2000 Lexus Rx

2000 MODEL LEXUS RX300 WITH 75000 MILES. TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AFTER SPENDING A WEEK IN A COLD (NEVER ABOVER FREEZING) PARKING LOT. LEXUS DEALER IS CLAIMING THAT THE FLUID NEEDED TO BE REPLACED EVERY 20K MILES, ALTHOUGH THE USER MANUAL CLEARLY STATES THAT UNDER NORMAL USAGE THE TRANSMISSION FLUID DOES NOT NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING, AND NO FORWARD OR REVERSE ENGAGMENT WAS POSSIBLE. LEXUS IS QUOTING 5200 FOR A COMPLETE REBUILT (NOT EVEN NEW) TRANSMISSION. I HAVE OWNED MANY CARS AND THIS IS THE FIRST TRANSMISSION PROBLEM I HAVE EVER HAD, AND WITH MANY FEWER MILES THAN MY OTHER CARS.

FAILED TRANSMISSION 2000 RX300 LEXUS MILES 72000 I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND AT VICTORY TOYOTA SEASIDE CA AND THE MECHANICS HAD NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE I WAS PERUSING REGULAR MAINTENANCE SCHEDULES FOR THE RX300 AND FOUND ROUGHLY 20 SOME FAILED TRANSMISSIONS LISTED ON THE 1999 AND 2000 MODELS. TOYOTA IS NOT TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS CRAPPY DESIGN BUT IT WAS MENTIONED THAT THE NEXT YEAR THE DESIGN WAS IMPROVED!! WE ALSO PAID 7000$ FOR THE JOB AND OTHER FOLKS PAID ON THE ORDER OF 4000.*JB

AFTER $3000+ IN REPAIRS FOR THE MAIN SEALS LEAKING, THE REAR SEALS LEAKING, TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT, AND ALL OTHER BELTS REPLACED, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED, AND I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY LATER INFORMED ME THAT MY ENGINE IS BEING REPLACED. THEY MADE NO MENTION OF THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT, DUE TO ENGINE SLUDGE BUILD-UP, THAT PROMPTED THE REPLACEMENT, BUT I SOON RECEIVED A LETTER REGARDING IT, AND ALL THE LEXUS AND TOYOTA MODELS AFFECTED. I COMPLAINED ABOUT THE $3000 CHARGE, BUT GOT NO SATISFACTION FROM THE DEALERSHIP, BUT ONLY THE EXPLANATION, "WE HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING THAT THE ENGINE WAS GOING TO DEVELOP 'SLUDGE'." NOW, WITH LESS THAN 1000 MILES ON THE NEW ENGINE MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AGAIN, THE CAR IS MAKING AWFUL NOISES UNDER THE DASH LIKE A SPEAKER IS BLOWN, AND THE TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO NOT EVER GET INTO FIRST GEAR. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP IN AUSTIN, TX., AND THEY INFORM ME THAT I NEED A $5000 TRANSMISSION AND FUSE BOX. A FUSE BOX. EXCELLENT. I AM HOPING FOR A RECALL OR ANOTHER CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AFTER RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM ON-LINE, AND SEEING THE MULTITUDES OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING OF RX300 TRANSMISSIONS FAILING AT RELATIVELY LOW MILEAGE. *JB

2000 LEXUS RX300 WITH 85K MILES -- TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE DRIVING. CAR ACTED LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. DEALER HAS SAID IT NEEDS A COMPLETELY NEW TRANSMISSION. I HAVE SINCE FOUND MANY, MANY SIMILAR STORIES ON VARIOUS WEB SITES. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND IN TRAFFIC I AM SURE THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PLACE THE VEHICLE INTO THE DRIVE GEAR THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE FAILED. NEITHER THE DRIVE NOR REVERSE GEAR COULD BE ENGAGED. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO MOVE AND WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. UPON INSPECTION, THE DEALERSHIP DISCOVERED METAL PARTICLES IN THE TRANSMISSION OIL. THE DIAGNOSIS INDENTIFIED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS LUBRICATED WITH METAL SHAVINGS AND OTHER CONTAMINANTS THEREFORE THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE 35 MPH THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE VEHICLE ACTED AS IF IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AFTER A FEW MINUTES AND WAS DRIVEN TO A DEALERSHIP. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO SHIFT VERY HARD AND FELT AS IF WERE GOING TO STALL. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT THERE WAS A WHINING SOUND COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD.