1999 Lexus RX300

138,000 USED VEHICLE. UPON PURCHASE DID TIMING BELT, WATER PUMP AND ALL BELTS. THEN HAD A TRANSMISSION FLUSH. WENT ON A 500 MILE ROUND TRIP AND UPON RETURNING LOST OVERDRIVE. MADE IT HOME THEN NEXT DAY A SEVERE LOSE OF POWER AND TRANS WOULD NOT SHIFT. AFTER RESTARTING WOULD SHIFT BUT NO OVERDRIVE. AFTER INVESTIGATING FOUND HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR INCIDENTS WHEN YOU QUERY LEXUS TRANSMISSION FAILURE. I CAN UNDERSTAND LOSING A TRANSMISSION BUT READING ALL THESE COMPLAINANTS IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS PRODUCT IS DEFECTIVE. *KB

I PURCHASED USED 1999 LEXUS RX300 IN 2008 AND SO FAR I'VE HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION DUE TO UNEXPECTED CATASTROPHIC FAILURE, BOTH AIR RATIO SENSORS, BOTH KNOCK SENSORS, OXYGEN SENSOR, FRONT STRUT MOUNTS, AND NOW POSSIBLY HAVE TO CHANGE THE TRANSMISSION AGAIN (NOT SHIFTING CORRECTLY). I WAS NOT AWARE THAT THE 1999 TO 2001 RX300S WERE SO PROBLEMATIC. SINCE THIS IS MY ONLY VEHICLE AND I AM STILL MAKING PAYMENTS ON IT, I AM STUCK FOOTING THE BILL FOR ALL THESE REPAIRS. WHICH FROM WHAT I HAVE RESEARCHED ARE ATTRIBUTED TO BAD ENGINEERING. I AM CONSTANTLY HAVING TO REPAIR A VEHICLE WHICH IS SUPPOSEDLY KNOWN FOR QUALITY. THE PROBLEMS THAT I'VE MENTIONED ARE JUST THE MAJOR REPAIRS. I HAVE OTHER MINOR ISSUES SUCH AS REAR POWER WINDOW MUST REMAIN LOCKED OR IT OPENS ON IT'S OWN, DASHBOARD LIGHTS DO NOT ILLUMINATE,AND POWER ROOF GETS STUCK OPEN INTERMITTENTLY. *TR

1999 LEXUS RX300 WHICH HAD TRANSMISSION SERVICE ON MARCH 17TH 2011 AT , BEGAN TO MAKE A WHIRRING SOUND AND SLIP OUT OF GEAR WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 85 NORTH ON SATURDAY JULY 9TH 2011. I IMMEDIATLY PULLED OFF ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE INTERSTATE TO CHECK THE FLUID AND IT SHOWED FULL ON THE DIP STICK. ON MONDAY JULY 11TH 2011 THE RX300 IN QUESTION WAS TAKEN TO THE SAME DEALERSHIP WHICH PERFORMED THE SERVICE OF THE TRANSMISSION ON MARCH 17TH 2011, AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT I WOULD NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION COSTING UPWARD OF $4500. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION I HAVE FOUND THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE RX300 MODEL YEARS 1999-2001 DESCRIBING THE EXACT SAME DRIVE TRAIN FAILURE. IT IS APPARENT THAT LEXUS IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND HAS FAILED TO ISSUE ANY TYPE OF WARNING TO ITS CONSUMERS OF IMPENDING TRANSAXLE FAILURE DUE TO AN INFERIOR SHIFTING APPARATUS. AS STATED EARLIER SERVICE WAS PERFORMED ON MY RX300 AND ANY MENTION OF IMPENDING PROBLEMS WERE ABSENT. AS A CONSUMER I FEEL THAT IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF LEXUS TO WARN ITS CUSTOMERS OF ANY PROBLEMS WHICH MAY ARISE DUE TO INADEQUATE EQUIPMENT. BELOW ARE LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES WHICH LIST COMPLAINTS OF THE EXACT TRANSAXLE FAILURE. A RECALL FOR REPAIRS SHOULD BE ISSUED AS THIS IS A SERIOUS VEHICLE FAILURE. IF I HAD BEEN INFORMED OF THIS IMPENDING ISSUE COSTLY REPAIRS AND DAMAGE CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED. US.LEXUSOWNERSCLUB.COM/FORUMS/INDEX.PHP?SHOWTOPIC=28020 - HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/WEBX/.F111D9C/1. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) *TT

THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ON MY 1999 LEXUS RX300 FAILED AT 165,000 MILES. IT CONSTANTLY TRIED TO DOWNSHIFT, AND AS A RESULT IT RAN HOT AND BURNED TRANSMISSION FLUID. PRIOR TO FAILING, IT CEASED SHIFTING INTO OVERDRIVE WHILE I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY, FORCING ME TO DRIVE IN A LOW GEAR AT 4,500 RPMS AND WASTE GAS WHILE I DROVE AS FAR AS I COULD TOWARD THE MECHANIC. *TR

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING HER 1999 LEXUS RX300 TO WORK WHEN, IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, THE TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY DISENGAGED ALMOST CAUSING HER TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT. SEVERAL CARS ALMOST HIT HER WHILE SHE TRIED TO NAVIGATE THE CAR OFF THE ROADWAY TO A SAFE PLACE. CARRIED THE CAR TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER (THERE IS NO LOCAL LEXUS DEALER HERE) AND WAS TOLD THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AND THE COST WOULD BE $3,700. THERE WERE NO ADVANCED INDICATIONS THE TRANSMISSION WAS HAVING PROBLEMS IT JUST SUDDENLY QUIT WORKING. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SCENARIO AND WE ARE BLESSED THAT OUR DAUGHTER WAS NOT INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *TR