1999 LEXUS RX300 Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 LEXUS RX300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HE WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE MORE THAN 5 MPH. THE MECHANIC DRAINED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. IN ADDITION, THEY RECOMMENDED THAT THE TRANSMISSION BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED A $1,500 VOUCHER TOWARDS THE REPAIR; BUT THE CONTACT DECLINED THE OFFER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 87,082.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 LEXUS RX-300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE HEARD A CRACKLING NOISE WHEN HE APPLIED THE BRAKE THEN THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT TEN MINUTES LATER HE WAS ABLE TO RESTART. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION CAUSED THE FAILURE. AS OF JANUARY 7, 2008, THE DEALER HAD NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 89,000. UPDATED 02-14-08. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD FREQUENTLY LOOSE POWER.

RX300 1999 TRANSMISSION DIED AT ABOUT 160,000 KM (100,000 MILES): ENGINE WILL START AND THEN FROM 50-60 KMPH DIE DOWN AFTER DRIVEN FOR A LITTLE WHILE. GOT THE CAR TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE IT IS WAITING TO BE FIXED. I LIVE IN ONTARIO, CANADA. I WENT TO LEXUS OWNERS FORUM AND FOUND NUMEROUS OTHER OWNERS OF RX300 COMPLAINING ABOUT THE TRANNY FAILURE AT AROUND 75,000-85,000 MILES. OTHER OWNERS ARE FRUSTRATED AND COMPLAINING ABOUT THE POOR DESIGN BY LEXUS FOR THIS PART AND ALSO STRONGLY FEEL THAT LEXUS SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR COSTS. I ALSO OWN ES300 1993 WHOSE TRANNY ALSO FAILED ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO AT ABOUT 220,000 KM (137,500 MILES) AND I GOT A USED ONE REPLACED AND PAID FOR IT MYSELF ABOUT $2,000 CDN. ONE OF THE OWNERS IN THE FORUM MENTIONED ABOUT "SLUDGE" IN THE TRANSMISSION ADMITTED BY ONE OF THE LEXUS CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE BEING THE CAUSE OF THE TRANNY FAILURES. MY FAMILY ONLY DRIVE LEXUS CARS AS MENTIONED ABOVE AND ARE VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE TRANNY PROBLEMS WITH BOTH AND FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT LEXUS SHOULD PAY FOR IT'S REPAIR. *TR

MY 1999 RX300 LEXUS LOST IT'S TRANSMISSION AT 110,000 MILES. I PAID TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED. THE NEW TRANSMISSION NOW FAILED AGAIN. THE SUN GEAR, RING GEAR AND 4 PLANET GEARS ON THAT ONE STAGE HAVE EXTENSIVE TOOTH FRACTURE. FAILURES OF THIS TYPE CAN GENERALLY BE ATTRIBUTED TO ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING CAUSES: 1. POOR DESIGN ANALYSIS RESULTING IN IMPROPER GEAR SELECTION RESULTING IN TOOTH OVERLOAD AND TOOTH FRACTURE. 2. IMPROPER ALIGNMENT AT ASSEMBLY RESULTING IN NON-EQUAL LOAD DISTRIBUTION LEADING TO FATIGUE FRACTURE OF THE TEETH. 3. FOREIGN MATERIAL, GETTING INTO THE PLANETARY GEARING FROM EITHER CONTAMINATION AT ASSEMBLY OR BREAKDOWN OF OTHER COMPONENTS WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 LEXUS RX300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE AND THE ENGINE REVVED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION, WHICH HAD ONLY 90,000 MILES. THE REPAIR WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. SHE PAID FOR HER NEW TRANSMISSION, BUT AFTER 6,000 MILES, THE VEHICLE INVOLUNTARILY ACCELERATES. SHE WILL RETURN TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE VEHICLE INSPECTED. THE SPEED AND MILEAGE INFORMATION WERE UNKNOWN.

AUTOMOBILE WAS A PERFECTLY FUNCTIONING 1999 CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED LEXUS RX300 UNDER A BUMPER TO BUMPER 'NEW CAR WARRANTY'. AUTO WAS CONSISTENTLY SERVICED BY LEXUS OF PALM BEACH. THE AUTOMOBILE WAS CONSUMED BY 20 FT. FLAMES IN ABOUT 15 MINUTES WHILE PARKED IN OUR DRIVEWAY SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE GARAGE WAS ABOUT 6 FT. AWAY AND CAUGHT FIRE. FORTUNATELY A NEIGHBORS DOG AWOKE THEM AND THE FIREMEN ARRIVED TO PUT THE FINAL CAR FLAMES OUT AND STOP THE FIRE ON THE GARAGE. WE SLEPT THROUGH THE ENTIRE INCIDENT AND WERE AWOKEN BY A FIREMAN. THE EXACT CAUSE IS STILL A MYSTERY. THE ARSON INVESTIGATOR RULED OUT ARSON, THE RESPONDING FIRE CHIEF RULED OUT WEATHER RELATED CAUSES. BOTH THE ARSON AND THE INSURANCE INVESTIGATORS DETERMINED THE IGNITION POINT AT THE REAR LEFT TIRE. BOTH CONCLUDED THAT POSSIBLY AN OVER HEATED BRAKE WAS TO BLAME. I AND THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT AT TOYOTA MOTOR SALES AGREE THAT THIS EXPLANATION IS IMPOSSIBLE SINCE THE CAR HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN IN TWO DAYS AND IT RAINED HEAVILY DURING THOSE TWO DAYS. I HAVE ENCOURAGED THEM TO DO THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION. TO DATE NO RESPONSE. THREE MONTHS HAVE ELAPSED AND LEXUS HAS SHOWN NO INTEREST IN THIS MATTER. I AM ESPECIALLY CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF SMALL CHILDREN WHEN FLAMES CAN ERUPT SO UNEXPECTEDLY AND CONSUME A CAR SO QUICKLY. ON OUR STREET OF 34 HOUSES THERE ARE AT LEAST 10 OTHER LEXUS OWNERS. ONE HAS CONFIDED THAT HE PARKS HIS CAR FURTHER FROM THE GARAGE NOW AS A RESULT OF WHAT HE WITNESSED. HE ALSO IS THE FATHER OF AN 18 MONTH OLD SON WHO WOULD BE BUCKLED INTO A CAR SEAT JUST ABOVE THAT IGNITION POINT. *JB

1999 LEXUS RX 300 WITH REAR/HATCH DOOR LOCK PROBLEMS CUSTOMER STATES THAT HE HAS NOTIFIED LEXUS AND LEARNED FROM FRIENDS THAT SIMILAR MODELS WITH IDENTICAL PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED**CC THE CONSUMER STATED THE DOOR FAILED TO UNLOCK OR OPEN EITHER MANUALLY OR BY USING THE REMOTE CONTROL. THE CONSUMER LEARNED THERE WAS NO MECHANISM TO OPEN THE DOOR MANUALLY FROM THE INSIDE OR THE OUTSIDE. *JB

COMPLETE TRANSAXLE FAILURE - AT 91000 MILES, THE TRANSMISSION ON THE 1999 AWT LEXUS RACKS FAILED AT 50 MPH WITHOUT WARNING. ALTHOUGH THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING NORMALLY, THERE WAS A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER TO THE DRIVE WHEELS AND THE CAR COASTED TO A STOP. THIS HAPPENED ON A NARROW COUNTRY ROAD WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC AND IT WAS ONLY LUCK THAT AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT. THE CAR HAD BEEN ROUTINELY SERVICED AS REQUIRED BY LEXUS AND HAD BEEN IN FOR A ROUTINE SERVICE THE DAY PRIOR. REVIEW OF THE NHTSA COMPLAINT DATABASE SUGGESTS THAT THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT AND, IF SO, IT REPRESENTED A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN FOR THIS MODEL AND YEAR OF CAR, IN GENERAL. IT WAS VERY TROUBLING THAT ANY VEHICLE WOULD HAVE THE TYPE OF DEFECT THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UNANNOUNCED SUDDEN MAJOR FAILURE AT LESS THAN 100000 MILES. THE REPAIR REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION. LEXUS WAS CONTACTED FOR MORE INFORMATION, BUT WAS OF NO HELP BEYOND NOTING THAT THE CAR WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. LEXUS REQUIRED THAT THE REMOVED TRANSAXLE BE RETURNED TO THEM, UNOPENED.*AK

IN NOVEMBER 2006, THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 1999 RX300 UNEXPECTEDLY FAILED. WHILE TRAVELING HOME, THE CAR STARTED TO REV UP, BUT WOULD NOT MOVE - AS IF IN NEUTRAL. I HAD THE RX TOWED TO LOCAL LEXUS DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION AND I COULD PROBABLY SAVE MONEY BY GOING TO A TRANSMISSION REBUILDER. I HAD THE WORK DONE - AROUND $5000. MY RX HAS BEEN REGULARLY SERVICED AND HAD 130K MILES ON IT AT THE TIME OF THE EVENT. NOW, I'M HEARING THAT THIS MAY BE A COMMON PROBLEM.

THE TRANSMISSION FAILED IN MY 1999 LEXUS RX300 WITH NO WARNING AT ONLY 97,000 MILES. *TR