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 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 09/14/2012 | 48000 | 1 | |
| Catastrophic transmission failure at 48,000 miles. *tr | |||
| 09/14/2012 | 48000 | ||
| Catastrophic transmission failure at 48,000 miles. | |||
| 08/20/2011 | 14200 | ||
| I'm writing to make you aware of a serious safety issue with my vehicle. it started awhile ago, i heard a whining noise & hesitation,had lexus check it out. they said & documented in my profile it was my tire treads. i got the best goodyear tires for that vehicle at the time fortera's. noise rating i believe is 8 out of 10 (10 being quietest). i let it go & had many more oil changes since then & no mention of any fluids needing to be changed. my car has always been dealer serviced wherever i lived. past 4yrs been @ thompson lexus,50 swamp road,doylestown, pa 18902. vin:jtjhf10u220259986. i change my oil religiously every 8wks or so (my oil is exceptionally clean like a new engine) nothing was ever said about my fluids. none of my paperwork shows recommendations of any fluids nor were there any verbal recommendations about fluid changes.they did recommend a timing belt which i did but they also stated that i should have my water pump done as well even though nothing is/was wrong with it. so, i did what they said. but things got worse. usually when i am at a stop light/sign &/or making a left turn from a stopped position & im pulling out into intersection, the rpms tend to go up but my vehicle doesnt accelerate/respond with the pressing of the gas pedal. with this ongoing intermittent acceleration response, im scared but i need the car to get family around. i had another oil change & i told them to change transmission fluid. they advised me the whining was the transmission & lexus dealership did not recommend that the trans oil to be changed & it is a waste of my $100. i got it verbally & in writing on my service receipt. i believe the issue at hand (based on research) is the transmission & directly related to workmanship (poor design) & also the lack of knowledge, of technicians, to check fluids & recommend changing certain fluids at certain times. | |||
| 10/04/2011 | 133077 | ||
| While driving out of the parking space transmission started making very loud noise and then got totally stuck and vehicle could not move. it was incredibly difficult to load and especially unload the car from the flatbed truck. my mechanic evaluated the transmission and it was beyond repair and needed to be replaced. transmission fluid was totally black. of note, the manufacturer's sticker on the transmission specifically indicated not to change transmission fluid. | |||
| 12/16/2011 | 110000 | ||
| The transmission totally failed. vehicle would not move in any gear. rpms pegged out at 6k. had the vehicle towed to northtown lexus in amherst, ny. they agreed that the transmission was totally shot and would cost approximately $5,500 to replace, just for the part. i subsequently had the vehicle towed to continental transmission in buffalo, ny, where it was rebuilt for $3,100. i understand from posts at the lexus owners club of usa that rx300 transmissions are prone to failure as they were not designed for the added stresses imposed by and suv. | |||
| 11/10/2011 | 107085 | 1 | |
| Transmission failed without prior warning while driving at 25 mph. fortunately, was close to home and able to make it back to my driveway. had car towed into shop and they advised me of a total transmission failure. all services performed on the vehicle, no unusual or harsh driving condition on vehicle. *tr | |||
| 11/10/2011 | 107085 | ||
| Transmission failed without prior warning while driving at 25 mph. fortunately, was close to home and able to make it back to my driveway. had car towed into shop and they advised me of a total transmission failure. all services performed on the vehicle, no unusual or harsh driving condition on vehicle. | |||
| 09/02/2011 | 133000 | ||
| Transmission has failed. transmission failed on the highway with a max speed of 70 mph. fortunately there were no injuries. i ended up calling a tow truck to tow me to a transmission shop where it sit. i am now reading about the many who has suffered and is suffering transmission failure. why isn't the government acting on forcing lexus to recall and fix this issue? this is not an isolated problem. first and last lexus. | |||
| 05/18/2009 | 150000 | 1 | |
| 2002 lexus rx300 transmission failure. the tranny failed at only 150,000 miles. the replacement was $4200. no transmission should fail that soon, and nothing short of a bentley should cost that much for a rebuilt. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 06/15/2011 | 100000 | ||
| Early transmission failure on early model lexus rx300 from 1997 to 2003. i own a 2002 rx300 and the transmission failed at about 100,000 miles. it happened with no notice causing my engine to slow on the road and then was rear ended by another vehicle. i seem to be a lucky one as i read thousands of lexus rx300 owners transmissions needed to be replaced between 70,000 and 90,000 miles. lexus/toyota has done nothing to admit their is a problem with the transmission in this car and in fact denied any problems to myself. it is costing owners of these vehicles to outlay between $3,000 to $6,000 for the transmission to be replaced. all you need to do is go on the club lexus forum for lexus owners and type in transmission problems for rx300 and you will see thousands of owners complaining. please do everything in your power to make lexus/toyota acknowledge the problem and issue a recall and reimbursement to those owners of these cars. thank you. | |||
| 08/22/2011 | 104000 | ||
| 2002 lexus rx300 automatic transmission issue. have been reading on the internet as well as this site (16 total complaints about transmission/power train for this particular vehicle). just this morning, my wife (principal driver of this vehicle) tried to put the vehicle in reverse (located inside our home garage). the vehicle will not reverse. from reading other complaints, it seems that this is now a more common issue with this model of lexus than ever before? the danger involved in having to play with a gear shift; shifting back and forth from park to reverse, or reverse to drive, just to move into gear is a hazard and danger for a vehicle particularly housed in a garage. i'm also learning that others have experienced this model of lexus suv jumping out of gear and locking up the axles while the vehicle is in motion. lexus is not an inexpensive vehicle, and owners should expect more from a vehicle of this price range and overall quality otherwise. | |||
| 05/11/2010 | 120000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 lexus rx300. the contact stated that the vehicle consumed oil excessively. while driving 55 mph, the vehicle suddenly slowed down and began to sputter. the vehicle was taken to a repair shop where the contact stated that the engine had blown and needed to be replaced. the transmission also became stuck and took an extended amount of time to shift into gear. the vehicle was taken to a repair shop where the contact was informed that both the transmission and motor needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the current mileage was approximately 140,000. the failure mileage was approximately 120,000. | |||
| 05/11/2010 | 120000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2002 lexus rx300. the contact stated that she noticed that the vehicle consumed oil excessively. while driving 55 mph, the vehicle suddenly slowed down and began sputtering. the vehicle was taken to a repair shop where the contact stated that the engine had blown and needed to be replaced. the transmission stuck and took an extended amount of time to be shifted into gear. the vehicle was taken to a repair shop where the contact was informed that both the transmission and motor needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer had not been notified. the current mileage was approximately 140,000. the failure mileage was approximately 120,000-bk | |||
| 09/15/2010 | 85000 | ||
| Started to notice oil on the floor of my garage. upon inspection found to be transmission oil. transmission oil cooler lines going to transmission cooler had rusted through with pin holes. seems they are low enough to receive road spray. had to replace steel cooler lines. | |||
| 12/23/2010 | 83360 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2002 lexus rx300 awd. while driving 35 mph the transmission failed. he stated when he engaged the accelerator the vehicle would not go any faster and that the vehicle would not go into reverse. he called an authorized dealer but they were unable to take his vehicle in that day. the dealer advised him that the failure happen because of poor maintenance. the contact stated he followed the guidelines for the maintenance per the users manual. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and he was advised that the transmission needed replacing. he called the manufacture and filed a complaint and was advised that they would call back on monday january 3, 2011 since no one was in the office that handled this type of problem until then. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was unavailable. the failure and current mileage were 83,360. vwb | |||
| 05/02/2010 | 89000 | ||
| Transmission failure. | |||
| 02/15/2010 | 100500 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 lexus rx300. while driving at approximately 40-50 mph, the contact attempted to accelerate and the transmission failed without warning. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. he called the manufacturer who stated that because the vehicle was outside the warranty, they would not assist with the repair expenses. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the current and failure mileages were approximately 100,500. | |||
| 01/08/2010 | 57465 | 1 | 08/23/2002 |
| Tl* the contact owns a 2002 lexus rx300. the contact stated his transmission fails whenever he drives, the transmission makes noise. the gear is slipping and the vehicle will not move. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the transmission was replaced for $4800. there is a power train warranty but they will not honor it and want the contact to pay for the repairs. the toyota/lexus manufacturer was called and they stated they will not honor the warranty. the failure mileage was 57,465. updated 04/15/10. *lj updated 05/13/10. *jb updated 05/25/10.*jb | |||
| 12/10/2009 | 98000 | 1 | |
| Transmission failure at 98,000 miles. *tr | |||
| 12/07/2009 | 65500 | 1 | |
| 2002 lexus rx 300 stopped dead while owner was driving the vehicle. we learned that the transmission on the vehicle complete failed. vehicle had approximately 65,000 miles on it at the time of the incident. *tr | |||
| 07/12/2009 | 85000 | 1 | |
| 2002 lexus rx 300 transmission failed,stuck on nj turnpike,towed to prestige lexus in ramsey nj. dealer said transmission bad. have read hundreds and hundreds of premature transmission failures in 1999-2002 lexus rx 300 vehicles. so far lexus has not admitted any problems and will look into it. cost of repair 4000.00. still in shop. *tr | |||
| 07/05/2009 | 130000 | 1 | |
| Transmission failure in lexus 2002 rx 300. *tr | |||
| 02/20/2009 | 79550 | 1 | |
| On february 20, 2009, i was driving my 2002 lexus rx300 with approximately 79k miles when it would not shift into overdrive. i brought vehicle to repair shop where i was informed that the knock sensors needed to be replaced. i had them replaced and vehicle seemed to be working fine. on may 5, 2009, my transmission began slipping when shifting from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd. when vehicle brought to repair facility and i was informed that transmission is no good and needs to be replaced. at this time i looked on internet and found that many lexus rx300 are having the same problem. the cost of repairs is approximately $4,500. i paid $1,500 for knock sensors to be replaced already. there should be a recall. *tr | |||
| 03/27/2009 | 94000 | 1 | |
| Fwd vehicle. gear slippage began without warning and in minutes the transmission failed completely. no warning lights came on. the mechanic says the clutch is burned out, requiring a new transmission. the car has 94k miles on it and this is not covered under warranty. the cost for replacement with a re-manned oem transmission is $3,900. it is being replaced by the local toyota dealer. *tr | |||
| 02/19/2009 | 125500 | 1 | |
| I own a 2002 rx300 by lexus. this has in general been a good vehicle, until the transmission went out when i was 350 miles from home. the independent transmission shop that i took the car to showed me information that indicated the lexus vehicles from 1998 - 2002 have a history of significant transmission problems. these problems include the premature failure of the transmission and the inability in some cases of getting a new rebuilt transmission to sync with the vehicle computer. the information i read indicated that up to 25% of vehicles in these model years have failure. this is unacceptable. can you please investigate this. *tr | |||
| 02/11/2009 | 102000 | 1 | |
| 2002 lexus rx300 complete transmission failure at 102k miles. no warning, no problems noted before failure. a new transmission had to be installed. *tr | |||
| 01/10/2009 | 130000 | 1 | |
| A total failure of my transmission left me stranded on the highway, no warning, no signals, just quit. i've driven toyota products for 30 years and several over 200k miles and i've never had such a catastrophic failure. the cost to repair is $4000 from the dealer. the sad thing is that i just paid this vehicle off less than a week ago. after searching many forums of lexus owners i have found out that the early rx300s were all susceptible to this failure., why hasn't and doesn't lexus admit this failure. lexus has just lost loyal customer for them and toyota products. *tr | |||
| 09/01/2007 | 121326 | 1 | 02/10/2006 |
| Failure of torque converter in automatic transmission, resulting in total failure of automatic transmission. vehicle disabled on busy freeway. no prior warning, no engine check light, no transmission temperature alarm. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - PARK/NEUTRAL START SWITCH | |||
| 12/28/2001 | |||
| Vehicle would roll backward when stopping on a hill . dealer was notified. feel free to provide any further information.*ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - TORQUE CONVERTER | |||
| 09/01/2007 | 121326 | 1 | 02/10/2006 |
| Failure of torque converter in automatic transmission, resulting in total failure of automatic transmission. vehicle disabled on busy freeway. no prior warning, no engine check light, no transmission temperature alarm. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT | |||
| 08/30/2003 | 1 | 05/15/2002 | |
| I drive a 2002 lexus rx300. i was smelling a burning odor from below my car and called up to have it checked by the lexus service. they said they couldn't see me for a week and made an appointment to take the car in for check up. i expressed my concern about driving the vehicle while this smell was present and was told to check if :there was any object such as a plastic bag stuck under my car. *checked the oil, since he said that the engine oil lubricates the entire power train. after telling him that the dipstick showed that there was no need for oil he said that the vehicle should be ok until i bring it in for checkup. by this time i had developed a false sense of security and totally forgot about the odor. until saturday night august 30 when i was heading west on the cross bronx expressway.i was driving at approximately 60 mph when suddenly i heard this loud bang and the vehicle started to spin out of control on the high way with 18 wheelers on either side of me. god i was terrified. fortunately i remembered to steer the car in the direction of the skid and was able to stabilize the vehicle and prevent a rollover. after coming out of the car and inspecting it i found that there was no visible damage but the damn car would not move. here i was cris-crossed 21/2 lanes of traffic on the cross bronx expressway with other people yelling at me to move my f*****g vehicle out of the way and i had absolutely no way of moving it because the rear axle was jammed. after not having my car for 1 month to be exact, i was given back my vehicle and told that there was damage to the rear differential that caused the axle to seize up. fortunately it was covered by warranty. i do not know what kind of damage could have occurred especially since this car only had 17,000 miles on it and was driven only on paved surfaces. i seriously think the there was a defect and that it should be investigated. *la | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DRIVESHAFT | |||
| 12/09/2009 | 83910 | 1 | |
| In nov of 2009 i started hearing a clicking sound in my car and it felt like the front and rear tires on the passenger side was rubbing against something. i took my car to a lexus dealer and was told that my driveshaft needed to be replaced. several weeks after that my driveshaft fell off. being as though i did not have the $1800 i was quoted to have it replaced. i called the lexus corp and explained my situation to them. they offered me a good faith discount of 10% off of the price i was quoted by the lexus dealer. i turned it down because i felt that it was some type of defect that caused my driveshift to fall off. in light of the resent toyota recall for driveshafts falling off on their tacoma pickup trucks and (being as though lexus is an entity of toyota) i started thinking that there has to be a connection. i contacted the lexus corp again and asked them if they could look into the issue in light of the fact that toyota just recalled their tacoma trucks for the driveshaft issue. that was on sat 2/13/10 when i called. lexus corp called me back tues morn on 2/16/10 to say that they are not having any recalls on my vehicle at this time and that their position still stands to offer me the 10% discount. again i refused because i believe there is a connection. i would like to have this issue investigated to see if the issue with the driveshaft extends beyond the tacoma trucks. my car has been sitting for over 2 months now because i cannot afford to get it fixed. it has been very frustrating and very inconvenient to not be able to drive my car especially when i am certain it is due to a defect in the driveshaft which should be corrected by lexus. *tr | |||