2000 LEXUS RX300 Complaints

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 70MPH ON HIGHWAY AND HEARD A POPPING NOISE. SHE HAPPENED TO LOOK OUT OF MIRROR AND NOTICED THAT PASSENGER'S REAR TIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM VEHICLE. BRIDGESTONE/ FIRESTONE .*AK

BRIDGESTONE, DUELER HT 687, P225/70R16 DOT ELWA, ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON A 2000, LEXUS RX 300 WITH 25000 MILES. FIRST BLOWOUT ON LEFT REAR TIRE OCCURRED IN FEBRUARY, 2001 AT HIGHWAY SPEED. SECOND BLOWOUT ON RIGHT REAR TIRE OCCURRED ON 12 AUGUST, 2001 AT HIGHWAY SPEED. NO ACCIDENT.*AK CONSUMER STATES SPEED WAS 15 MPH. *SLC

INSPITE OF CHANGING THE OIL WITHIN WARRANTY GUIDELINES, MY RX 300 DEVELOPED ENGINE SLUDGE IN THE 3.0 6 CYLINDER ENGINE. A SEARCH OF THE INTERNET DISCLOSED THAT NUMEROUS OWNERS OF THE RX 300 AND OTHER TOYOTO CARS, LIKE THE SIENNA, HAVE DEVELOPED ENGINE SLUDGE EVEN WITH TIMELY OIL CHANGES..THROUGH THE INTERNET I HAVE ALSO LEARNED THAT " THE 3.0 LITER V-6 ENGINE FOUND IN THE LEXUS RX 300 WAS REDESIGNED IN 1999. IT WAS MODIFIED TO IMPROVE FUEL EFFICIENCY AND REDUCE POLLUTANT EMISSIONS. THIS MODIFICATION INCLUDED REDUCTION IN THE SIZE OF THE COOLSNT PASSAGE ON THE HEAD GASKET SO THAT CYLINER HEADS RUN AT EXCESSIVELY HOT TEMPERATURES. THE OIL IS LITERALLY FRYING, RESULTING IN SLUDGE." HTTP: PHILIP.GREENSPUN.COM/MATERIALISM/CARS/SIENNA.HTML. ALSO, FROM WWW.CARREVIEW.COM/REVIEWS/VANS_MINIVANS/PRODUCT_225.SHTML "...THE COOLANT SYSTEM MAY NOT BE OPERATING CORRECTLY OR THOROUGHLY ENOUGH TO KEEP THE OIL FROM FRYING AND SLUDGING UP ULTIMATELY CLOGGING THE PORTS AND BURNING UP THE MOTORS. SOME MECHANICS THINK IT HAS TO DO WITH THE ALUMINUM HEADS WARPING...AND NOT JUST IN THE SIENNA, THAT ENGINE HAS BEEN REPORTED TO HAVE PROBLEMS ON THE LEXUS 300.."*AK

I EXPERIENCED AROUND 15,000 MILEAGE A NOISE WHEN APPLYING BRAKES VERY SIMILAR TO THE ROAD SURFACE CHANGING FROM SMOOTH TO ROUGH. I ASSUMED SINCE THE VEHICLE HAD JUST BEEN IN FOR SERVICE THAT THE BRAKES/BRAKE SYSTEM HAD BEEN ADJUSTED AND THAT IT WAS NOISE WAS NORMAL. THE NOISE AS I CONTINUED TO DRIVE INCREASED WHEN APPLYING BRAKES AND GRADUATED TO ALSO A VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN APPLICATION. IT WASN'T UNTIL A RELATIVE INDICATED TO ME THAT THE SOUND WAS NOT NORMAL DID I TAKE THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE NOISE AND VIBRATION WAS DUE TO ROTOR SURFACES THAT NEEDED TO BE TURNED. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT IT WAS DUE TO STOP AND GO DRIVING. I STATED TO THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE THAT I DID NOT THINK IT WAS NORMAL FOR THE BRAKES TO HAVE EVEN WEAR AND THE ROTORS TO HAVE BLUING SPOTS THAT I OBSERVED. I ALSO INDICATED THAT 99 PERCENT OF MY DRIVING WAS HIGHWAY AND NOT STOP AND GO. I ASKED THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN TO CONTACT LEXUS CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND THEY AGREED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO NORMAL WEAR. I DO NOT. I THINK THESE VEHICLES HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKING/ROTOR SYSTEMS AND THAT THE CUSTOMERS WAS BEING CHARGED FOR A DEFECTS. I WAS CHARGED $277.40 TO RESURFACE ROTARS. I THINK THAT THE PROBLEM THAT INITIALLY STARTED AT 15,000 MILES IS THE RESULT OF DEFECTS IN THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND NOT DRIVING HABITS AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS.*AK

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE HEARD AND EXPLOSION IN REAR PASSENGER DOOR. CONSUMER THOUGHT IT WAS SPEAKER THAT EXPLODED. TOOK TO DEALER, AND THEY COULDN'T FIND A REMEDY. *AK

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, REAR SPEAKER EXPLODED SENDING THE PLASTIC COVER OF THE SPEAKER ACROSS THE VEHICLE AND DAMAGING THE REAR DOOR. THE CAR WAS INSPECTED BY THE DEALER WHO HAS NO IDEA WHY THIS HAPPENED.*AK

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION IN REVERSE AND HIT A POLE, GEAR SHIFT WAS STUCK IN REVERSE AND COULD NOT SHIFT INTO DRIVE, THE ENGINE TORQUED UP AND ACCELERATED FORWARD, CAUSING VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO A BRICK WALL, CONSUMER SUSTAINED WHIPLASH DUE TO THE ACCIDENT. *SLC

TIRE BLEW OUT; SOUNDED LIKE AN EXPLOSION. *AK (TIRESIZE: P225/70)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P225/70 )

WHEN CHANGING LANES STEERING WHEEL WENT INTO OPPOSITE DIRECTION, RESULTING IN A COLLISION. DEALER HAS INSPECTED VEHICLE, AND HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE OR CORRECT PROBLEM. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. THROTTLE WAS STICKING. SPEAKER FAILED. CONSUMER HEARD A RATTLING NOISE IN RIGHT FRONT DASH AREA, DEALER REPLACED THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT. *AK *SLC

THERE IS A RATTLING NOISE ON THE RIGHT SIDE (GLOVE BOX AND/OR DASHBOARD) WHILE GOING OVER BUMPS AT AROUN 5-30MPH. ALSO, WHEN TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 50-65MPH, IF THE REAR WINDOWS ARE OPEN (FRONT WINDOWS CLOSED) THE AIR FLOW INTO THE CAR CAUSES A TERRIBLE "WIND FLAPPING" NOISE (UNBEARABLE TO EARS), AND THE CAR ALSO SHAKES.*AK