1999 LEXUS RX300 Complaints

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

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

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

ABS ENGAGES EVERY TIME BRAKES ARE APPLIED, INCREASING STOPPING DISTANCE, AND CAUSING A POTENTIAL HAZARD. *TR

I WANT YOU TO KNOW DURING THIS TIME OF TOYOTA PROBLEMS AND COVERUP, THAT WE LEASED NEW A 1999 LEXUS RX300, IT WAS MAINTAINED AT MEADE LEXUS ACCORDING TO PLAN AND MY WIFE WAS DRIVING ON A FREEWAY AND THE ENGINE SUDDENLY SEIZED AND THE CAR QUIT WORKING. THE CAR HAD MY TWO INFANT CHILDREN IN IT AT THE TIME AND SHE WAS STUCK NEAR THE EXIT RAMP WITH VEHICLES/TRUCKS/SEMIS BEARING DOWN ON HER. SHE AND THE CHILDREN WERE SCARED AND NEARLY COLLIDED WITH AT ITS SUDDEN LOCATION TO STOP. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE LEXUS DEALER AND DISCOVERED SLUDGE HAD RUINED THE MOTOR. THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR IT AND TOWED THE VEHICLE TO OUR GARAGE WHERE IT SAT AS I MADE PAYMENTS ON IT. I TOOK LEXUS TO ARBITRATION WITH MY MAINTENANCE RECEIPTS AND LOST AS THE ARBITRATOR SAID I MAY HAVE ABUSED THE VEHICLE AFTER THE TOYOTA REP SHOWED A SAMPLE OF THE SLUDGE. THE VEHICLE STILL SAT IN THE GARAGE AND MONTHS LATER LEXUS ADMITTED FAULT WITH THE OIL PASSAGES ON THE MOTOR AND REPLACED THE ENGINE JUST IN TIME FOR ME TO RETURN IT OFF LEASE. I AGREE THEY FINALLY REPAIRED IT 5-6 MONTHS LATER, BUT THIS FAILURE NEARLY COST MY FAMILIES LIFE AND WAS IGNORED BY LEXUS. THE DATES STATED HERE ARE APPROX AND HERE IS AN INFORMATIONAL LINK I FOUND HTTP://WWW.CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM/NEWS04/2007/01/TOYOTA_SLUDGE_SETTLEMENT.HTML I WOULD LOVE TO TESTIFY ABOUT THE POOR TREATMENT AND IGNORING ATTITUDE ABOUT MY PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 LEXUS RX300. WHENEVER THE CONTACT WOULD ATTEMPT TO STOP THE VEHICLE AT A LOW SPEED THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY SURGE FORWARD BEFORE THE BRAKES WOULD ENGAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS WORKING PROPERLY. THE CONTACT HAS NOTICED THE FAILURE SINCE THE DAY THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 91000.

THE SEATBELTS IN MY LEXUS RX300 DO NOT RETRACT ALL THE WAY. TOYOTA MADE A FEEBLE ATTEMPT TO FIX THIS BY PLACING TEFLON TAPE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT ON THE CLIP THAT HOLDS THE BELT UP, BUT IT DOES NOT WORK. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALER ABOUT IT AT LEAST THREE TIMES AND THEY REFUSE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. IT IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION: IF I GET INTO A CAR ACCIDENT, THE SEAT BELT WILL BE TOO SLACK. *TR

DRIVER'S SEAT BELT DOES NOT PROPERLY RETRACT AFTER BEING EXTENDED. WAS REPLACED ONCE BY THE LOCAL DEALER ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO EVEN THOUGH VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. BELT HAS GRADUALLY DEVELOPED THE SAME PROBLEM OVER THE RECENT YEARS. *TR

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

ACCELERATOR ENTRAPMENT IN AFTERMARKET FLOOR PAD OF A LEXUS RX 300 LAST SEPTEMBER. (I DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF FLOOR PAD, I BOUGHT IT IN 1999 AND INSTALLED IT THEN, IT IS ONE OF THE THICK ONES THAT IS GOOD A HOLDING SNOW AND WATER.) I FIGURED OUT THAT THE FLOOR PAD WAS THE PROBLEM WHILE THE ENGINE WAS REVVING TO 90 MPH AND THE BRAKES WOULD NOT STOP THE CAR. LEXUS COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG BUT SAID NOTHING TO ME ABOUT THIS BEING A PROBLEM IN TOYOTA PRODUCTS. NO CRASH AND NO INJURY SINCE I FIGURED IT OUT; THE FLOOR MAT FELT THICK TO MY FOOT SO I YANKED IT OUT FROM UNDER THE PEDALS. JUST REALLY SCARY.... SPECIFICALLY, I CAME OUT OF A SIDE STREET ON TO A MAIN ROAD AND NEEDED TO GET AHEAD OF TRAFFIC SO I STOMPED IN THE ACCELERATOR PRETTY HARD- NOT MY TYPICAL DRIVING STYLE- AND THEN THE ACCELERATOR STUCK, THE CAR REVVING AND GOING TO 90- 100 MPH. I STOOD ON THE BRAKES BUT IT WOULD NOT STOP. I TRIED TO THROW IT INTO PARK ( BUT THANKFULLY THE CAR WOULDN'T LET ME- I WAS THINKING ABOUT TRYING TO USE THE PARKING BRAKE TO STOP IT, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE A HAND BRAKE SO THAT'S WHY I WAS SO STUPID AND TRIED TO THROW IT IN PARK. THE NOISE FROM THAT WAS SO HORRIFYING I DID NOT PUT IT IN NEUTRAL). THEN I FELT THE LUMPY FLOOR MAT AND YANKED IT OUT FROM UNDERNEATH THE PEDALS. IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT AND THERE WERE NO CARS ON THE ROAD SO I HAD A MILE OF CLEAR ROAD TO WORK THIS OUT. CAR HAD ABOUT 275,000 MILES ON IT. BUILT IN JULY 1998, JT6H10U7X0032830 IS SERIAL I CAN'T GIVE YOU THE EXACT DATE BECAUSE I CAN'T FIND THE SERVICE RECEIPT- SORRY!