Rx Transmission Problems?

[00RX300]

I know that there has been a lot of good discussions on this forum concerning transmission failures. I do not want to re-hash everything again but I'd like to take a simple poll of which models, AWD or FWD, etc, are having these problems.

Thank you for your time...

[lenore]

I know that there has been a lot of good discussions on this forum concerning transmission failures.  I do not want to re-hash everything again but I'd like to take a simple poll of which models, AWD or FWD, etc, are having these problems. 

Thank you for your time...

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Your poll is great but does not allow you to give but one answer. I had burnt fluid and did changes at 30k miles, and had complete failure at 100k. I had second failure at 1.5kmiles and am on my third transmission. cost $4350 and no help from Lexus. The lack of product back up is astounding. I remember when I took my Mercedes in (And I was the 5th owner) and ten years old the dealership took a history and fixed all tsb recalls. Lexus isn't even doing that. I just spent $700 on the front shock strut mounts. which could have been done by them, according to the tsb. They even acknowledged the noise and said I should get it fixed, on my dime. I have had it with Lexus. I love the car but hate the company.

[LexKid630]

i had one of the first rx300's in 1999 (AWD). in 03 the transmission went totally. I had never done any oil/fluid changes the whole time i owned it. I had the dealer do all the services, not me. I hated the thing for the transmission problems, but for the rest it was great. The AWD has all the problems, the 4WD not much better. The 2WD will not, that's what i would get if i were you.

for some people, they might not do any fluid changes and have no problems. for others that even do change fluids etc it might have problems at 30k miles. It all depends on how the driver treats it and takes care of it. Mine went because i didn't take good care of it. I never did any personal services on it and for that i paid BIG. It all depends on how the driver drives it for ex, if they floor it/go slow...this will increase the time it takes for it to go...

[RX in NC]

Our 2000 RX300 AWD has been meticulously maintained (including an initial transmission fluid change by Lexus at about 29,000 miles) but the transmission failed at about 48,000 miles. My wife is a careful and cautious driver, so driver habits are not the culprit here. The transmission has a design flaw or engineering weakness that may be related to insufficient transmission fluid cooling in the AWD models. Although the owners manual says to never change your fluid for the life of the vehicle unless you operate under severe conditions (tow a boat, drive primarily on dusty roads, etc.), you're asking for serious trouble if you don't change your Toyota Type T-IV fluid at least every 30,000 miles.

Best advice? Stay away from AWD and stick with front-wheel drive models.

[SW03ES]

Or maybe look into the possibility of adding some sort of transmission cooler. Although the damage may be done if it wasn't installed when new.

[SKperformance]

they all need a filter not a mesh media

get an external filter for $50 hook it up in 10 minutes and you will never have a problem from fibers clogging the valve body causing a compounding issue of not enough pressure to actuate the clutches to cause them to burn

nothign else to it

period.....................

[ColinBarber]

they all need a filter not a mesh media

get an external filter for $50 hook it up in 10 minutes and you will never have a problem from fibers clogging the valve body causing a compounding issue of not enough pressure to actuate the clutches to cause them to burn

nothign else to it

period.....................

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any recommendations?

[LexRexBlue]

they all need a filter not a mesh media

get an external filter for $50 hook it up in 10 minutes and you will never have a problem from fibers clogging the valve body causing a compounding issue of not enough pressure to actuate the clutches to cause them to burn

nothign else to it

period.....................

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any recommendations?

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I have a 99' RX300AWD. All service has been done on time at the dealer. I heard a strange humming sound at 35-45 when coasting. They suspected bearings, etc. However, then the hum came at 25-30 when the engine was cold. Otherwise, the car drove fine. The dealer said it was the transmission. They covered it under the warranty.

[douglasmiami]

they all need a filter not a mesh media

get an external filter for $50 hook it up in 10 minutes and you will never have a problem from fibers clogging the valve body causing a compounding issue of not enough pressure to actuate the clutches to cause them to burn

nothign else to it

period.....................

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SK - could you elaborate on what you mean in your suggestion above? I have had some transmission "sticking" problems, which I have related on this forum, but haven't heard of your suggestion. Of course, Lexus plays dumb and just changed my transmission fluid for me, but the sticking problem between 3rd and 4th gears continues, although it only happens when the car / transmission is cold. Once I get the tranny to shift for first time, I won't have any problems until car is cold again (usually overnight). By the way, I live in Miami, so "cold" is relative here.

[ColinBarber]

SK - could you elaborate on what you mean in your suggestion above?  I have had some transmission "sticking" problems, which I have related on this forum, but haven't heard of your suggestion.  Of course, Lexus plays dumb and just changed my transmission fluid for me, but the sticking problem between 3rd and 4th gears continues, although it only happens when the car / transmission is cold.  Once I get the tranny to shift for first time, I won't have any problems until car is cold again (usually overnight).  By the way, I live in Miami, so "cold" is relative here.

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You are aware the tranmission won't shift into OD until it is warm?

[douglasmiami]

Well, that's what I've been reading, but it certainly doesn't sound "normal" to me. In addition, the transmission only started doing this 3 months ago. Before that I didn't sense any shifting problems. And my '99 RX is an AWD, which appears to be the problem child in the Lexus family.