IllustrationENGINE KNOCKS ON ACCELERATION, BURNS OIL BAD, HARD TO START, TRANSMMISION WILL NOT AUTO SHIFT INTO HIGH RANGE ON FREEWAY, CAR LURCHES WHEN GETTING UP TO FREEWAY SPEED
2002 Lexus RX300
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Lexus RX300 do not stand out strongly from 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
825–50K
950–75K
1675–100K
26100–150K
10150K+
74 reports with mileage · 14 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 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
18 crash reports1 fire reports8 injury reports
Fuel/propulsion System complaints
2 reportsWHILE DRIVING WITH CLIENT FRIENDS TO THE RITZ CARLTON IN RANCHO MIRAGE FOR THANKSGIVING DINNER, THE CAR SUDDENLY STALLED. THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING BUT WHEN THE GAS WAS STEPPED ON THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. WE MANAGED TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AT WHICH TIME WE HEARD AN EXPLOSION AND THE CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. WE ALL IMMED…
Read full complaint
WHILE DRIVING WITH CLIENT FRIENDS TO THE RITZ CARLTON IN RANCHO MIRAGE FOR THANKSGIVING DINNER, THE CAR SUDDENLY STALLED. THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING BUT WHEN THE GAS WAS STEPPED ON THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. WE MANAGED TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AT WHICH TIME WE HEARD AN EXPLOSION AND THE CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. WE ALL IMMEDIATELY JUMPED OUT OF THE CAR FEARING THAT THE GAS TANK WOULD EXPLODE. WE CALLED 911 AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED IN TIME TO EXTINGUISH THE FLAMES BEFORE THE GAS TANK COULD EXPLODE. THE WINDSHIELD BLEW OUT...THE TIRES EXPLODED AND THE CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS. THE CAR HAS BEEN TOWED TO THE POLICE IMPOUND LOT AND BECAUSE OF THE HOLIDAY WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO REACH LEXUS. IT SEEMS APPARENT TO US THAT THIS IS A GAS LEAK ISSUE AS THE UNDER-CARRIAGE OF THE CAR WAS ON FIRE. CONSIDERING THAT LEXUS HAS RECALLED 423,000 CARS FOR A GAS LEAK PROBLEM (OURS WAS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST) IT SEEMS OBVIOUS THAT THIS MAKE AND MODEL SHOULD ALSO BE RECALLED BEFORE SOMEONE DIES IN A FIRE. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY FRIGHTENING AND TRAUMATIC EVENT AND WE ALL FEEL VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE SURVIVED IT WITH NO INJURIES....EXCEPT SHATTERED NERVES. *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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.