1999 Lexus RX300

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 LEXUS RX300. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS ENGAGED SLIGHTLY TOPREPARE FOR A TURN WHEN THE VEHICLE FAILED TO REDUCE SPEED. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE EVEN THOUGH THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED FORCEFULLY. THE VEHICLE THEN TRAVELED OVER THE CURB AND CRASHED INTO A CEMENT BARRIER. THE REAR PASSENGER SUFFERED MINOR INJURY TO THE SHOULDER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,000.

MY TRANSMISSION WENT OUT ON THIS CAR ON THE FREEWAY LEAVING ME IN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH MY 8 MONTH OLD CHILD. THIS TRANSMISSION WAS JUST REBUILT A YEAR AGO. YOU ARE PROBABLY AWARE THAT THIS ISSUE IS BEYOND PREVALENT. STORIES AND COMPLAINTS ABOUT EARLY TRANSMISSION FAILURE ARE ALL OVER THE INTERNET. YOU ARE PROBABLY ALREADY AWARE. SO IS LEXUS AND THEY REFUSE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. WILL SOMEONE HAVE TO GET KILLED BEFORE YOU DEMAND A RECALL? ME AND MY BABY COULD HAVE VERY EASILY HAVE BEEN KILLED YESTERDAY. *TR

1. ON 08/17/11 AROUND 9PM, OUR 1999 LEXUS RX300 WAS SUDDENLY FAILED IN HIGHWAY OF THE YOSEMITE MOUNTAIN. 2. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO LEXUS DEALER SAN JOSE, CA. THE TECHNICIAN IDENTIFIED THAT IT CAUSED BY TRANSMISSION FAILURE. WE NEED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION WHICH IS CAUSED US $5000. I TOLD THE CUSTOMER SERVICE PERSON TO KEEP THE REPLACED PART TILL NEXT TUESDAY WHICH IS 08/23/11. WE GOGGLED ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS THE KNOWN ISSUE OF RX300 BETWEEN 1999 THROUGH 2002 MODEL YEARS. THE TRANSAXLE (LEXUS TRANSMISSION) WOULD FAIL AFTER 80,000 MILES OF DRIVING ACCORDING TO OWNERS WHO REPORTED THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. OUR CAR IS JUST OVER 80,000 MILES. WE DON'T DRIVE THAT MUCH ALTHOUGH IT IS 1999 MODEL. ACCORDING TO THE ARTICLE ON THE EHOW WEBSITE, THERE IS NO FACTORY RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED TO ADDRESS THE TRANSMISSION PREMATURE FAILURE ISSUE. THERE ARE MANY MOMS INCLUDING MYSELF WHO DRIVE THIS CAR EVERYDAY WITH YOUNG KID ON BOARD. MY SON IS 7 YEARS OLD. I PERSONAL KNOW AT LEAST 3 MOMS WITH 4 KIDS (5-7 YEARS OLD) WHO DRIVE SAME MODEL YEAR CAR. PLEASE WORK ON THIS CASE ASAP. AT LEASE PLEASE RELEASE THE WARNING TO THE CUSTOMER TO CHECK THEIR TRANSMISSION. WE HOPE THAT WE ARE THE LAST PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCE THIS TRAGEDY INCIDENT. THANKS GOD WE WERE SAFE. THIS YOSEMITE TRIP WE PLANNED TO GO DURING THE WINTER TIME. THANKS GOD WE DIDN'T MAKE IT AT THAT TIME. THE CAR FAILED AREA, OUR ATT CELL EVEN COULDN'T DIAL OUT 911. THANKS GOD THERE IS NICE PERSON STOPPED HIS CAR AND SAVED US. THANKS GOD THE CAR DIDN'T FAILED AT MOUNTAIN FIRE AREA, MY SON HAD ASTHMA REACTION TO THE SMOCK. THANKS GOD THAT THERE WAS NO CAR BEHIND US AND THERE IS A HIGHWAY TURN OVER RIGHT AHEAD OF US. THANK GOD WE ARE SAFE ALTHOUGH WE WERE SCARED TO DEATH AND COULDN'T SLEEP WELL AT NIGHT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 LEXUS RX300. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH UPHILL THERE WAS A BURNING SMELL AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE ONTO THE SHOULDER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHO STATED THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE DEALER STATED THERE WERE NO RECALLS AND THE REPAIR COST WOULD BE $5000. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT A REPRESENTATIVE WOULD RETURN THE CALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000.

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