IllustrationTRANSMISSION FAILED AT APPROXIMATELY 110,000 MILES ON 2000 RX-200. RAN FINE UNTIL IT STARTED MAKING A GRINDING NOISE. THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED (INCLUDING THE CASE). COST $4500.00. *TR
2000 Lexus RX300
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most RX300 years
Owner complaints for the 2000 Lexus RX300 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 88.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all RX300 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
50–25K
525–50K
1750–75K
4375–100K
77100–150K
15150K+
162 reports with mileage · 54 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 138 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
16 crash reports0 fire reports12 injury reports
What owners actually said
216 reportsMY 2000 LEXUS RX300 TRANSMISSION FAILED ON THE HIGHWAY. THE CAR HAS ONLY 93,000 MILES THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED YESTERDAY. THIS IS THE 2ND TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT ON THIS VEHICLE. THE FIRST TRANSMISSION FAILED AT APPROX. 55,000 MILES AND WAS REPLACED UNDER THE WARRANTY. THIS TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT I PAID $1,700 FOR …
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MY 2000 LEXUS RX300 TRANSMISSION FAILED ON THE HIGHWAY. THE CAR HAS ONLY 93,000 MILES THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED YESTERDAY. THIS IS THE 2ND TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT ON THIS VEHICLE. THE FIRST TRANSMISSION FAILED AT APPROX. 55,000 MILES AND WAS REPLACED UNDER THE WARRANTY. THIS TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT I PAID $1,700 FOR THE LABOR AND DEALER GAVE ME THE PART. *TR
THE TRANSMISSION FAILED ON MY 2000 LEXUS RX 300 AFTER LESS THAN 9 YEARS AND 106,000 MILES. LOOKING ONLINE I SEE THAT THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL YEAR. LEXUS IS REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION AT A COST OF $4000. *TR
BOUGHT THIS 2000 RX 300 5 MONTHS AGO TRANSMISSION IS BURNED OUT APPROXIMATE COST IS $5,000.00. *TR
LUXURY 2000 LEXUS RX300 TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 100K MILES, COST $4K-$5K FOR THE REPAIRS. *TR
BAD LEXUS RX300 TRANSMISSION. *TR
BOUGHT THE CAR USED AT 145,000 MI. NOTICED THE CAR WAS NOT SHIFTING INTO OVERDRIVE AT ABOUT 160,000 MIS. TOOK CAR THE TOYOTA DEALER FOR REPAIR. AFTER $200 OF DIAGNOSTICS AND 3 DAYS THEY DETERMINED THE TRANSMISSION WAS BAD. THE CAR WILL SOMETIMES GO INTO OVERDRIVE AND SOMETIME IT WILL NOT CAUSING THE ENGINE TO REV TO 4000 TO 5…
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BOUGHT THE CAR USED AT 145,000 MI. NOTICED THE CAR WAS NOT SHIFTING INTO OVERDRIVE AT ABOUT 160,000 MIS. TOOK CAR THE TOYOTA DEALER FOR REPAIR. AFTER $200 OF DIAGNOSTICS AND 3 DAYS THEY DETERMINED THE TRANSMISSION WAS BAD. THE CAR WILL SOMETIMES GO INTO OVERDRIVE AND SOMETIME IT WILL NOT CAUSING THE ENGINE TO REV TO 4000 TO 5000 RPM AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE. I HAVE READ HOW TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ON THESE CARS CAN CAUSE UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITIONS AND NOW I DON'T KNOW WHETHER I CAN TRUST THE SAFETY OF DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS IN THIS CAR ON THE HIGHWAY. *TR
2000 LEXUS RX300 TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 104,000 MILES. COST TO REPLACE, INCLUDING LABOR IS $3,976.00. *TR
THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 2000 LEXUS RX300 WENT OUT AROUND 135,000 MILES; THE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT IN APRIL 2006 AND RECENTLY WENT OUT AGAIN AROUND FEBRUARY OF 2008. I WAS RECENTLY INFORMED THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE THIS TRANSMISSION AGAIN. THIS IS A REAL SAD SITUATION THAT A LUXURY CAR DOES NOT LAST LONGER THAN 10 YEARS. I WRIT…
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THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 2000 LEXUS RX300 WENT OUT AROUND 135,000 MILES; THE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT IN APRIL 2006 AND RECENTLY WENT OUT AGAIN AROUND FEBRUARY OF 2008. I WAS RECENTLY INFORMED THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE THIS TRANSMISSION AGAIN. THIS IS A REAL SAD SITUATION THAT A LUXURY CAR DOES NOT LAST LONGER THAN 10 YEARS. I WRITING BECAUSE I NEED SOME HELP AND OR DIRECTION IN GETTING THIS PROBLEM SOLVED. I CANNOT CONTINUE TO REPLACE A TRANSMISSION EVERY YEAR. THANKS IN ADVANCE. *TR
I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE TO WORK AND SUDDENLY THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT MOVE THE VEHICLE. I TRIED SHIFTING TO OTHER GEAR POSITIONS BUT THE VEHICLE STILL WON'T MOVE. FIRST TIME THAT THIS HAPPENED ON ME, I DON NOT KNOW IF IT OCCURRED BEFORE TO THE PREVIOUS OWNER. BOUGHT THE 2000 LEXUS RX 300 IN 2004 AND HAS 85K MILES WHEN TRANSMIS…
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I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE TO WORK AND SUDDENLY THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT MOVE THE VEHICLE. I TRIED SHIFTING TO OTHER GEAR POSITIONS BUT THE VEHICLE STILL WON'T MOVE. FIRST TIME THAT THIS HAPPENED ON ME, I DON NOT KNOW IF IT OCCURRED BEFORE TO THE PREVIOUS OWNER. BOUGHT THE 2000 LEXUS RX 300 IN 2004 AND HAS 85K MILES WHEN TRANSMISSION PROBLEM HAPPENED. HAS TO PAY THE DEALER $4,000 TO REPAIR. SOME OWNERS OF THE SAME MODEL VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1DP02004 · Engine Seizure
Opened Apr 30, 2002 · Closed Jun 20, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling
No summary supplied.