1999 Lexus RX300

I BOUGHT A '99 LEXUS RX300 FOR MY WIFE AT 62K MILES. I DID ALL OF THE SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE INCLUDING THE EXPENSIVE STUFF (LIKE THE TIMING BELT CHANGE). UNBEKNOWNST TO ME, THE ENGINE REAR MAIN SEAL WAS LEAKING AT THE TIME THAT I PURCHASED IT. I FIGURED IT WAS SIMPLE AND "ITS A LEXUS, RIGHT?". I FOUND OUT THAT IT WOULD COST $1700 TO FIX AND THAT IT WAS COMMON ON THIS MODEL. I IGNORED THE LEAK BECAUSE MY WIFE LOVED THE TRUCK OTHERWISE. UNRELATED TO THE OIL LEAK, AT 183,000 MILES I'M DRIVING ON A FAMILY VACATION WITH THE CAR ON CRUISE CONTROL AND THE TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY STARTS TO SLIP. I MANAGE TO MAKE IT MY DESTINATION, BUT AFTER RESEARCH AND GETTING DIAGNOSTICS FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND TRANS SHOPS, I FOUND IT WOULD COST $3000-$4000 TO FIX. I DECIDED TO FIX IT AND PAID $3700 FOR IT. NO SOONER THAN I TOOK OFF DRIVING, THE CAR STARTED SMOKING HORRIBLY AND WAS NOW SLIPPING IN 1,2, AND 3RD GEAR. THESE TRANSMISSIONS ARE A NIGHTMARE TO REPAIR, AND I WOULD RECOMMEND ANYONE THAT BUYS ONE TO COUNT YOUR LOSSES WHEN IT FAILS AND TRASH THE CAR. *TR

1999 LEXUS RX 300 91K MILES, OWNED SINCE NEW, ALL SERVICE AT DEALER AS REQUIRED, TRANSMISSION JUST WENT OUT. FOUND A WEBSITE WITH MANY COMPLAINTS, SAME THING, LOW MILES. OBVIOUSLY A DEALER DEFECT, THIS IS NOT RIGHT! I BOUGHT A LEXUS SO IT WOULD BE RELIABLE. MY CHEVY SILVERADO 1993 IS GOING STRONGER THAN THIS CAR. SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR, IT DID NOT UPSHIFT RIGHT. LEXUS ALWAYS SAID THIS WAS NOT A PROBLEM. I NOTICE OTHER PEOPLE COMPLAINING OF THE SAME SYMPTOM. THIS FAILURE WAS SUDDEN OTHER THAN THAT. JUST IN A PARKING LOT & SUDDENLY IT WOULD NOT SHIFT GOING FORWARD. 1 1/2 YEARS AGO MY MECHANIC HAPPENED TO CHECK MY TRANNY FLUID, IT WAS BLACK. HE DRAINED & REPLACED IT. I WAS LIVID, I HAD PAID FOR ALL DEALER MAINTENANCE. THAT WAS AT ROUGHLY 80K MILES. SUPPOSEDLY THIS WAS DONE AT 60K MILES BY LEXUS (I'M NOT SURE IF THEY DID THE WORK NOW, OR NOT) THERE WERE METAL SHAVINGS IN THE FLUID. SOMETHING APPEARS TO BE WRONG WITH THIS DESIGN, AND LOOKS LIKE THEY DID A BANDAID IN LATER MODELS. I AM SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING GETTING A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST THEM, I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY $5K FOR A NEW TRANNY NOW, THAT IS WHY I BOUGHT A LEXUS. MY CELICA WAS STILL GOING STRONG AT 175K MILES WHEN I SOLD IT. CHECK THIS WEBSITE: HTTP://WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG/REVIEWS/LEXUS/RX300/R54694/COMMENTS/PAGE-2/ [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

1999 LEXUS RX 300 VEHICLE 99,000 MILES IN VERY GOOD REPAIR SUDDENLY STALLS DUE TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON THE FREEWAY. NO PREVIOUS WARNING. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO "COAST" OFF THE HIGHWAY INTO A SAFE AREA TO STOP THE VEHICLE. IT WOULD NO LONGER MOVE, TRANSMISSION WAS REPORTED TO BE DEAD BY TWO MECHANICS. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS MODEL THERE ARE MANY REPORTS ABOUT TRANSMISSION FAILURES SOME CAUSING ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES. NEITHER WAS THE CASE WITH MY INCIDENT BUT IT IS A DISTURBING TREND. *TR

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