Automatic Transmission Problems of Lexus RX300 - part 1

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.

See all problems of the 1999 Lexus RX300 🔎.

2001 Lexus Rx300 failed transmission with no prior symptoms @ 106k miles. Estimated $3,800 - $4,800 to replace with rebuilt transmission.

See all problems of the 2001 Lexus RX300 🔎.

The contact owns a 2001 Lexus Rx300. The contact was driving approximately 35 mph and attempting to accelerate but the vehicle would not respond. The contact applied pressure to the accelerator pedal and the engine would exhibit an increase in rpms but the vehicle still would not accelerate. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop where the contact was told that the transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 104,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2001 Lexus Rx300. The contact stated that when shifting into reverse, the vehicle would not respond. She then shifted into drive and the vehicle exhibited an abnormally loud thump. The vehicle was not inspected or repaired for the failure. The failure and current mileage was approximately 105,000.

My vehicle was stopped for a traffic signal and shifter in "drive". When light turned green I applies gas and the vehicle went into reverse with the shifter still in the drive position. Transmission will need replacing. Repairing dealer advised this is a common problem with this model vehicle.

I would like to report a safety issue with my 2001 Lexus RX 300. The transmission went out when I was driving in traffic when attempting to get on interstate. The vehicle has 120,000 miles on drive train and vehicle was properly maintained. The transmission was looked at months earlier to fix potential problems with transmission. The technician did not discover anything unusual and said vehicle was okay to drive. The transmission just quit and left my children and me stranded in rush hour traffic. Real dangerous!!! I think vehicle needs to be recalled.

The automatic transmission on my 2001 Lexus Rx300 fwd went out at 142,000 miles. This car was purchase new from a Lexus dealer and serviced, in accordance with the service manual, at the same dealer. Most recently the transmission was serviced at 135,000 miles and all was fine. On Jan. 8 the car was on the freeway and the transmission dropped into a lower gear for no apparent reason and the engine revved close to red line. Check engine light did not come on. I was able to pull over just before entering a tunnel. Transmission fluid looks fine. The car was towed to the dealer and I've been told it needs a new transmission at a cost of $5000+ for parts and labor.

I was driving down the road and my car went into neutral. I was moving about 40 mph at the time of the incident.

Began with very rough idle. Transmission then refuses to shift to overdrive gear.

Lexus Rx300 4-w-drive [xxx] with 109,715 miles experienced a transaxle failure. Transaxle had been flushed at 30,000, 60,000 and 90,000 miles. Repair bill was $5233. 16 and the reman part was 3552. 23 of the total price. This premature failure is accompanied by many premature failures as revealed in the internet talk forums and appears to be a design problem. Lexus offered $750 compensation. I question the aluminum gears and revolutions allowed during shift as possible design flaws. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2000 Lexus RX300 🔎.

I have 2 Lexus RX 300. One of the Lexus which has 127000 miles suddenly it wont go in reverse and then after few tries and pumping gas it went in reverse. It is right now with Lexus dealer and they said they couldn't find anything, but are investigating. Reading thru the web lots of people have similar problem. I hope transmission problem does not happen while driving the car and wont cause serious accidents. My wife and kids ride these vehicles. I would like to find out any steps have been taken by NHTSA so far in this matter.

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.

See all problems of the 2002 Lexus RX300 🔎.

Transmission had to be replaced @ 125,000 miles & still does not shift correctly. . . Aamco santa cruz California will not warranty it stating the problem is not the transmission it is the computer which has to be replaced even though Toyota of SC did diagnostic and stated nothing wrong w/ computer in vehicle - aamco has had vehicle aprox 2 months.

I bought a '99 Lexus Rx300 for my wife at 62k miles. I did all of the schedule maintenance including the expensive stuff (like the timing belt change). Unbeknownst to me, the engine rear main seal was leaking at the time that I purchased it. I figured it was simple and "its a Lexus, right?". I found out that it would cost $1700 to fix and that it was common on this model. I ignored the leak because my wife loved the truck otherwise. Unrelated to the oil leak, at 183,000 miles I'm driving on a family vacation with the car on cruise control and the transmission suddenly starts to slip. I manage to make it my destination, but after research and getting diagnostics from the dealership and trans shops, I found it would cost $3000-$4000 to fix. I decided to fix it and paid $3700 for it. No sooner than I took off driving, the car started smoking horribly and was now slipping in 1,2, and 3rd gear. These transmissions are a nightmare to repair, and I would recommend anyone that buys one to count your losses when it fails and trash the car.

2000 Lexus RX 300 with 82k miles has broken transmission. The car has been well maintained and driven by my wife and the trans went out last fri when she was leaving the parking lot.

1. May18th, 2010 on my way to work the Lexus RX 300, 2001, 98k stalled and the gear did not shift either in d or in r. The transmission died. 2. No sign of failure or symptom before that 3. I called a local shop specialized in transmission to tow it to the shop. The cost to rebuild the transmission is 2800$. I went to Lexus dealer and ask for a replacement (Lexus does not rebuild transmission). It costs 5000$ or more. I believe that the transmission is a defective design. I'd like to complain and request Lexus to provide supports for this defect.

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 failed 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.

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. . Read more...

I have a popping in the steering column. I hope that the steering is not lost from this popping.

Lexus RX 300: automatic transmission complaint. My 2000 Lexus RX 300 is having transmission issues. Sometimes it will not shift into overdrive. I'm a mother of three and use the car primarily to transport children and the family dog to various places--I. E. To school, sporting events, carpooling as well as running various household errands and other family related activities. I have maintained the automobile regularly, do not drive abusively, and have not wrecked the automobile. I understand that many other 1999 & 2000 Rx300 owners have experienced similar (or worse) automatic transmission problems. Please investigate the Lexus Rx300 1999 and 2000 models to determine if this is a widespread flaw and worthy of a recall. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2001 Lexus Rx300. The contact stated as she accelerated from a traffic stop at speeds of 40 mph, the vehicle lunged forward without warning. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where she was advised the transmission would need to be replaced. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 95577. The current mileage was 95780.

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.

I purchased a 2000 Lexus RX 300 7 years ago from the original owner. Last week the transmission died with only 104,000 miles. It is disturbing to me that when I took it to the transmission repair facility they told me that the transmission was flawed in its engineering design and that no oil was able to reach the vital components and that over time they dried out and became brittle. They also said that the transmission "ate itself up". There were massive amounts of metal shavings and the transmission literally imploded. Why I think this is worthy of complaint is that we have always owned Toyota vehicles. . . Many and we take meticulous care of our cars. The transmission was serviced on a regular basis and the fluid was pristine. After researching online I found that there are hundreds of complaints about the same year vehicle and transmissions crashing even at much lower mileage. It cost us almost $3800 to have the transmission rebuilt and I would like to know if this is something that has been addressed previously by NHTSA?.

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!.

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.

Transmission gone at 100k.

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.

My transmission died on my 2001 Lexus Rx300 at 110k miles. The car stopped in the middle of a road during morning rush hours.

The contact owns a 2001 Lexus Rx300. While driving 35 mph, the vehicle stalled and the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to a Lexus dealer. The dealer stated that the transmission had to be replaced. The vehicle will be repaired at the owners expense since there was no valid warranty. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileages were 116,000.

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.

Dear sir: I am one of those Rx300 2000 Lexus owners. I have been faithfully taken my Lexus to the Lexus dealer for every oil change and problem. I recently took my 2000 Lexus with 124,000 miles to Lexus for my regular oil change. . Charging me but failure to tell me that my transmission is having problems. I paid for my service but. . . . I am out the money plus Lexus would like me to pay $4,600 for a new transmission. Omg. . . I think looking at all the problems with transmission Lexus should help defray the costs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thanks.

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 128,000 miles.

The transmission in my 2001 Lexus Rx300 failed with a little over 108k miles. No warning lights came on. I had trouble getting it in reverse 2 days before - thought it was a fluke. Then I had trouble starting it for 2 days. On 8/16 it started fine, so I drove it to the dealer. Twice on the way there, it jerked & hesitated when accelerating from a stop - I almost got rear ended. I am the 2nd owner - I bought it in 2003 with 41,462 miles on it. It was Lexus certified pre-owned. The car fax report noted the original owner registered it as private/personal use & no issues were noted. I have had all service done by the dealer, except the last oil change. I've only driven about 9k miles per year, drive it responsibly & have never towed with it. Very frightening that I had few symptoms, and no warning light to alert me there was a problem. Lexus dealer wants $4,300 to replace it with a Lexus remanufactured transmission. I have not decided what to do. I'm seeing lots of information online about how bad these transmissions are, and they often need replaced multiple times. Scares me to know I could replace it, have it fail & perhaps be in an accident. I am a realtor & frightening that I could have been in an accident with clients in my vehicle. My expectations of Lexus quality & safety have not been met.

The transmissions in Lexus Rx300 models are unsafe. The transmission in my Rx300 had to be replaced at 70,000 miles and again at 120,000 miles. Lexus is not standing behind their product. There have been numerous complaints about the transmission in the Rx300 model. Lexus will not acknowledge this defect. Also, I was misled at the dealership the first time they replaced the transmission. I was assured that the transmission was not "refurbished", when, indeed, it is not a new transmission. The definition of the word "refurbished" was in question. The transmission going out repeatedly and so early in the Rx300 model is a safety hazard. Lexus' failure to acknowledge the problem and their decision to wait until someone has a problem with the transmission is a safety issue in itself.

See all problems of the 2003 Lexus RX300 🔎.

Ignition stuck in acc position. Turned off car normally when I tried to start it I was unable to because the ignition was in the acc position instead of the off position. To correct the problem I had to tow my car home and order a new ignition tumbler, and then have it replaced.