehicle came to a complete stop and was towed to a mechanic. the mechanic was told that the transmission was no good. the current and failure mileages were 105,000. | |||
| 05/08/2007 | 123000 | 1 | 11/10/1998 |
| The lexus rx300 had 123000 miles on it. the transmission failed in the middle of the road when traffic was at its peak. i have learnt after the fact that the rx300 transmission prone to failure and lexus had not posted any information regarding this.*ak | |||
| 04/30/2007 | 169 | 2 | 05/03/1999 |
| Transmission failure at 169k with no warning, car has been fully serviced according to lexus guidelines. dealer wants $5k to replace the transmission. *tr | |||
| 10/18/2002 | 103000 | 1 | |
| Tl* the contact owns a 1999 lexus rx300. at approximately 55 mph with clear road conditions, the transmission unexpectedly shifted gears. the vehicle began to jerk followed by a loss in power. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the failure was diagnosed as internal transmission failure and has not been repaired. the current and failure vehicle mileage were 103000. *ak | |||
| 01/15/2007 | 67000 | 1 | 09/10/2004 |
| At 67,000, my transmission would not shift. fortunately, this occurred in my driveway and not on the road. no warning, just no transmission. after replacing transmission, check engine light stuck on. replaced a broken sensor. i am out $4,000.00 for a defect that i believe lexus is very aware of. *jb | |||
| 02/11/2007 | 87000 | 1 | 10/10/2006 |
| Tl* the contact owns a 1999 lexus rx 300. while shifting in reverse or second gear the vehicle hesitated. the local mechanic on 02/11/07 stated that the transmission and the planetary assembly needed to be replaced. the current and failure mileage was 87,000. *ak update 4/9 *tr | |||
| 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 | |||
| 02/08/2007 | 1 | ||
| No events leading to transmission failure needs replacing. *nm | |||
| 01/31/2007 | 70100 | 1 | 05/11/1998 |
| Our 1999 rx300 has only 70,000 miles and the transmission failed while my wife was driving on a very busy street. the failure was very dangerous because she was in the midst of traffic when she could not maneuver her car safely to the curb. she was able after sitting in traffic for awhile to restart the car and move the car over to the curb. she called for a tow truck which towed the car to our mechanic's shop. the cost for a rebuilt transmission will cost us $5000. after search the internet, we have found that many many !999 rx300 owners have had the same problem and with many dangerous situations of being without power to move safely off freeways and highways. t there ought to be a manufacturer's recall on this car and a charge to toyota america to develop a fix for the problem before someone is killed because of this problem with the transmission. has there been any media investigations into this? lexus being the flagship for toyota, you would think that toyota would take care of this problem without having their arms twisted. *jb | |||
| 01/11/2007 | 81000 | 1 | 08/12/2001 |
| Have a lexus rx 300 1999 model with 4x4 drive. the car ran ok for 80,000 miles or so. our current mileage is around 81,000. the car was being driven on an expressway when it got really slow (15 mph) and then stopped on its own. i barely avoided a major accident. anyways, i took the car to a repair shop and they tell me the transmission needs to be replaced and will cost me 4800 to do so. please help. apparently this is a very common problem for rx 300 1999-2000 models. the google search online brings up tons of blogs mentioning the same problem. here is a copy of one of the blogs posted on http://www.carsurvey.org/viewmorecomments_review_54694_2.html many lexus cars are equipped with a defective transmission that fails prematurely. lexus admits this, but will not back up their product when the event occurs out of warranty (7/70) - unless the vehicle was purchased and serviced exclusively at a lexus dealership. since the manufacture is responsible for the replacement costs (not the dealer), the practice of replacing only dealer-serviced cars appears arrogant and discriminatory. if repair records can be provided showing that transmission service was done according to the dealer service intervals - and by a certified garage - then the manufacturer should back up their product regardless. in our particular case, we have a babied 1999 rx300 that started making odd noises while in the warranty period, and then failed completely (post-warranty). the dealer has declined our request for a redesigned replacement transmission free of charge. we have submitted a claim through the lexus customercare number (1.800.448.1505), but understand that the manufacturer simply follows the recommendation of the dealer in question. in other words, we're at the mercy of the dealer and their discriminatory policy. we're still awaiting the manufacturer judgment, but hold out very little hope. *nm | |||
| 01/05/2007 | 115000 | 1 | |
| Hi, i am owner of lexus rx300 awd. the rx300 transmission broken down at 115k miles. i was on highway going 60 mph without any warning the transmission broken. i did some research and found out that rx300 has a very high rate failure on transmission. *jb | |||
| 11/10/2006 | 120000 | 1 | 08/15/2006 |
| My 1999 lexus rx 300 transmission failed caused by a faulty design in the front planetary assembly. i have followed up online and there are 1000's of postings of the exact same thing happening to this model. the cost is $5000 to repair. with such a high failure rate (based upon the information i have gathered) i am confused as to why a recall has not been issued. *jb | |||
| 10/26/2006 | 67000 | 1 | 04/15/1999 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 75 mph, the vehicle began to coast to a stop without warning. the vehicle was pulled over, allowed to cool down, then proceeded 100 miles. this cycle recurred until arriving at the contact's residence. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop which determined the planet pinion gear failed. the vehicle was being towed to the dealership to have to transmission replaced. | |||
| 11/20/2005 | 140000 | 2 | 03/01/2003 |
| First failure happened during a left turn at a busy multi-lane intersection. transmission dropped out of gear instead of shifting leaving me powerless at a very vulnerable time. the vehicle had sufficient momentum that i managed to drift up and over an adjacent curb. i was at the mercy of alert drivers in the intersection at the time. a lexus rebuilt transmission was installed by a toyota mechanic. after 12 months and many attempts at getting the engine light to remain extinguished i was advised today by lexus of calgary that the second transmission is now failing. the first transmission and now this one are failing to shift when required most, recently while attempting to accelerate during a lane change. it is dangerous to not have power when you need it most. *nm | |||
| 10/05/2006 | 87500 | 1 | 05/06/2001 |
| Even though having all major service performed by the lexus dealer, plus having the transmission fluid and filter changed twice, the transmission failed and needs replacing at a high cost. i am aware of hundreds of others who have had similar problems with the rx300. *jb | |||
| 08/16/2006 | 79103 | 1 | 06/01/2004 |
| When starting my 1999 lexus rx 300 after work, i noticed a whining sound coming from the engine. my commute home is about 15 miles. i noticed when driving that it would jerk when trying to change gears. it made me think back to a couple of months back when i was in a parking space and put the car into reverse and started to ease out of the parking space when it felt like someone has hit me or i had hit something. i got out, but nothing? i then got back into the car and started to leave and the car would go into reverse, but when applying the gas the car would not move. i tried again and the car finally caught into gear and made a terrible sound. i noticed in the weeks leading up to the day of failure that the car would have a hard time changing into second gear. it would wind out before catching. now, the day of the failure, i was leaving work and i noticed a whining sound in the engine and in my commute home it got worse. the car started jumping back and forth and the rpms were randomly jumping. even while coasting down a hill the rmps would jump and accelerate and slow down the car making it jerk. at times it would act as if it was in neutral and i was traveling at 45 miles per hour. when this would happen, the rmps wouldn't move? my car has approximately 78k miles on it. i immediately told my husband, we called lexus and took it straight to them. i had to get a rental car. i got a call the next day to tell me that the pump failed and the transmission fluid was black and the transmission was gone. it's going to cost $4,600.00 to repair. there are many other cases exactly like mine. this should be a recall! *nm | |||
| 09/15/2004 | 80000 | 1 | 11/01/1998 |
| The car was working perfectly. one day while stopped at a red light the transmission blew, and i could not move. had to pay $4000+ out of pocket, the warranty just expired 2 months before and lexus would not stand by their product. the car had approximately 80,000 miles. after doing research, it turns out hundreds of people on the internet experience the same problem in the rx300 1999 and 2000 awd. how can lexus not be held responsible for a recall. they refuse to acknowledge any fault, but i find it hard to believe when so many people experience the same problem. *jb | |||
| 03/12/2006 | 74000 | 1 | 06/15/1998 |
| Lexus 1999 rx 300 awd transmission failed - marked drop of acceleration power on freeway. since original purchase of new vehicle, it has received regular service maintenance through the dealership. last service included a flush of the transmission. problem experienced at 74,000 miles. dealership advised that lexus no longer offers a transmission rebuild and that i needed to take it to a transmission repair shop (found out later that's not entirely true). transmission has been rebuilt including solenoids, planetaries, torque converter, sun gear) at cost of over $4,200. i've since discovered that several '99 rx300 owners have experienced transmission failure or issues at relatively low odometer mileages, and lexus customer service has acknowledged this as well. *nm | |||
| 10/31/2005 | 82850 | 1 | |
| My 99 lexus rx300 had a transmission failure @ 82000 miles. after being serviced properly on a regular basis by authorized repair specialists. *jb | |||
| 10/16/2005 | 66000 | 1 | 04/16/1999 |
| My 1999 lexus rx 300 transmission failed while i was traveling at 70 mph down the highway. the dealer agrees my service record was in tiptop shape and yet i lost all gears with 66,000 miles on the car. searching the internet reveals that there are many instances of this same problem. of course, my warranty just expired 4 months ago. lexus offered to split the $5000 replacement cost in half. it seems to me they should cover 100% of the cost. *nm | |||
| 01/04/2004 | 68000 | 5 | 03/01/2002 |
| At 68k miles, i took to independent garage in january & march 2004 with problem of vehicle hesitating to shift from 2nd to 3rd. garage could not duplicate problem and changed transmission fluid. i let vehicle warm up 2 minutes to avoid the shifting problem. in september & october with 72k miles, i took to dealer with additional problem of failing to engage the reverse gear and shuddering in forward gear. dealer could not duplicate and changed the transmission fluid. in november 2004, the transmission dropped completely out of gear while driving on the street. this time dealer found metal shavings in the transmission fluid and said i needed $4250 to replace with a remanufactured transmission warranted for only 12 months. lexus should have paid to replace their defective transmission instead of hiding their head in the sand. *jb | |||
| 11/20/2004 | 68000 | 4 | 03/01/2002 |
| Jan 2004-vehicle was taken to an independent garage to determine cause of gear failure between 2nd and 3rd. failure could not be determined. mar 2004-vehicle was taken in again to independent garage to determine cause of gear failure between 2nd and 3rd. failure could not be determined. septembe r 2004-vehicle was towed to dealer after gear failure in reverse and shudder in forward. failure could not be determined.*ak nov2004--vehicle was again towed to dealer after shudder while in drive and then gear failure in reverse and forward. diagnosis need complete transmission assembly. | |||
| 09/18/2004 | 68000 | 1 | 07/08/1998 |
| Lexus rx300-have owned car since beginning 1999-never had a problem with car except normal tune ups and new brakes-however, that all changed september 2004. yes, i've had the car 6 six years but with only 68,000 miles on the car which is considered low mileage use. while traveling to san diego to take my granddaughter back home from my current home at the time in aliso viejo, california my auto while on the i-5 just completely dropped out of gear-i had enough speed going that i was able to get off the freeway and came to a stop at the camp pendleton marine base front gates. the soldiers were able to push my car behind their station gate until aaa could send a truck to tow me and for my son to pick up my granddaughter there. my transmission was completely gone and cost me over $4,000.00 to get it fixed. i was told by the repairman that the planetary gear is what broke but that lexus has had to update the planetary gear for my model and year 4 (four) times. it sounds to me that lexus knows that they had a problem with this main gear and i want to know why there was never a recall to have it fixed. lexus is rated tops so why would my transmission go out at only 68,000 miles? i had no choice but to have it repaired immediately because i was moving to florida in two weeks and didn't have the time or wheels to take my complaint to the dealer. is there any recourse since the planetary gear was clearly defective?*ak | |||
| 08/17/2004 | 10 | 6 | 11/04/1998 |
| After having my transmission replaced by lexus of roseville, california the remanufactured transmission from lexus dropped out of gear during moving traffic, endangering my family with the loss of drive in heavy traffic. *ak | |||
| 05/02/2001 | 85000 | 1 | 07/30/2001 |
| Transmission failure with 1999 rx300. my transmission is shot. we only have 85,000 miles on the car. the dealership is telling me that we should have changed the transmission oil more frequently. however, we were never approached with this recommendation during service visits. the vehicle has always been a little sluggish. we bought the vehicle in ca and two years ago moved to nc. during one of our first service visits, we asked them about the performance. the service staff at the time told us it was inherent to the design. even worst, we bought the pre-own vehicle in ca. we were told that it was throughly inspected. they even presented a inspection certification certificate. we i presented this certificate to the dealer in nc, they are telling me that it does not match the vin for my vehicle. also, they can not track any information of this inspection in their internal network. now i have a castistrophic failure on a vehicle that i bought for $30,000 with only 85,000 miles!?!? please help with any recommendations. thanks. | |||
| 04/01/2004 | 88000 | 1 | 07/10/2003 |
| Catastrophic failure of transmission due to fatigue of internal part resulting in total failure. *la | |||
| 07/05/2003 | 06/07/2003 | ||
| There is a shudder of the transmission when shifting from first to second gear at approximately 2000 rpm's. the vehicle is equipped with all-wheel drive. i bought it with 65,570 mi. the dealer replaced drive shaft to rear wheels and front axle(s). the problem remains and is a nuisance regardless of vehicle temperature. | |||
| 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 | |||
| 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. | |||
| 10/01/1998 | 50 | 07/01/1998 | |
| This car is a severe safety hazard. headlights dim to daytime running lights at night, transmission lurches between 2nd and 3rd gear and seat belt malfunctions. *ak | |||
| 12/18/1998 | |||
| Ongoing problem with erratic jerking. also, front wheel would commence to spin, and tracking light would come on. vehicle been in dealer shop on four occasions, and problem still reoccurring. please feel free to provide further details. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||
| 12/18/1998 | |||
| Ongoing problem with erratic jerking. also, front wheel would commence to spin, and tracking light would come on. vehicle been in dealer shop on four occasions, and problem still reoccurring. please feel free to provide further details. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - COLUMN SHIFT | |||
| 04/01/2003 | 1 | 02/27/2003 | |
| While driving, the gear shift will go into neutral, if bumped. also i've noticed the car jerking while driving. i've taken it to an authorized dealership, but they never observed the problem and thus was never able to fix it.*ak | |||
| There was a power distribution problem in the transfer case which caused the wheels to lock up at 60mph. dlr is replacing transfer case. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - PARK/NEUTRAL START SWITCH | |||
| When the temperture is 50 degrees or lower outside vehicle does not perform properly. owners guide says after 2 minutes vehicle should be ready to operate, but while driving it takes vehicle 3 minutes to shift up to 3rd gear, causing the vehicle to travel at 30 mph or less. dealer has been contacted. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY | |||
| 06/20/2007 | 91039 | 1 | 12/10/1998 |
| Complete transaxle failure - at 91000 miles, the transmission on the 1999 awt lexus racks failed at 50 mph without warning. although the engine was running normally, there was a sudden loss of power to the drive wheels and the car coasted to a stop. this happened on a narrow country road with heavy traffic and it was only luck that avoided an accident. the car had been routinely serviced as required by lexus and had been in for a routine service the day prior. review of the nhtsa complaint database suggests that this is not an isolated incident and, if so, it represented a serious safety concern for this model and year of car, in general. it was very troubling that any vehicle would have the type of defect that could lead to an unannounced sudden major failure at less than 100000 miles. the repair required replacement of the transmission. lexus was contacted for more information, but was of no help beyond noting that the car was no longer under warranty. lexus required that the removed transaxle be returned to them, unopened.*ak | |||
| 12/07/2000 | 1 | 09/01/1998 | |
| The right rear wheel axle sheared in two, causing the wheel to fall off. the vehicle became violent, then completely rolled over. none of the airbags deployed. we would like a complete investigation. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 06/25/2008 | 130000 | 1 | |
| Car begins to lurch both backing up and accelerating in the low gears. the computer erroneously tells the clutch to engage, thus blowing the transmission. i have neck pain from the lurching; it feels as though you are getting hit from behind. because of the jumping, it could also be very easy to rear end someone. many owners have reported this on various blogs, including 12 pages at edmunds.com. the cost to replace both the computer and the transmission ranges from $4000-8000 depending on whether or not you use the dealership. toyota/lexus recognizes this as a common problem and has corrected it in newer models, however every older car has this dangerous problem. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - TRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE) | |||
| 12/24/2007 | 51915 | 1 | 02/26/1999 |
| The wheels of a 1999 rx300 locked up at highway speed causing the vehicle to spin 220 degrees and crash into a drainage ditch. transfer case was replaced by dealer/insurance co. abs sensors are rusting at the wheels and require repair after only 23 months/27k miles since the last abs sensor overhaul. lexus has the transfer case. *tr | |||
| 05/02/2001 | 85000 | 1 | 07/30/2001 |
| Transmission failure with 1999 rx300. my transmission is shot. we only have 85,000 miles on the car. the dealership is telling me that we should have changed the transmission oil more frequently. however, we were never approached with this recommendation during service visits. the vehicle has always been a little sluggish. we bought the vehicle in ca and two years ago moved to nc. during one of our first service visits, we asked them about the performance. the service staff at the time told us it was inherent to the design. even worst, we bought the pre-own vehicle in ca. we were told that it was throughly inspected. they even presented a inspection certification certificate. we i presented this certificate to the dealer in nc, they are telling me that it does not match the vin for my vehicle. also, they can not track any information of this inspection in their internal network. now i have a castistrophic failure on a vehicle that i bought for $30,000 with only 85,000 miles!?!? please help with any recommendations. thanks. | |||