35 problems related to transmission failure have been reported for the 2001 Lexus RX300. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Vehicle has 133,890 miles on it, vehicle has been serviced every 5000 miles, according to the vehicle history and owners manual. We had transmission failure 100 miles from home. Pulled over to the side of the I-90 , had to wait 2 hours for a flatbed on the side of the highway. Mass state police were not happy having to wait that long nor safety of being on the side of the road for 2 hours. We tried moving vehicle after it was off for an hour, moved gear selector had only park and natural , was at " full hot " mark on the dip stick, fluid is clean, doesn't smell burnt at all. Towed to service department and needs a new transmission. Vehicle was on the highway at 70mph , and then had no forward movement at 70mph. Google " Rx300 transmission problems" and you'll find thousands of links to people having same issue. Toyota/Lexus should be stepping up and fixing these transmissions , this is obviously a weak point in their vehicles and a major safety issue.
Takata recall - transmission failed. Had to replace the transmission at 140,423 miles. There was metal in the transmission. Cost to replace the transmission was $2,875. 10.
Transmission failure at 145000 (approx) after performing all schedule maintenance at the dealer since purchase. I have read countless entries where the 1999-2002 Lexus Rx300 has had premature transmission failures. This is a costly repair and a I feel Lexus should have recalled the vehicle and provided assistance.
My wife was taking our kids, 7 and 9, to go shopping and as she drove down the hill from our apartment complex, with no warning, the wheels just suddenly locked up and the car would not go forward or reverse. She was literally stuck on a one lane hill, due to a massive snowstorm that left the sides, of the street covered with piles of snow from the snowplow, with other vehicles behind her who could not go anywhere. Some guys from the apartment complex got out and helped her and managed to get it to a parking lot at the bottom of the hill. We had the car towed to a local garage, but being a Sunday night, we could not find out anything until morning. I went online and started researching what might have caused this and discovered numerous others with similar problems, all of whom reported the transmission failed with no prior warning. A lot of the people said they reported it to Lexus and it should have been recalled, but Lexus refused to do anything about it and did not issue a recall. . Read more...
Left home to go to grocery store. As I entered a major road near my home the car lost power almost causing an accident. I was able to limp home. The repair shop diagnosed a faulty transmission and commented that they see many Rx300's with transmission problems. The transmission was rebuilt at a cost of $3214. 00. This car has been well taken care of, including recommended transmission fluid replacement. I feel that the transmission failure was very premature. Judging by the number of similar reports at or around the same mileage, I feel that the transmission was not engineered properly and Lexus did nothing to correct the problem.
Transmission failure-2001 Lexus RX 300, 88,000 miles, purchased new, car was babied, services regularly with transmission fluid flushed at 30,000 mile intervals. Never towed anything, drove about 9,000 miles per year. You don't expect a car you buy for reliability to have the transmission fail at 88,000 miles with a $5,000 price tag to repair. Research show this is a genetic problem for an under engineered transmission for a awd auto. 100's upon 100's have the complaint on this model from 1999-2002 with failures at 85,000- 95,000 miles. Deceptive advertising as to quality, reliability and pursuit of perfection with the manufacturer not willing to admit they have a problem. Just read the Lexus and edmund boards on RX 300 awd transmission failure. Manufacturer corrected the problem in 2003 or 2004 transmissions but for the people that purchased before we have to pay the consequence. There should be a recall due to safety concerns on tranmission failure while driving. Reports are numerous.
Transmission completly failed to move the car. Had it repaired and the tech told me the planitary gear unit had completly destroyed its self. Very common I am told on this model.
2001 Rx3000 transmission failed at 178,000 miles while attempting to exit off-ramp of highway stopping in the middle of ramp and almost causing crash and was replaced to then fail again at 192,000 miles.
Faulty Lexus transmission failure by manufacturer's design has caused an expensive repair to the car and I cannot get any help from Lexus. Why hasn't NHTSA investigated Lexus for putting a potentially dangerous transmission in the car. . . . Do people have to die first?.
2001 Lexus Rx300 with transmission failure. Car totally went out of gear at 50mph with no warning. Towed and found out that would need a whole new transmission as one of the planetary gears lost bearings and chewed up the whole transmission. Design flaw that has been reported numerous times without Lexus acting at all.
Transmission failed and has to be rebuilt/replaced.
During normal driving the transmission failed. The transmission had to be rebuilt at a cost of over $4000. The Lexus dealer service department agrees that there is a design flaw, but the Toyota/Lexus corporation is unwilling to do more than contribute $1000 towards repair, and only if it is repaired at a dealer.
2001 Lexus RX-300 transmission failure (after 142,000 miles) 2nd failure (1st after 142,000 miles) consumer paid for both failures.
The transmission has failed in my 2001 Lexus RX 300. I need to have it replaced with a remanufactured transmission.
2001 Lexus RX 300 - transmission failure appears to be common. Mine went out about 1 yr ago. Car wouldn't move at all. Had to have it rebuilt with more dependable parts. I don't have the old parts. The shop I went to said they frequently have them in with this issue.
Lexus Rx300 transmission failure.
I was driving to work on Friday 6-13-09 and stopped at a stop sign. As I attempted to proceed through the intersection the car started to buck violently. I took my foot off of the gas and put the car in neutral and the bucking stopped. I then came to a stop and put the car back into drive and the car began to buck again and I heard a grinding sound and then nothing. My car would not go forward or reverse. The service technician advised me that the transmission fluid was very clean and he could not understand why the transmission failed like this. I was told that I needed to replace the entire transmission and it cost me $4,418. 00.
2001 Lexus RX 300 transmission failure at 115k.
2001 Rx300 with 135k miles. We suffered a total transmission failure while driving 200 miles from home. Fortunately we were able to pull over to the side of the road and out of traffic. Vehicle was towed to Lexus dealer where the transmission was replaced with factory reconditioned unit.
Lexus 2001 model Rx300 in excellent condition purchased new with zero miles from Lexus dealer. This all wheel drive vehicle experienced total transmission failure without warning. Transmission type u14f. Vehicle was always dealer serviced and just completed the 85,000 miles service. Transmission is defective, and a chronic problem on all RX models. Dealer would not provide service under 100k extended warranty due to age. Cost of repair $5,500. 00 plus labor & taxes. There should be a class action lawsuit started for these transmission problems.
Transmission failed at 137,000 miles and needs complete replacement.
Our transmission failed in the middle of the highway causing our wheels to lock. I spent nearly $4000 to have the transmission replaced like the many Lexus Rx300 owners have had to do. This has not only significantly impacted our wallets but more importantly could have killed my wife and I.
Car began have transmission problems transmission failed in process of having to rebuild/replace transmission.
2001 Lexus Rx300. Transmission failure at 120,000 miles. The car would not go over 30-40 mph on highway the would come to complete stop. Will have to get a new transmission or rebuild old one. This seems to be a problem with 99-02 Lexus 300. Would like to see a recall.
Complete transmission failure.
Transmission failure.
My 2001 Lexus Rx300 has recently had transmission failure at only 87,000 miles. It has to be replaced. The cost will be almost $4,000. I have been on several websites that have many, many complaints of transmission failure on Lexus Rx300 models from 1999 to 2003.
Failure of transmission in 2001 Lexus Rx300. Vehicle made a whining sound and later that day would struggle to change gears, and would not go into reverse. Transmission failure diagnosis. I can drive for now but am risking the vehicle failing and transmission locking completely any day now. Cant afford the $5,500 price tag to repair it. Lexus will not help even although this faulty transmission is documented all over the internet on various Lexus owner sites and car survey sites.
Complete failure of 2001 Lexus Rx300 automatic transmission at only 62,000 miles. We purchased this cpo Rx300 (approx 20k miles on it) in early 2004 and serviced it regularly, per the Lexus manual, at a local Lexus dealership. At 60k miles on two occasions (a few days apart) it would not shift into reverse. We had the transmission flushed and the fluid replaced by a 3rd party shop. At 62,000 miles, while my wife was driving home on a local highway the transmission failed completely. Luckily she was able to maneuver it off the road safely. We towed it to a local transmission shop who even before opening it up told us they had seen many Rx300's of this year for premature transmission failures. I am currently dealing with Lexus cooperation to seek some form of reimbursement (it cost us $4,300 to replace the transmission) but as expected am being stonewalled with endless requests for service receipts, paperwork, etc. Marketing studies show it costs 5 times more to find a new customer than it does to keep an existing one. But I guess Lexus does not care.
I experienced a complete transmission failure on my 2001 Lexus Rx300 at 115000 miles. This vehicle was well-serviced, and had transmission fluid service per the Lexus maintenance schedule. After reviewing experiences of other Rx300 owners (especially at clublexus. Com), this comes across as a defect that the manufacturer should be responsible for. I had to pay over $3300 for repairs for a problem that should not have happened.
Power train- automatic transmission failure at 87000 mi. Lexus refused to acknowledge as a problem with this model (2001 Rx300) problem even though it has been well documented by consumers. Lexus refused any compensation for complete overhaul of transmission.
My 2001 Lexus Rx300's transmission failed. It has 80,000 miles and is dealer serviced. There were no problems with this car until the car suddenly wouldn't reverse. In drive the car would shift and stop abruptly. I was scared that I was going to get hit in the back by another car. Dealer wants $4800 to fix transmission and they claim it is a common problem for the car. My question was why it wasn't recalled then and I got no response.
2001 Rx300 transmission failed at 110,000 miles and had to be completely replaced. Normal commuter driving at highway speeds, very little city or high traffic situations.
Transmission failure.
2001 Lexus RX-300 1st transmission failure at 142,000 miles.