Transmission Failure Problems of Lexus RX300 - part 1

Transmission failed due to bad design. Many others have same failures. Need recall.

See all problems of the 2000 Lexus RX300 🔎.

At approximately 150,000 my Lexus RX 300 seized after pulling into a parking lot. I tried to restart the car and it would not move/turnover. Obviously, had to have it towed and the entire transmission needed to be replaced. I purchased a rebuilt transmission to the tune of about $4,000. There are numerous reports of this model of Lexus repeatedly having the transmission fail. I'm wondering why the NHTSA does not issue a recall at this point - at least investigate this issue. , so those who own these vehicles can recoup some of the cost for the failures of this transmission.

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.

See all problems of the 2001 Lexus RX300 🔎.

Transmission failure, the transmission fails to work and lags at first and second gear.

See all problems of the 2002 Lexus RX300 🔎.

My transmission failed 5 yrs ago was not told why. They replaced it but I had to pay for labor. They put in new parts except for remanufactured casing. Now December 2015 with only 24,000 miles on it since I am retired, failed to go in reverse or go into second gear. Have noticed online alot of people are having problems with transmissions of Lexus vehicles. Now I am told by Lexus speacialist (800-255-3987) they only want to pay for half of parts and was told it just failed we don't know why and they refuse to investigate again unless I want to pay for labor. It seems from online complaints that they are making owners pay for diagnostics and or replacements & labor. I have never felt more unsafe in a car when my vehicle wouldn't shift into gear while driving on a road with 55mph speed limit while I could only drive 10 miles an hour. I had to pay $128 to have it towed to dealership on 01/04/2016 because they would not accept any diagnostics from any one else nor pay for tow. I was delayed in efforts because of holiday. Please make them accountable.

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.

Catastrophic transmission failure at 48,000 miles.

On April 25, 2012, my wife and I were driving to my brother?s home, a distance of 50 miles. About two miles from our destination, we stopped at an intersection. When the light turned green, I accelerated and the car went forward about ten feet and lurched to a stop in the middle of the intersection. We were thrown forward, and the driver behind us had to jam his brakes. We were able to leave the intersection only by putting the car in low gear and slowly moving through the traffic to the far right lane and into a bank parking lot. We had the car towed to a nearby mechanic. The following day I received a call from the mechanic who quoted $3,766 for transmission replacement. I authorized the work to be done. On April 27, I told a friend who was visiting our area from canada of the incident. That day, he spoke with an acquaintance who is a service representative for a canadian Lexus dealer. He said that failure at around 100,000 miles is a well known problem with the 1999 Lexus Rx300 and that Lexus had been working with customers on this issue . I went to the internet to see what I could learn. There was no recall, but there were sites referencing the pervasiveness of transmission failure in the Rx300. From what we have learned , we believe that transmission failure on the 1999 Lexus Rx300 occurs frequently at around 100,000 miles and is caused by a design flaw in that model year. That being the case, it seems to us that Lexus ought to have taken preemptive action so that owners such as my wife and I would not have to suffer a near collision, not to mention unnecessary costs and inconvenience. Lexus offered a token service credit but was unwilling to admit to any inherent problem in the Rx300 transmissions and offered no comment regarding our suggestion that the owners should be forewarned of the possibility of transmission failure at around 100,000 miles.

See all problems of the 1999 Lexus RX300 🔎.

My transmission went out on this car on the freeway leaving me in a very dangerous situation with my 8 month old child. This transmission was just rebuilt a year ago. You are probably aware that this issue is beyond prevalent. Stories and complaints about early transmission failure are all over the internet. You are probably already aware. So is Lexus and they refuse to do anything about it. Will someone have to get killed before you demand a recall? me and my baby could have very easily have been killed yesterday.

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.

Premature transmission failure. Purchased used with 85,000 miles. Transmission fluid changed at suggested intervals. Car will not move in any transmission selector position. After research, found that this is a common problem with this year and model Lexus.

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.

The contact owns a 1999 Lexus Rx300. The contact stated while driving 40 mph uphill there was a burning smell and the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle onto the shoulder. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who stated the transmission failed. The dealer stated there were no recalls and the repair cost would be $5000. The manufacturer advised the contact that a representative would return the call. The failure mileage was 89,000.

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.

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.

138,000 used vehicle. Upon purchase did timming belt, water pump and all belts. Then had a transmission flush. Went on a 500 mile round trip and upon returning lost overdrive. Made it home then next day a severe lose of power and trans would not shift. After restarting would shift but no overdrive. After investigating found hundreds of similiar incidents when you query Lexus transmission failure. I can understand losing a transmission but reading all these complainants it is clear that this product is defective.

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.

Full transmission failure without any advance symptoms at 103,500 miles. Vehicle regularily serviced, including 90k complete service at dealer.

This letter is a follow up to a claim I made regarding my 2000 Lexus Rx300 and its impending transmission issues. I had requested from Lexus some good faith compensation for the replacement of my transmission due to the extenuating nature of the issues surround transmission in Rx300 in the model year 1999, 2000 and 2001. Soon after I purchased the car I found interesting posting at edumnds. Com on the more than average failure of the transmissions. At that time I purchased an extended warranty, since I figured that it was not if the transmission failed but when. True to form and right on schedule the transmission failed at 98,000 miles. I was denied any compensation on my issue and was told that Lexus had no knowledge of the problem. Background. Over 109 complaints have been filed with the national highway safety administration for 1999 Rx300s, 108 for model year 2000 (mine) and over 100 for 2001. Over 56 pages on edumnds. Com contain complaints on this issue. Yet I was told by the customer service representative at Lexus of America that he in fact knew of no issues regarding transmissions in these vehicles. Either he was very naã've or not being complete forthright with me if a simple google search produced my results. He claimed that proper servicing of the system would have avoided the issue – which is also dispelled by other owners. I understand and accept that fact that used vehicles require a certain amount of upkeep and replacement and I accept that premise and plan for those costs. However, I do not believe that I should have to finance a repair that is truly a design flaw in the vehicle and not through any consequence of my simple ownership. I would expect more major repairs on a vehicle of a lesser quality, but not for vehicle that costs $45,000 and boasts “the pursuit of perfection. €� I see this as an integrity issue and that is what’s appalling from a company that I have supported since 1989 when I bought my first camry that I sold 12 years later.

Transmission failure at 145k no warning 4k to repair.

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.

The contact owns a 2002 Lexus Rx300. While driving 35 mph, the transmission failed. The contact stated that when he attempted to accelerate, the vehicle would not accelerate and would not move in reverse. The dealer stated that the failure was due to poor maintenance although the contact stated that he followed the guidelines according to the owner's manual. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who stated that the transmission replaced. The contact called the manufacturer and filed a complaint; the manufacturer stated that someone would get back with him. The vehicle had not been repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The current and failure mileages were 83,360.

Transmission failure at 110k miles; required transmission replacement.

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?.

2000 Lexus Rx300 with 96,600k miles. Transmission failed and locked car up in busy intersection. New incident, and a repair will cost $5, 000 or more.

Automatic transmission failure at 84,000 miles. Lexus was purchased new and has received all dealer's recommended service at same dealership except the last few, which were performed at another Lexus dealership. Dealer wants $4,700 to replace transmission with rebuilt transmission.

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 failure.

While driving on highway, lost all forward motion. Sudden, unexpected transmission failure resulting in car becomming road hazard. Replaced transmission. Yet another of the hundreds of sudden transmission failures of the Lexus Rx300.

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.

2000 RX 300 transmission failure at 120k mile.

Wife driving 1999 Rx300 Lexus w/ awd and it just stopped and unable to engage reverse due to transmission failure. It was towed home and after some inquiries just parked until enough money can be raised to attempt repair (very costly).