1999 Lexus RX300 Transmission Problems

TL* 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.

NHTSA ID

10420105

Incident

Aug 17, 2011

Mileage

89,000 mi

138,000 USED VEHICLE. UPON PURCHASE DID TIMING 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 SIMILAR 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. *KB

NHTSA ID

10413649

Incident

Jun 15, 2011

Mileage

142,500 mi

LEXUS RX300, TRANSMISSION SHIFT PROBLEMS AT GEAR 3 AND 4. RPM GOES OVER 4000, IRRESPECTIVE OF WARM OR COLD ENGINE. I HAVE AN ENGINE LIGHT CODE 0765 (SOLENOID SHIFT D MALFUNCTION). *KB

NHTSA ID

10413644

Incident

Feb 18, 2011

Mileage

128,030 mi

I PURCHASED USED 1999 LEXUS RX300 IN 2008 AND SO FAR I'VE HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION DUE TO UNEXPECTED CATASTROPHIC FAILURE, BOTH AIR RATIO SENSORS, BOTH KNOCK SENSORS, OXYGEN SENSOR, FRONT STRUT MOUNTS, AND NOW POSSIBLY HAVE TO CHANGE THE TRANSMISSION AGAIN (NOT SHIFTING CORRECTLY). I WAS NOT AWARE THAT THE 1999 TO 2001 RX300S WERE SO PROBLEMATIC. SINCE THIS IS MY ONLY VEHICLE AND I AM STILL MAKING PAYMENTS ON IT, I AM STUCK FOOTING THE BILL FOR ALL THESE REPAIRS. WHICH FROM WHAT I HAVE RESEARCHED ARE ATTRIBUTED TO BAD ENGINEERING. I AM CONSTANTLY HAVING TO REPAIR A VEHICLE WHICH IS SUPPOSEDLY KNOWN FOR QUALITY. THE PROBLEMS THAT I'VE MENTIONED ARE JUST THE MAJOR REPAIRS. I HAVE OTHER MINOR ISSUES SUCH AS REAR POWER WINDOW MUST REMAIN LOCKED OR IT OPENS ON IT'S OWN, DASHBOARD LIGHTS DO NOT ILLUMINATE,AND POWER ROOF GETS STUCK OPEN INTERMITTENTLY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10412327

Incident

Jun 1, 2008

1999 LEXUS RX300 WHICH HAD TRANSMISSION SERVICE ON MARCH 17TH 2011 AT , BEGAN TO MAKE A WHIRRING SOUND AND SLIP OUT OF GEAR WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 85 NORTH ON SATURDAY JULY 9TH 2011. I IMMEDIATLY PULLED OFF ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE INTERSTATE TO CHECK THE FLUID AND IT SHOWED FULL ON THE DIP STICK. ON MONDAY JULY 11TH 2011 THE RX300 IN QUESTION WAS TAKEN TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP WHICH PERFORMED THE SERVICE OF THE TRANSMISSION ON MARCH 17TH 2011, AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT I WOULD NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION COSTING UPWARD OF $4500. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION I HAVE FOUND THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE RX300 MODEL YEARS 1999-2001 DESCRIBING THE EXACT SAME DRIVE TRAIN FAILURE. IT IS APPARENT THAT LEXUS IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND HAS FAILED TO ISSUE ANY TYPE OF WARNING TO ITS CONSUMERS OF IMPENDING TRANSAXLE FAILURE DUE TO AN INFERIOR SHIFTING APPARATUS. AS STATED EARLIER SERVICE WAS PERFORMED ON MY RX300 AND ANY MENTION OF IMPENDING PROBLEMS WERE ABSENT. AS A CONSUMER I FEEL THAT IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF LEXUS TO WARN ITS CUSTOMERS OF ANY PROBLEMS WHICH MAY ARISE DUE TO INADEQUATE EQUIPMENT. BELOW ARE LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES WHICH LIST COMPLAINTS OF THE EXACT TRANSAXLE FAILURE. A RECALL FOR REPAIRS SHOULD BE ISSUED AS THIS IS A SERIOUS VEHICLE FAILURE. IF I HAD BEEN INFORMED OF THIS IMPENDING ISSUE COSTLY REPAIRS AND DAMAGE CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. US.LEXUSOWNERSCLUB.COM/FORUMS/INDEX.PHP?SHOWTOPIC=28020 - HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/WEBX/.F111D9C/1. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) *TT

NHTSA ID

10411924

Incident

Jul 9, 2011

Mileage

228,000 mi

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. *TR

NHTSA ID

10410930

Incident

Jul 2, 2011

Mileage

165,000 mi

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING HER 1999 LEXUS RX300 TO WORK WHEN, IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY DISENGAGED ALMOST CAUSING HER TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT. SEVERAL CARS ALMOST HIT HER WHILE SHE TRIED TO NAVIGATE THE CAR OFF THE ROADWAY TO A SAFE PLACE. CARRIED THE CAR TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER (THERE IS NO LOCAL LEXUS DEALER HERE) AND WAS TOLD THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AND THE COST WOULD BE $3,700. THERE WERE NO ADVANCED INDICATIONS THE TRANSMISSION WAS HAVING PROBLEMS IT JUST SUDDENLY QUIT WORKING. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SCENARIO AND WE ARE BLESSED THAT OUR DAUGHTER WAS NOT INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10405938

Incident

Jun 10, 2011

Mileage

145,000 mi

TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 145K NO WARNING 4K TO REPAIR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10386078

Incident

Feb 27, 2011

Mileage

145,000 mi

TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 110K MILES; REQUIRED TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10378066

Incident

Nov 26, 2010

Mileage

110,000 mi

BEGAN WITH VERY ROUGH IDLE. TRANSMISSION THEN REFUSES TO SHIFT TO OVERDRIVE GEAR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10358873

Incident

Oct 1, 2010

Mileage

94,000 mi

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. *TR

NHTSA ID

10350693

Incident

Aug 17, 2009

Mileage

128,712 mi

MY CAR HAS A SHUDDER FROM 2 TO 3 SHIFT OF THE TRANSMISSION. I CALLED THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS A SERVICE CAMPAIGN ABOUT THIS ISSUE, BUT BEING MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR PARTS AND LABOR TO FIX THIS ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10347384

Incident

Aug 3, 2010

Mileage

176,000 mi

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. *TR

NHTSA ID

10344313

Incident

Jul 3, 2010

Mileage

180,000 mi

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. CHECK THIS WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG/REVIEWS/LEXUS/RX300/R54694/COMMENTS/PAGE-2/ [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID

10335160

Incident

May 7, 2010

Mileage

91,000 mi

I HAVE A POPPING IN THE STEERING COLUMN. I HOPE THAT THE STEERING IS NOT LOST FROM THIS POPPING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10330520

Incident

Apr 13, 2010

I WAS DRIVING ON A INTERSTATE AND THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING UNTIL IT GAVE OUT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10330254

Incident

May 13, 2010

Mileage

96,000 mi

1999 LEXUS RX 300 VEHICLE 99,000 MILES IN VERY GOOD REPAIR SUDDENLY STALLS DUE TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON THE FREEWAY. NO PREVIOUS WARNING. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO "COAST" OFF THE HIGHWAY INTO A SAFE AREA TO STOP THE VEHICLE. IT WOULD NO LONGER MOVE, TRANSMISSION WAS REPORTED TO BE DEAD BY TWO MECHANICS. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS MODEL THERE ARE MANY REPORTS ABOUT TRANSMISSION FAILURES SOME CAUSING ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES. NEITHER WAS THE CASE WITH MY INCIDENT BUT IT IS A DISTURBING TREND. *TR

NHTSA ID

10325730

Incident

Jan 7, 2010

Mileage

99,000 mi

ABOUT ONE WEEK AGO, I NOTICED A TINNY/HUMMING NOISE COMING FROM SOMEWHERE UNDER THE HOOD OF MY RX300. I TOOK IT TO SEVERAL MECHANICS TO HAVE THEM TELL ME WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT, BUT BY THE TIME I GOT THERE THE ENGINE WAS OPERATING AT NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND THE NOISE WAS PRACTICALLY NON-EXISTENT. YESTERDAY MORNING, WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, IT WOULD SUDDENLY LOSE POWER AND THE TACHOMETER WOULD SHOW THE RPMS RAISING SUDDENLY, AS IF IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. IT WOULD DO THIS FOR SEVERAL SECONDS OR MORE BEFORE DECIDING TO APPLY POWER TO THE WHEELS AGAIN WHEN IT WANTED TO. THIS HAS CAUSED ME TO HAVE TO CREEP ALONG AT TIMES, UNSURE OF WHAT IT MIGHT DO NEXT. NOT BEING IN CONTROL OF WHEN (OR WHERE FOR THAT MATTER) MY VEHICLE WILL GO IS A SAFETY CONCERN. WILL IT POOP OUT ON ME WHEN I'M NEEDING TO PASS SOMEBODY OR TRYING TO TURN LEFT ACROSS ONCOMING TRAFFIC? WILL IT LUNGE ME FORWARD ON ITS OWN AT AN UNPREDICTABLE MOMENT? YESTERDAY AFTERNOON MY "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON, MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THE CODE RANG UP AS "SHIFT SOLENOID." THIS CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF ACCORDING TO MANUAL SPECS. MY LAST TRANNY FLUID CHANGE WAS ABOUT THREE MONTHS AGO. THE CAR ALSO APPEARS TO HAVE A REAR ENGINE LEAK AT THE GASKET BETWEEN THE ENGINE AND TRANNY. THIS "QUALITY" LEXUS CAR HAS LESS THAN 114K MILES ON IT! MY SISTER JUST HAD HER REAR ENGINE SEAL REPLACED AND HER TRANSMISSION REBUILT FOR $4400 AND HERS HAS JUST 125K MILES ON IT. WHAT A JOKE! I WILL NEVER BY A TOYOTA AGAIN. I'VE ALWAYS GOTTEN BETTER SAFETY AND LONGEVITY OUT OF FORDS. POO ON YOU LEXUS. I AM SCHEDULING A TIME TO HAVE MY MECHANIC REPAIR THIS; STILL WAITING ON A QUOTE THOUGH. I EXPECT A MIN OF $400, BUT ONCE HE OPENS THE TRANNY UP HE MAY ADVISE ME TO REBUILD THE THING (ANOTHER $4-$5K). LEXUS EITHER BELIEVES IN SAFETY, IN WHICH CASE THEY SHOULD FESS UP TO POOR ENGINEERING AND FIX THEIR MISTAKE, OR THEY DON'T! DEATHS/INJURIES:? = NOT YET. *TR

NHTSA ID

10324578

Incident

Apr 7, 2010

Mileage

113,440 mi

TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10324129

Incident

Mar 31, 2010

Mileage

118,000 mi

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. *TR

NHTSA ID

10319278

Incident

Mar 5, 2010

Mileage

142,000 mi

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! *TR

NHTSA ID

10316760

Incident

Mar 3, 2010

Mileage

98,456 mi

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). *TR

NHTSA ID

10310273

Incident

Jan 14, 2010

Mileage

170,320 mi

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. *TR

NHTSA ID

10303933

Incident

Feb 2, 2010

Mileage

45,765 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 LEXUS RX300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE NOTICED A NOISE ON THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE AND WITHIN A FEW MINUTES WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED MOVING FORWARD. SHE TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND TRIED TO RESTART IT; HOWEVER, AFTER 10 ATTEMPTS TO RESTART THE VEHICLE SHE WAS UNABLE TO DO SO. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED HER A 50% DISCOUNT OFF OF THE TOTAL REPAIR COSTS. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED TO-DATE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 86,192.

NHTSA ID

10301676

Incident

Dec 27, 2009

Mileage

86,192 mi

WE OWNED A 1999 LEXUS RX 300 SUV. WE RECENTLY ENCOUNTERED A COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON 11/26/2009 (THANKSGIVING DAY) AT ~134000 MILES WHILE DRIVING TO ATTEND A THANKSGIVING DINNER. THE CAR WAS WELL-MAINTAINED AND WELL-KEPT SINCE THE PURCHASE. THE ENTIRE MAINTENANCE HISTORY CAN BE VERIFIED & CONFIRMED BY LEXUS OF PORTLAND IN OREGON. WE WERE VERY SURPRISED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT SO SOON FOR A LEXUS. THIS IS VERY DISAPPOINTING. NOT ONLY THE SITUATION WAS DANGEROUS AND UNSAFE FOR MY WIFE & I (WE WERE ON A HIGHWAY) BUT WE LATER FOUND OUT THAT LEXUS IS CHARGING US $4400 TO REPLACE A REBUILT TRANSMISSION. AS I INVESTIGATE FURTHER, SOUNDS LIKE LEXUS/TOYOTA IS WELL-AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND NOT OFFERING ANY COMPENSATION TO HELP WITH THE HEAVY BURDEN REPLACEMENT COST. WE WOULD LIKE TO FILE THIS COMPLAINT AS A WAY TO GET HIGHER AUTHORITY TO HELP THE AFFECTED LEXUS OWNER. HOPEFULLY YOU CAN REVIEW & INVESTIGATE INTO THE MATTER WITH LEXUS/TOYOTA FOR US. *TR

NHTSA ID

10293789

Incident

Nov 26, 2009

Mileage

134,000 mi