Three problems related to transmission gear slipping have been reported for the 2001 Lexus RX300. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
2001 Lexus Rx300 at 113k mi. Suddenly the gears are slipping or loose in reverse or drvie when starting from stop - takes a second to click into gear and move the SUV- random in nature and occurance. About a few months later the dash lights come on vsc and check engine lights. Lexus dealer says warning lights are for solinoid e. They recommend replacing full transmission as they cannot be sure repalcing the solinoid will not damage the transmission - $4,500 is the damge - ouch! I am reading this is a common problem for Lexus Rx300's - why isn't Lexus doing anything about this- large hit ti the family budget!!!!.
At only 98k miles, the transmission failed on my 2001 Lexus Rx300. My husband and I were driving down the highway and were nearly home when the transmission started slipping. We had some minor problems with it for the last several weeks, but they seemed to go away once the engine warmed up. This time, however, it went from driving to just revving, as if in neutral, in about a minute or less. We had to coast down an off-ramp and push to a parking spot before having it towed. Our mechanic says it will be between $2-3k to fix it. This is totally unacceptable for a luxury vehicle with less than 100k miles on it.
The contact owns a 2001 Lexus Rx300. While driving uphill at 70 mph, the contact's vehicle lost power when she swerved to avoid another vehicle. She depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to move; however, the engine revved. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. She feels that this is a serious safety issue because she and her family could have been involved in a serious crash. The current and failure mileages were 85,000. Updated 08/15/08. The consumer stated the transmission began to slip and hesitate when she would attempt to accelerate. At one point, the consumer put the gear in park with the engine running and the vehicle suddenly lurched forward. The dealership replaced the transmission, however it was the same transmission that was removed from the vehicle. Updated 08/15/08.