Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
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 AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 01/10/2012 | 90000 | ||
| The past two weeks prior to taking the car to my local toyota dealership because there is no lexus dealership in ocala , fl ..... i would smell something burning like rubber against a hot exhaust or engine. every now and then i would stop the car and check and i might see a whiff of light smoke but then nothing. no engine lights , no spotting on the garage floor. so i took the car in for an oil change early and asked that they check the car over. 3 hours later i was taken into the garage bay and shown oil dripping from the underside of the engine and told my seals were blown and the whole engine would need to be torn down to get to them. while repairing it turned out the water pump was leaking but the timing belt changed at 60,000 miles was okay. the following evening i was presented with a $1500 bill most for labor. i guess i consider myself lucky they found all this before i took this 12 year old car on a long trip . | |||
| 05/29/2011 | 115346 | ||
| Vehicle started losing power while going 35-45 mph and eventually stalled. was able to start vehicle but won't go pass 25 mph. when stopped, and shifted on drive, vehicle won't move forward. won't go into reverse either when engaged in reverse. i believe this was a transmission failure. | |||
| 04/26/2011 | 175000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 lexus rx300. the timing belt and engine were replaced december of 2010 but the repair did not correct the failure. while driving approximately 30 mph, the timing belt failed. the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic who inspected the vehicle. the local mechanic stated that the timing chain and the engine had to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin information was not available. the failure and the current miles were 175,000. | |||
| 04/26/2011 | 175000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2000 lexus rx300. the timing belt and engine was replaced december of 2010 but the repair did not correct the failure while driving at approximately 30 mph the timing belt failed. the vehicle was towed to the local mechanic whom inspected the vehicle. the local mechanic advised the timing chain and the engine had to be replaced. the vehicle has not been repaired. the vin information was not available. the failure and the current miles was 175,000. li | |||
| 06/29/2010 | 129450 | ||
| Purchased used rx-300 (yr 2000) in 2003 and the transmission died suddenly as i was coming back home at 87,000 miles. the dealer fixed it for free, a week later the car would not start and had to be towed back to the lexus dealer in silver spring and another transmission was put in the car. today the same thing happened, engine light went on and the trasmission has to be replaced and it will cost thousands of dollars. the milieage is 127,000, not sure if it's worth getting it fixed. | |||
| 12/18/2009 | 182000 | 1 | |
| 9/2009 - engine failed. vehicle initially performed normally, but engine seized during interstate driving. professional inspection determined cause of failure was sludge build up. vehicle out of initial warranty. extension based upon consumer complaints expired 4/2009. new engine installed at my expense. 12/2009 - transmission failed. vehicle initially performed normally, but suddenly began to lurch when placed into gear after gasoline fill up. professional inspection determined transmission failure. new transmission installed at my expense. *tr | |||
| 08/13/2009 | 75360 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 lexus rx300. the contact stated that the transmission was replaced in 2008. he recently heard a noise coming from the engine and the rpms displayed inaccurate readings. while idling at a traffic light, the vehicle failed to accelerate. the contact was able to shift into a low gear and moved the vehicle to the side of the road. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 75,360. | |||
| 11/15/2008 | 121399 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 lexus rx300. the contact stated that the engine warning indicator consistently illuminates on the instrument panel. she has not taken the vehicle to the dealer to determine the cause of the failure. the failure and current mileages were 121,399. | |||
| 01/31/2005 | 60815 | 1 | 04/01/2003 |
| We purchased a 2000 lexus rx300 with a v-6 in april 2003 with 36,000 miles. we have recently found out that the engine had been rebuilt due to sludge problems at 31,000. we changed the oil every 5,000 - 7,500 miles. i have never had an oil related engine problem in 28 years of driving and have never worried about keeping oil change receipts. i only have receipts from 44,000 and 60,000 miles. the place that changed it does not have record of the two other changes at about 39,000 and 51,000. i have copies of the special adjustment letter that you refer to in your tsb's. lexus however, is telling me since we are not the original owner that this letter and offer do not apply to us. they have offered to pay half of the repair which we have worked down to our portion $4,200. they have not pulled the heads or the oil pan and yet they know that the whole engine needs to be replaced. this tells me that they have had experience with this issue before. our vehicle has needed an engine every 30,000 miles. i have kept engines up to over 120,000 miles without failure. if we have them fix the engine i am told that they will machine the heads at the lexus dealer, not replace them, yet the block needs to be replaced. my investigating on the internet leads me to believe that the problem is in the heads. just machining them and putting them back on will only ensure that i will be dealing with them in another 30,000 miles for the same problem. it seems that they have a problem with this engine that they don't want to stand behind because we are not the original owners or at least that seems to be their easiest route to take. my vehicle has been unuseable for a month now and there is no end in site. | |||
| 11/15/2003 | 56370 | ||
| Resolving oil sludge repair problem on used rx 300 with third party lexus dealer--car broke down on 1200 mile road trip. lexus paid for rental car for return trip. repair is under warranty. my problem is the dealer we purchased the car from must have known this problem existed with these vehicles and had ample evidence of lack of oil changes in the repair history, yet did not pull the valve cover off this vehicle to determine if oil sludge problem existed. isn't that standard practice for all used car inspections? am told by third party lexus dealer therer is a maintenance procedure that requires this sludge inspection on all v-6 toyota engines, yet dealer we purchased car from says this is not required. | |||
| 08/15/2003 | 109000 | ||
| Engine failed due to sludging. i was unaware of the spa and had a used engine installed. lexus refuses to pay for the repair because i perform my own maintenance | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 12/21/2004 | 62500 | 1 | 02/28/2003 |
| I purchased a 2000 toyota suv. and subsequently had the vehicle go into sudden complete irreperable engine failure while driving on a busy road. it had been a recall, or service bulletin that the item was a gel problem (or sludge) with the oil in the make and model of the car. although this was a known problem, lexus of monterey claimed that they'd never seen such a thing and that the vehicle needed $400.00 worth of diagnostics to see what the problem was. on the advice of my usual auto mechanic, i contacted lexus and reported a possible gel problem. lexus immediately sent someone out to check the vehicle and pronounced it the manufacturers' problem that had been sent out as a notice to owners of the automobiles. they paid for a new engine, and also advised us that all incedintal would be covered. lexus of monterey peninsula decided that they wanted the $400.00 for the diagnostics, and would not pay any costs for a replacement vehicle, as promised in the notice lexus sent us. lexus of monterey has my vehicle, and i am refusing to pay the diagnostic costs. i am asking for my auto, free of encumberances, and would like costs of retreiving a replacement vehicle to be covered at their expense.*ak | |||
| 07/26/2003 | 41000 | 1 | 10/03/2000 |
| Traveling 60 mph on merit pky connecticut, the fluid leaked out of a blown gasket in the transfer box to the rear wheel drive. the rear wheels locked up and car skidded 150 ft and spun. a miracle no cars or barriers were hit. mother suffered nerve damage from being twisted. had car towed directly to dealer. the dealer - lexus of englewood nj, made an attempt to pay off lease and lease a new car but did not follow through with their offer. they treated us horribly!!! they gave us no information on what happened to the truck and through a mired of lies and nasty phone calls from them, we have decided to buy a mercedes ml350. i will never drive a lexus again and am currently proceeding with litigation against lexus and lexus of englewood nj. i've searched the internet for similar problems but found none. this incident, i believe was an original defect or caused by the incompetence of the service department of lexus of englewood. the service manager john lomando has deceived, lied and been down right nasty to us. the truck was serviced on time every service with lexus of englewood. *jb | |||
| 01/19/2003 | 36000 | 1 | 12/24/1999 |
| My wife noticed a check engine light on as she was driving to work. she called me on the cell phone and we took the car to lexus of clearwater. i recieved a phone call saying they had detected sludge in the engine and it would need to be fixed. they told me they might cover it under warranty because it was a known issue but they would call me back. i also checked the website and lexus knows of the problem and says they will stand 100% behind the customer for 8 yrs and unlimited miles. no other requirenment is listed. melissa the service person said she wanted me to talk to mark the regional guy from lexus because they were not going to cover it and the repair would be from 8k-12k!!!! i told them they were crazy because we have had every major service required by lexus and that oil does not just break down in a 3 year old car. mark told me he had a hard time covering this because we were overdue by 5k on the oil change. i explained if they had know of a sludge problem 8,000 miles ago when they changed the oil why did we not get notified. regardless i told them a cars engine is not ruined because a person drives a few thousand extra miles. i told him the car is 3 years old and we were returning the car in march 28 at the lease expiration. he told me he could get it waived for me if i spoke to the sales manager about purchasing another lexus. i told him i was not ready to purchase anothe car and did not want the pressure of having to buy a new car to get something fixed that should be fixed for free. i then called lexus customer service and noted a complaint. the girl i believe denise told me she was going to look again over the file and ask marc for a customer good faith repair. i called yesterday and left a msg for marc and called lexus again today. so far i have no response. i was a lexus fan but this has ruined my day | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| Engine has a jell like buildup and valves knock. there is a technical service bulletin. please provide any furhter information.*ak | |||
| 02/25/2002 | |||
| Car's engine would not turn over when the car was in a garage after 5 days of no use. *ak | |||
| 05/24/2001 | 02/01/2000 | ||
| I took my vehicle in for a normal service, and was imformed by the dealer that i had a sludge buildup. they tried to blame me for it by saying that it was due to poor maintenance on the car. i disputed this since i had receipts to show i had the car serviced within the normal timeframe required by lexus. (however not serviced at the dealer) they told me this problem/repair would cost me $6000. to $12000 to clean or replace the engine. i felt this was a due to a defect in the engine and should be covered under warranty. i have since found numerous people that are having the same problem, or know of someone who has had the same problem. 6 mos later i spoke with an individual who had the same problem and his vehicle was repaired by the dealer at no cost. the dealer states this is a case-by-case basis, even though it is the exact same problem. i contacted the dealer again and they are now willing to cover half of the repair, though i would have to pay for the labor of approx. $2500. i feel this should be completely covered by lexus and not put back onto the consumer. especially when i have had the vehicle serviced as required in the owners manual. i believe they are trying to cover up a defect in this vehicle, since this would be a extremely costly recall. i was informed by the service manager at the dealership that you can not have sludge build up if you are getting your car serviced within the required timeframe, which i did. so why do i have a sludge build up? answer: must be a defect in this vehicle. please investigate.*ak | |||
| 07/12/2001 | 0 | ||
| Took vehicle in for a routine check ,and after a couple of days consumer notice vehicle was driving differently. took back vehicle to dealer and, they stated that engine needed replacing. please provide any further information.*ak | |||
| 08/15/2001 | 1 | 11/01/1999 | |
| Even though the oil on my rx 300 was changed 2,700 miles ago, the engine developed engine sludge in the 3.0, 6 cylinder. lexus is trying to blame it on me for not changing the oil at their dealers. they want to charge me $500.00 just to look to see what the internal damage is and then anywhere from a re build of the engine for $6000 to $8000 or an entire new engine for $13,000.00 plus labor. i have since found numerous individuals with the same problem all citing the same engine, symptoms etc. on top of this, i witnessed the lexus service manager rushing to take digital photos of the inside of the engine and they quickly documented an owner neglect file in their master lexus records. after talking with several people and mechanics, we now believe that this is a cover up on the part of lexus to avoid what could be one of the most costly recalls in history. any help please.....?*ak | |||
| 07/02/2001 | 3 | 10/01/1999 | |
| Inspite of changing the oil within warranty guidelines, my rx 300 developed engine sludge in the 3.0 6 cylinder engine. a search of the internet disclosed that numerous owners of the rx 300 and other toyoto cars, like the sienna, have developed engine sludge even with timely oil changes..through the internet i have also learned that the 3.0 liter v-6 engine found in the lexus rx 300 was redesigned in 1999. it was modified to improve fuel efficiency and reduce pollutant emissions. this modification included reduction in the size of the coolsnt passage on the head gasket so that cyliner heads run at excessively hot temperatures. the oil is literally frying, resulting in sludge. http: philip.greenspun.com/materialism/cars/sienna.html. also, from www.carreview.com/reviews/vans_minivans/product_225.shtml ...the coolant system may not be operating correctly or thoroughly enough to keep the oil from frying and sludging up ultimately clogging the ports and burning up the motors. some mechanics think it has to do with the aluminum heads warping...and not just in the sienna, that engine has been reported to have problems on the lexus 300..*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||
| 01/26/2005 | 40 | 3 | |
| After approximately 62,000 engine light illuminated. the oxygen sensor was replaced by my local repair shop. after the engine light came back on, and i reattempted to use my local shop 3 times i brought it to the dealer. the problem is the mass airflow sensor/meter. this seems very premature for this type of part to fail. for a auto comapny that professes quality i was disappointed for this problem to arise. i am past warranty and am petitioning lexus to pay for some of the repair. *ak | |||