2001 LEXUS RX300 Complaints

TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP AND NEARLY CAUSED SEVERE CRASH ON A LUXURY SUV WITH LESS THAN 100,000 MILES. *TR

FIRST, THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO REVERSE. THEN, AFTER ATTEMPTING SEVERAL TIMES, THE CAR VIOLENTLY JERKED ME INTO REVERSE AND I ALMOST CRASHED. AFTER BACKING UP, I SHIFTED INTO DRIVE, BUT LOCKED UP ON ME AGAIN. AFTER REVVING THE ACCELERATOR AND TRYING DIFFERENT GEARS, FINALLY JERKED ME AND CHILDREN FORWARD INTO DRIVE. INITIALLY, LEXUS "SUPPOSEDLY" FIXED THE PROBLEM BY REPLACING O2 SENSOR, BUT PROBLEM RECURRED IN JUNE AGAIN. SINCE THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED AT LEXUS SHOP, THEY GAVE ME MY CAR WITHOUT ANY REPAIR. THEN, A MORE SERIOUS OCCURRENCE HAPPENED IN MID JULY WHEN THE GEAR GOT STUCK WHILE DRIVING. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 30 MPH WHEN GEAR GOT STUCK, SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL, THEN VIOLENTLY JERKED ME AND KIDS FORWARD AND INTO DRIVE AGAIN. CHILDREN AND I WERE VERY FRIGHTENED. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE NOT ONLY ARE YOU DROPPED OUT OF GEAR INTO NEUTRAL WHILE CAR IS IN MOTION, BUT THEN YOU ARE SUDDENLY JERKED FORWARD INTO DRIVE. TO MAKE IT WORSE, ITS FREQUENCY IS ERRATIC SO YOU JUST HOPE THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN ON THE FREEWAY. ACCORDING TO MANY ONLINE BLOGS (ESPECIALLY EDMUNDS.COM), IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT 1999-2001 LEXUS HAS BUT WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE. MOSTLY HAPPENS AT ABOUT 65,000 MILES. DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL ALREADY. ARE WE WAITING FOR THERE TO BE A FATALITY OR SERIOUS INJURY FOR THIS TO RECEIVE ATTENTION? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 LEXUS RX300. WHILE DRIVING UPHILL AT 70 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE LOST POWER WHEN SHE SWERVED TO AVOID ANOTHER VEHICLE. SHE DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE; HOWEVER, THE ENGINE REVVED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. SHE FEELS THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE SHE AND HER FAMILY COULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN A SERIOUS CRASH. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 85,000. UPDATED 08/15/08. *LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO SLIP AND HESITATE WHEN SHE WOULD ATTEMPT TO ACCELERATE. AT ONE POINT, THE CONSUMER PUT THE GEAR IN PARK WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING AND THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LURCHED FORWARD. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION, HOWEVER IT WAS THE SAME TRANSMISSION THAT WAS REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 08/15/08

I OWN 2001 MODEL YEAR OF LEXUS RX300 2WD, AND I BOUGHT IT PRE-OWN CERTIFIED BY A LEXUS DEALER IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA BACK IN OCTOBER, 2004. I STRICTLY FOLLOWED THE MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES RECOMMENDED BY LEXUS AND CHANGED DEFECTIVE PARTS AT LEXUS DEALERS, AND KEPT ALL THE DOCUMENTS IN FILE. HOWEVER, THE TRANSMISSION ON JULY 16, 2008, WITH MILEAGE OF 77,450, FAILED FUNCTIONING NORMAL WITH A SHARP WHINING NOISE. THIS WAS WHEN CAR GOT STARTED COLD AND PULLED BACKWARD AND MOVED FORWARD IN ABOUT 10 MINUTES. MY CAR WAS DIAGNOSED ON JULY 15, 2008 BY LEXUS DEALER WHO TOLD ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS WORN AND THE TOTAL COST FOR REPLACEMENT WILL BE SOME $6,500. A LOT OF SUCH REPORTS WERE LISTED IN THE AUTO CLUBS AND BLOGS. I LAWFULLY FILE THIS CASE FOR A RECALL AND FULL REPAIR BY LEXUS AT NO COST TO ME UPON PRESENCE OF PROVEN TRACK RECORDS OF CAR MAINTENANCE. I HOPE THIS WILL BE BROUGHT TO THE COURT FOR SETTLEMENT IN AN EARLIER DATE NO LATER THAN AUGUST 31, 2008. *TR

I HAD SERVICE AT LEXUS AND MY TRANSMISSION STILL WENT OUT. THEY WERE RACIST AND BIASED AND WOULD NOT FIX IT. I HAD TO PAY OUT OF MY POCKET. AFTER THAT HAPPENED, A CYLINDER WENT OUT SO NOW I NEED THAT FIXED. I THOUGHT THAT LEXUS WAS A SUPERIOR CAR. (THEY DO NOT HONOR THE WARRANTY AS THEY SHOULD, AT LEAST NOT IN HOUSTON WEST LEXUS). THIS ONE CERTAINLY IS NOT WORTH WHAT I PAID AND IS NOT WHAT I EXPECT FROM LEXUS. *TR

A LITTLE OVER ONE YEAR AGO MY CAR WAS MAKING A NOISE AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON. I TOOK IT TO MY USUAL MECHANIC AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. A FRIEND OF MINE WITH THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL OF VEHICLE HAD JUST RECENTLY EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM, SO I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP. WHEN I TOLD THE REPRESENTATIVE AT THE DEALERSHIP WHAT THE MECHANIC SAID, I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO TELL HIM THE YEAR OF MY CAR. HE KNEW IMMEDIATELY THE YEAR OF MY CAR AND ALMOST THE EXACT MILEAGE, AND SAID YES IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. HE SAID THAT IT WAS A "NORMAL" PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR SINCE IT WAS A CAR ENGINE ON A TRUCK CHASSIS. SINCE I WAS ABLE TO SHOW PROOF THAT I DID THE MAINTENANCE ON THE VEHICLE HE SPOKE WITH HIS MANAGER AND THEY PAID FOR THE PARTS ( A REBUILT TRANSMISSION) AND I PAID FOR THE LABOR. ($1400) WHILE SITTING IN THE LOBBY TO PICK UP MY CAR I OVERHEARD 2 OTHER PEOPLE PICKING UP THEIR CARS WITH THE SAME ISSUE. I NEVER FOLLOWED UP WITH IT, BUT HAVE SINCE HEARD OF 2 OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AT THE SAME APPROXIMATE MILEAGE (80,000- 85,000). I AM NOW EXPERIENCING FURTHER ISSUES WITH MY VEHICLE THAT THEY CAN'T SEEM TO FIGURE OUT, WHICH HAS PROMPTED ME TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH A COMPLAINT. IF NOTHING ELSE I THINK THIS TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 LEXUS RX300. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS BACKING OUT OF HIS DRIVEWAY, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED MOVING. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO MOVE IN ANY DIRECTION, AS WELL AS IN NEUTRAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TRANSMISSION SERVICE STATION. FOUR THOUSAND MILES BEFORE THE FAILURE OCCURRED, THE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT. THE CONTACT DID NOT NOTICE ANY DIFFERENCES IN THE VEHICLE BEFOREHAND AND HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 146,000.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 67,000 MILES. IT GAVE OUT IN STOP-AND-GO TRAFFIC. WHEN ACCELERATING, THE ENGINE STARTED REVVING AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULD THEN SLAM INTO GEAR. THE THIRD TIME THE CAR JERKED WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE AND THEN THE TRANSMISSION WAS COMPLETELY GONE ' THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE AT ALL IN ANY GEAR. I HAD TO PUSH THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND GET IT TOWED. REPAIR REQUIRED PUTTING IN A REBUILT TRANSMISSION AT A COST OF $3,800. LEXUS PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE ON THIS ISSUE. THE CAR WAS ALWAYS MAINTAINED PER LEXUS/TOYOTA SCHEDULES, SO THERE IS NO REASON FOR A COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE ESPECIALLY THIS EARLY. THE TRANSMISSION WAS FULL OF FLUID AND THERE WERE NO LEAKS, ETC. YOU WILL SEE MANY COMPLAINTS FOR THIS SAME ISSUE. *TR

MY 2001 LEXUS RX300 DIED ON THE FREEWAY. I AM TOLD MY TRANSMISSION IS RUINED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I REGULARLY SERVICED MY CAR AND THERE IS NO WAY IT SHOULD HAVE A BLOWN TRANSMISSION WITH ONLY 84,000 MILES. AFTER SEEING ALL THE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET, I THINK THERE SHOULD BE A CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST LEXUS. *TR

POWER TRAIN- AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 87000 MI. LEXUS REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE AS A PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL (2001 RX300) PROBLEM EVEN THOUGH IT HAS BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED BY CONSUMERS. LEXUS REFUSED ANY COMPENSATION FOR COMPLETE OVERHAUL OF TRANSMISSION. *TR