2001 LEXUS RX Complaints

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. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 LEXUS RX300. THE CONTACT PULLED INTO HER DRIVEWAY AND ATTEMPTED TO PLACE THE VEHICLE INTO REVERSE, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. PRIOR TO THIS FAILURE, WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO JERK AND THE GEARS WOULD NOT SWITCH PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC AND THEY REPLACED THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE CV JOINT IN 2007. AFTER BEING TOWED TO HIS FACILITY, THE MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE DRIVER SIDE CV JOINT, BUT FOUND THAT WAS NOT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WHEN SHE CALLED LEXUS, THEY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO THEM IN ORDER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE LEXUS DEALER WAS 35 MILES AWAY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 109,000. UPDATED 09/16/08 *BF UPDATED 09/22/08. *JB

TRANSMISSION WENT OUT ON MY 2001 RX300 AT 100,000 MILES. NORMALLY I WOULD JUST CONSIDER THIS BAD LUCK BUT THE 3RD PARTY TRANSMISSION GUY SAYS THAT HE REPLACES TONS OF THESE AND THAT HE IS CONVINCED THERE IS A PROBLEM. THIS PRESENTS A DANGEROUS CONDITION AS THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT VIRTUALLY IMMEDIATELY, LEAVING THE VEHICLE ESSENTIALLY DISABLED AND ALMOST AS IF IN NEUTRAL. OTHER INTERNET POSTERS HAVE CLAIMED THAT THIS TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP CAUSING UNSTABLE VEHICLE PERFORMANCE WHILE MOVING. WHEN I GO TO THE INTERNET AND SEARCH THIS ISSUE THERE ARE COUNTLESS WEBSITES WITH OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. YOU SEE COUNTLESS POSTS ON LEXUS FORUMS, EDMUNDS, ETC., ABOUT 1999, 2000 AND 2001 RX 300 SUVS WITH TRANSMISSION ISSUES. MANY AS EARLY AS 50,000 MILES (WHICH ARE COVERED BY LEXUS) AND MANY MORE OVER 70,000 TO 100,000 LIKE ME. *TR

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. *TR

OVER THE COURSE OF A FEW MONTHS THE FOLLOWING OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES: I WOULD SHIFT THE CAR IN REVERSE TO BACK OUT. AT FIRST THE CAR DIDN'T RESPOND, THEN IT WOULD MAKE A CLUNKING NOISE AND A JOLT AND THEN SHIFT. SHORTLY AFTER, IT MADE A HIGH PITCHED WHINNYING SOUND FROM THE ENGINE, BUT ONLY WHEN IT WAS COLD. THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM WHEN THE CAR WAS WARM. THE DEALER INFORMED ME THAT IT NEEDED A RE-MANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION AND THE COST WAS ALMOST $5,000. CAR HAS JUST OVER 100,000 MILES. ALL SERVICE WAS DONE, INCLUDING THE 90,000 MILE SERVICE. *TR

2001 LEXUS RX300 W/80K MILES. DRIVING ON FREEWAY, PRESSED GAS AN NOTHING HAPPENED. CAR KEPT REVVING BUT WOULDN'T DRIVE. VERY DANGEROUS. FOUND OUT THE TRANSMISSION WENT. RESEARCHED THIS AND DISCOVERED THIS WAS DUE TO A MANUFACTURE DEFECT THAT LEXUS WILL NOT ADMIT TO (ALTHOUGH THEIR SERVICE STAFF WILL ADMIT TO THIS). LEXUS PAID FOR THE NEW TRANSMISSION, BUT FORCED ME TO PAY $1500 LABOR WHEN THEY ARE AT FAULT. THESE CARS SHOULD BE RECALLED! PLEASE RESEARCH THIS ONLINE. I RESEARCHED ONLINE AND SPOKE TO SEVERAL OWNERS OF THIS MODEL WHO ALL HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE BETWEEN 70-80K MILES. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 LEXUS RX300. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A HIGH PITCHED NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE GEARS WOULD NOT SHIFT PROPERLY. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS A COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. AS OF FEBRUARY 28, 2008, THE DEALER HAD NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 84,000.

VEHICLE STARTED SHIFTING HARD & MAKING A WHINNYING SOUND. WHEN ENGINE WARM COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM. LEFT CAR AT DEALER FOR COLD START THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM. REPLACED W/ REBUILT TRANSMISSION AT A COST OF $1199.00. *TR

IN 2001 COMPLAINANT BOUGHT NEW RX 300. IN ACCORDANCE WITH SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE ALL WORK HAS BEEN DONE. NO EVIDENCE OF A POSSIBLE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM UNTIL SATURDAY WHILE MERGING ON INTERSTATE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT/ACCELERATOR BEYOND 30 MPG. IMMEDIATELY EXIT HIGHWAY DROVE HOME. PARKED VEHICLE FOR COUPLE HOURS DROVE TO STORE THROUGH CITY STREETS THEN ON THE WAY HOME VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO BEYOND 20 MPH. EXITED OFF MAIN STREET. MADE THE TURN THEN VEHICLE COMPLETELY STOPPED MOVING. IT IS OBVIOUSLY A HAZARDOUS AND DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY STOPS MOVING, OR DOES NOT ACCELERATE WHILE MERGING. ALTHOUGH NO PERSON WAS INJURED THE POTENTIAL OF INJURY IS GREAT. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LEXUS DEALER TO HEAR THAT IT IS IN FACT A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM THAT NEEDS REPLACEMENT FOR 4K. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS DEFECTIVE ITEM OR A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FILED. *JB

HESITANT SHIFTING WAS NOTICED INFREQUENTLY FOR A DAY OR TWO. THEN UPON STARTUP WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT INTO REVERSE UNTIL ACCELERATOR WAS DEPRESSED VERY FAR. AT THAT POINT TRANSMISSION JARRED INTO REVERSE AND BEGAN BACKING, THEN TRIED TO SHIFT BACK INTO DRIVE AND UPON DRIVING FORWARD A LOUD GRINDING WAS HEARD. DEALER INVESTIGATED AND SAYS IT WILL NEED FULL REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION FOR $5500. *JB