Transmission Problems/failures with RX300 awd/fwd

[bwilmoth]

So the RX300 without trac such as the 99 RXAWD are just doomed.

Doomed to run hot under some driving circumstances. But the owner can at least partially mitigate the potential consequences by changing the fluid more frequently and checking the transmission filter screen for blockages every 2nd or 3rd fluid change. By contrast, planned obsolesence is engineered into most American car automatics built since the late 1970's (via inferior quality internal seals, inferior clutch friction material, inferior gear metalurgy, etc.) and no amount of fluid or filter changing will enable them to last 300,000+ miles like all Toyota automatics can.

I would not be so quick to get down on American cars I had a 1995 Saturn SC2 with well over 300,000 miles on it before I sold it. That transmission had a twist on filter that could be changed easily. It did not shift as smooth as my 99 RX 300 but it never leaked or cost me $5000 for a new tranny.

[EdS]

A week ago the transmission went in my 2000 RX300 after only 50,000 miles. I was just beyond the powertrain warranty month-wise so the dealer good-willed me a new transmission. It didn't cost me anything.

I thought this was an indestructible car until this happened, and I subsequently found this forum/thread on Google and saw all of the transmission problems you all are having. I'm going to be very cautious with this car from now on, and think twice about taking it on a trip more than say 100 miles from home. That's probably good advice for any 6 year-old car though.

That being said, I must say I am thrilled with Lexus for covering this beyond the powertrain waranty. They obviously are aware of a problem with this model and owned up to it, for me at least. They didn't even try to pin the blame on me for not changing the fluid frequently enough or any of that baloney. They were first-class all the way.

My next car will probably be a two-wheel drive Lexus, and I'll buy it from this dealer. Kudos to Lexus!

[tmastres]

Thats great that Lexus gave you the new trans with no hassle, aparently each dealer has its own "personality" as it were. I'm curious though have you owned the car since it was new? Did you change the fluid at all in the first 50k? I'm really trying to find some patterns in these many trans failures reported on this list. I've got a 00 as well and mines got 90k on it but luckily so far no trans problems (knock wood). Maybe its the cold climate that does something to it. Still searching for answers but I'm glad your repair/replace experience was good.

[EdS]

Thats great that Lexus gave you the new trans with no hassle, aparently each dealer has its own "personality" as it were. I'm curious though have you owned the car since it was new? Did you change the fluid at all in the first 50k? I'm really trying to find some patterns in these many trans failures reported on this list. I've got a 00 as well and mines got 90k on it but luckily so far no trans problems (knock wood). Maybe its the cold climate that does something to it. Still searching for answers but I'm glad your repair/replace experience was good.

Yes I have owned the car since new, but I bought it at a dealer 15 miles down the road from this one. I stopped going to the original dealer for service when they charged me $50 for my first oil change and insisted on re-balancing the tires (and charging me for it) when I asked them to rotate them after only 8k miles. When I got the car home I saw I still had the original rusted weights on my wheels.

I've never changed the transmission fluid in any car I've ever owned, this one included, and this is the first transmission problem I've ever had. I'm one of those people who rarely takes a car in for scheduled maintenance. I only bring it in when something is wrong. I change the oil, filters, etc. myself. The only reason I originally brought it in for an oil change instead of doing it myself was I kept burning my arm on the exhaust manifold when I tried to remove the filter. I figured out a way around that later on.

That's great that you haven't had any problems after 90k miles. The only caution I can give is that I had absolutely no warning the failure was going to happen. The car was running just fine. Then, I was at a stop sign, I stepped on the gas and the engine raced but the car barely moved. Out of the blue. My transmission fluid level was fine, and did not have a burnt smell to it. I was lucky I was able to limp it to the the dealer.

Good luck!

[artbuc]

Thats great that Lexus gave you the new trans with no hassle, aparently each dealer has its own "personality" as it were. I'm curious though have you owned the car since it was new? Did you change the fluid at all in the first 50k? I'm really trying to find some patterns in these many trans failures reported on this list. I've got a 00 as well and mines got 90k on it but luckily so far no trans problems (knock wood). Maybe its the cold climate that does something to it. Still searching for answers but I'm glad your repair/replace experience was good.

Yes I have owned the car since new, but I bought it at a dealer 15 miles down the road from this one. I stopped going to the original dealer for service when they charged me $50 for my first oil change and insisted on re-balancing the tires (and charging me for it) when I asked them to rotate them after only 8k miles. When I got the car home I saw I still had the original rusted weights on my wheels.

I've never changed the transmission fluid in any car I've ever owned, this one included, and this is the first transmission problem I've ever had. I'm one of those people who rarely takes a car in for scheduled maintenance. I only bring it in when something is wrong. I change the oil, filters, etc. myself. The only reason I originally brought it in for an oil change instead of doing it myself was I kept burning my arm on the exhaust manifold when I tried to remove the filter. I figured out a way around that later on.

That's great that you haven't had any problems after 90k miles. The only caution I can give is that I had absolutely no warning the failure was going to happen. The car was running just fine. Then, I was at a stop sign, I stepped on the gas and the engine raced but the car barely moved. Out of the blue. My transmission fluid level was fine, and did not have a burnt smell to it. I was lucky I was able to limp it to the the dealer.

Good luck!

Your story about the rusted wheel weights matches my experience exactly with the two Lexus dealers I have worked with. Both were, and I assume still are, lying frauds. One of my favorite stories was when my antenna motor froze on my 95 LS400. Original motor failed and was replaced under warranty by Lexus. When I took a look-see, I discovered the plastic drain hose was kinked and pointing straight up instead of draining down through the grommet in the wheel well. Water was trapped in the motor and froze. I'll give you some more good stories later on.

[EdS]

Thats great that Lexus gave you the new trans with no hassle, aparently each dealer has its own "personality" as it were. I'm curious though have you owned the car since it was new? Did you change the fluid at all in the first 50k? I'm really trying to find some patterns in these many trans failures reported on this list. I've got a 00 as well and mines got 90k on it but luckily so far no trans problems (knock wood). Maybe its the cold climate that does something to it. Still searching for answers but I'm glad your repair/replace experience was good.

Yes I have owned the car since new, but I bought it at a dealer 15 miles down the road from this one. I stopped going to the original dealer for service when they charged me $50 for my first oil change and insisted on re-balancing the tires (and charging me for it) when I asked them to rotate them after only 8k miles. When I got the car home I saw I still had the original rusted weights on my wheels.

I've never changed the transmission fluid in any car I've ever owned, this one included, and this is the first transmission problem I've ever had. I'm one of those people who rarely takes a car in for scheduled maintenance. I only bring it in when something is wrong. I change the oil, filters, etc. myself. The only reason I originally brought it in for an oil change instead of doing it myself was I kept burning my arm on the exhaust manifold when I tried to remove the filter. I figured out a way around that later on.

That's great that you haven't had any problems after 90k miles. The only caution I can give is that I had absolutely no warning the failure was going to happen. The car was running just fine. Then, I was at a stop sign, I stepped on the gas and the engine raced but the car barely moved. Out of the blue. My transmission fluid level was fine, and did not have a burnt smell to it. I was lucky I was able to limp it to the the dealer.

Good luck!

Your story about the rusted wheel weights matches my experience exactly with the two Lexus dealers I have worked with. Both were, and I assume still are, lying frauds. One of my favorite stories was when my antenna motor froze on my 95 LS400. Original motor failed and was replaced under warranty by Lexus. When I took a look-see, I discovered the plastic drain hose was kinked and pointing straight up instead of draining down through the grommet in the wheel well. Water was trapped in the motor and froze. I'll give you some more good stories later on.

I think a lot of car dealers are frauds. That's why I don't like to take my car into them unless it's asbolutely necessary. Call me paranoid, but in the past I have found that other things have a funny habit of going wrong after the car just happened to be in the shop for something else.

The dealer that good-willed my transmission seems to be pretty reliable. They were recommended to me by a friend after a nearby Lexus dealer proved either they have no idea how to align a car, or are such frauds that they charged me for an alignment while my car sat in the lot all day. This dealer finally got it right, and I've stuck with them since.

[lenore]

HAVE YOU FILED YOUR COMPLAINT WITH THE NHTS BOARD TODAY?

Total number of RX300 transmission failures reported on NHTSA website: '99=8; '00=2; '01=0; '02=0; '03=0. Note: not all the problems reported under the "transmission" category were transmission failures.

Ok I reported my transmission to NHtS board, I suggest anyone who has had a failure to at least report it to this organization so we can get a better feel for the failure rate. If you read this posting and had a failure make the report. Thank you Lenore (Tom)

[lenore]

Well there are now 13 different complaints at the Nhts board for tranny failures. Very interesting especially since these were only on the 1999 RX300. I didnt check the other years yet.

[lpbailey]

Normal behavior. These transmissions must warm up to operating temperatures before they will shift properly. That usually means a couple of minutes, depending upon the outdoor temperature and your driving style. For best results, baby your transmission as much as possible. No hard starts or stops. These RX300s are not sports cars - far from it. They are overweight and underpowered. Drive carefully.

RX in NC-I'm in Raleigh also just beginning to deal with transmission trouble with my RX300. Any advice on the dealer here? I've appreciated all the info on this board, it's been very helpful.

[RX in NC]

If you've read through some of my posts, you'll see a basic commonality when handling the dealer:

1. Understand your issue and do the necessary research on it.

2. Document your position and the evidence supporting it.

3. Be calm, firm, and professional in all conversations with dealer management.

4. Always state your preferred resolution that you expect from the dealer.

5. The more out of warranty you are, the more negotiating you'll have to do.

Good luck to you.

[EdS]

Interesting follow up to my new transmission:

Since having it replaced, I am getting the best gas mileage ever. I have always averaged between 16 and 17 mpg, with a mix of highway and city driving, sometimes dipping to 15 on a tankful. I remember complaining to the dealer when it was new that the mileage was awful. The salesman suggested it would get better after the break-in period. It never did.

Now suddenly I am getting 19 mpg, with the same mix of highway and city driving, and same gas from the same station. I have NEVER gotten that kind of mileage on this car. Even on long highway trips the best I ever got was about 18 mpg.

The old transmission was probably bad (and slipping) from the start. I'm loving this car more and more...

[LexusOwner2]

My 1998 RX300 2wd is in the shop for the transmission problem. It started by not moving when placed into drive, after a couple minutes it would work ok. This only occurred a couple times over two or three months and the dealer indicated it could wait until the 90k checkup. This weekend it started making an odd sound that could be heard in the cabin at all speeds, the final couple blocks to the dealer it was slightly slipping gears at the up-shift. I’m the original owner, gently driven (no trailer towing) and always serviced where I bought it (Lexus KM, SD, CA) at the recommended intervals, 87k miles at this point. Lexus is offering free parts and I get to pay the labor, one year unlimited mileage warranty on the job.

I’m disappointed that this happened, it has been a great car. Generally IMHO, automatic transmissions eat it at one point or another. I've been planing on driving this car into the ground, not sure yet if this is an early start of the end for this one. Some of my friends bought the same model (course after asking me), bummer. So this may be my last Lexus, which is another bummer cause I’m in the market for a two seater and the 430 was on my look at list. ;)

[tmhtmh]

Gee, that sucks. Labor, of course is most of the cost normally.

I was hoping the 2WD was immune from the tranny failure, which is why I got a used 2002 RX300 FWD. Itseems the FWD is also prone to early failure.

Don't buy into the "all transmissions fail" crap. We own a Lexus partly for the reliability Toyota is known for. Tranny failures before 100k mi. is the stuff of pre-1990 US auto makers, and many of those lasted much longer. This is a FLAW and Lexus should have to pay for them.

[wwest]

Thats great that Lexus gave you the new trans with no hassle, aparently each dealer has its own "personality" as it were. I'm curious though have you owned the car since it was new? Did you change the fluid at all in the first 50k? I'm really trying to find some patterns in these many trans failures reported on this list. I've got a 00 as well and mines got 90k on it but luckily so far no trans problems (knock wood). Maybe its the cold climate that does something to it. Still searching for answers but I'm glad your repair/replace experience was good.

Yes I have owned the car since new, but I bought it at a dealer 15 miles down the road from this one. I stopped going to the original dealer for service when they charged me $50 for my first oil change and insisted on re-balancing the tires (and charging me for it) when I asked them to rotate them after only 8k miles. When I got the car home I saw I still had the original rusted weights on my wheels.

I've never changed the transmission fluid in any car I've ever owned, this one included, and this is the first transmission problem I've ever had. I'm one of those people who rarely takes a car in for scheduled maintenance. I only bring it in when something is wrong. I change the oil, filters, etc. myself. The only reason I originally brought it in for an oil change instead of doing it myself was I kept burning my arm on the exhaust manifold when I tried to remove the filter. I figured out a way around that later on.

That's great that you haven't had any problems after 90k miles. The only caution I can give is that I had absolutely no warning the failure was going to happen. The car was running just fine. Then, I was at a stop sign, I stepped on the gas and the engine raced but the car barely moved. Out of the blue. My transmission fluid level was fine, and did not have a burnt smell to it. I was lucky I was able to limp it to the the dealer.

Good luck!

Not trying in any way to side with the dealer that unduly rebalanced your tires but it is entirely possible that the tire balance technician didn't remove the original weights before the tires were spun to check for proper "balance".

I have seen, again and again, the technician remove the weights from the wheels prior to putting them on the spin balance machine but then again my own experience (insofar as I can remember) always involved new tires on the old wheels.

I admit that were I the technician in question I would not bother removing the old weights first given the tires had only 8k miles.

[lenore]

Gee, that sucks. Labor, of course is most of the cost normally.

I was hoping the 2WD was immune from the tranny failure, which is why I got a used 2002 RX300 FWD. Itseems the FWD is also prone to early failure.

Don't buy into the "all transmissions fail" crap. We own a Lexus partly for the reliability Toyota is known for. Tranny failures before 100k mi. is the stuff of pre-1990 US auto makers, and many of those lasted much longer. This is a FLAW and Lexus should have to pay for them.

So have you reported your failure to the NHTS board? The more of us that do this the more data against the design flaw will be registered. Please do this and add to the growing list.

[monarch]

Same old story. Owner complains of transmission failure yet says nothing about fluid change intervals, type of fluid used or about personally verifying the transmission fluid level and condition.

[bluestu]

Same old story. Owner complains of transmission failure yet says nothing about fluid change intervals, type of fluid used or about personally verifying the transmission fluid level and condition.

I'm with you on this issue. It's not a design flaw, but a service flaw. Just because it says Lexus, made by Toyota, doesn't mean it is maintenance free. Most transmissions will fail if you don't replace all the fluid on a regular basis. A drain and fill doesn't get it. Even the service techs. at Toyota told me that.

[lenore]

Yes there is a flaw in the design, otherwise a normally maintained vehicle like mine, (Every 30k fluid tranny change) would or should not have failed. Now I do them every 10k. Monarch doesn't have a clue because he owns a LS400 with a normal transmisson with rear wheel drive that does hold up. As for blue stu I dont know, but we RX300 owners are on the clock for failure no matter what kind of maintenance we do. It is in the stars for failure because of design failure or software/hardware design. Its is as simple as that. I took care of my car with frequent fluid (type IV) changes and it still failed. Until you are in our shoes you will not understand what we as RX owners expected and what we got as for the Toyota reliability. Monarch you are driving a vehicle with a old rear drive proven technology that the RX does not have. You do not, and have not experienced the weak design that is in the Very Heavy and under design Camry based Transaxle in the RX300. So to all have you reported your complaint to the NHTS board. It is internet available.

[tmhtmh]

Same old story. Owner complains of transmission failure yet says nothing about fluid change intervals, type of fluid used or about personally verifying the transmission fluid level and condition.

One of my new missions in life is to periodically warn new board members that Monarch is a stooge for Toyota/Lexus. Whatever the reported problem here, he plays the "it's your fault, NOT Toyota's" card. In the face of all facts, he will try and fool the new members. Don't fall for it.

FACT is, most of the failed trannys were on RX300s that were LEXUS maintained vehicles. They followed the service requirements exactly and still had failure. MOST even went well beyond the Lexus service recommendations once they heard about the failure problem.

Lexus manual says there is no need to change the fluid under normal conditions. THIS ADVISE is printed right on the dipstick for the tranny fluid as well! And no, trannsmissions DON'T normally fail on vehicles when the fluid is changed every 60k miles. Sorry, that's just false information.

Monarch, if you don't even OWN an RX, why do you polute this RX board with your Toyota/Lexus propoganda?

[EdS]

Thats great that Lexus gave you the new trans with no hassle, aparently each dealer has its own "personality" as it were. I'm curious though have you owned the car since it was new? Did you change the fluid at all in the first 50k? I'm really trying to find some patterns in these many trans failures reported on this list. I've got a 00 as well and mines got 90k on it but luckily so far no trans problems (knock wood). Maybe its the cold climate that does something to it. Still searching for answers but I'm glad your repair/replace experience was good.

Yes I have owned the car since new, but I bought it at a dealer 15 miles down the road from this one. I stopped going to the original dealer for service when they charged me $50 for my first oil change and insisted on re-balancing the tires (and charging me for it) when I asked them to rotate them after only 8k miles. When I got the car home I saw I still had the original rusted weights on my wheels.

I've never changed the transmission fluid in any car I've ever owned, this one included, and this is the first transmission problem I've ever had. I'm one of those people who rarely takes a car in for scheduled maintenance. I only bring it in when something is wrong. I change the oil, filters, etc. myself. The only reason I originally brought it in for an oil change instead of doing it myself was I kept burning my arm on the exhaust manifold when I tried to remove the filter. I figured out a way around that later on.

That's great that you haven't had any problems after 90k miles. The only caution I can give is that I had absolutely no warning the failure was going to happen. The car was running just fine. Then, I was at a stop sign, I stepped on the gas and the engine raced but the car barely moved. Out of the blue. My transmission fluid level was fine, and did not have a burnt smell to it. I was lucky I was able to limp it to the the dealer.

Good luck!

Not trying in any way to side with the dealer that unduly rebalanced your tires but it is entirely possible that the tire balance technician didn't remove the original weights before the tires were spun to check for proper "balance".

I have seen, again and again, the technician remove the weights from the wheels prior to putting them on the spin balance machine but then again my own experience (insofar as I can remember) always involved new tires on the old wheels.

I admit that were I the technician in question I would not bother removing the old weights first given the tires had only 8k miles.

I understand your point, and I agree that the balance should be checked prior to pulling the weights off, but not when I'm objecting to it. Please note where I mentioned the dealer insisted on checking the balance of the tires, and thus charged me for it. I told them it wasn't necessary, and I was told "We don't rotate tires without balancing them". If they did check the balance before pulling the weights off, over my objections, and determined rebalancing was unnecessary I should not have been charged for it.

This is the same dealer that charged me $50 for an oil change. I think I'll stick with servicing my RX at the dealer that just gave me a free transmission post-warranty instead.

[MiamiDealer]

I'm a used car dealer i buy and sell rx300 very often. if service right they should do well over all.

however i have notice more and more problems with transmition simple problems that are easy to fix.

yet you take it to lexus and they have no clue all the know is new tranny $3,000+. nothing else.

the is an on going problem it has even been brought up in a service bulletin.

The shift solenoid they control AT fluid transfer thats what make it shift.

after 90k they get sticky and stuck and malfuntion, then you get check engine light and the others showing.

I have an obd2 scanner so i check the computer codes my self P0770 (Shift solenoid E Malfuntion)

Easy fix should not be more then $500 in a tranny shop.

Lexus knows this is a probelm however when mention it to lexus mechanics they don't have a clue.

See a solenoid is comes in a pack of 5 they run $250-$350

a new tranny is big money $,$$$$.$$ lexus truly would rather making $ over $3,000 for rebuilt tranny then get your old one fix it cheap and sell it to some other poor sap for top dallor$$$.

see its much more profitable then just selling you the cheaper part the solenoids.

they make it a point to keep there techs iggnorant of the issue.

to them its just another dollar.

Make: LEXUS

Model: RX300

Year: 2001

Type: PASSENGER CAR

Service Bulletin Number: 00504

NHTSA Item Number: 10009396

Summary Description:

PROPER IDENTIFICATION OF THE 5 SOLENOIDS USED IN THE U140E/U140F TRANSMISSIONS. *TT

Make : LEXUS Model : RX300 Year : 2001

Manufacturer : TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.

Service Bulletin Num : 010102 Date of Bulletin: JAN 01, 2002

NHTSA Item Number: 628655

Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

Summary:

SPECIAL POLICY ADJUSTMENT FOR CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED SPECIFIC MECHANICAL ENGINE PROBLEMS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE CONDITION KNOWN AS OIL GELLING OR SLUDGE. *TT

Make : LEXUS Model : RX300 Year : 2001

Manufacturer : TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.

Service Bulletin Num : BR00301 Date of Bulletin: SEP 14, 2001

NHTSA Item Number: 625528

Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS

Summary:

SUBJECT REGARDING FRONT BRAKE GROAN / SQUEAK. *TT

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/tsbsearch.cfm

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/results.cfm

[Ericok]

Well there are now 13 different complaints at the Nhts board for tranny failures. Very interesting especially since these were only on the 1999 RX300. I didnt check the other years yet.

Of the 13 complaints for the 1999 model year, 7 are actual complaints of transmission failure. The 2000 model year has 2 complaints (both for transmission failures).

[monarch]

a new tranny is big money $,$$$$.$$ lexus truly would rather making $ over $3,000 for rebuilt tranny then get your old one fix it cheap and sell it to some other poor sap for top dallor$$$. see its much more profitable then just selling you the cheaper part the solenoids. they make it a point to keep there techs iggnorant of the issue. to them its just another dollar.

I disagree. Toyota has been using electronic shift control solenoids to control the shifting.in some of its transmissions (including all Lexus transmissions) for the past 20-25 years. So virtually every Toyota / Lexus dealer technician has long been aware of the solenoids and knows they are a normal wear item that can fail anytime after about 80,000 miles (but more usually up around 140,000+ miles). To date, no RX AWD owner on this forum who has experienced a transmission failure has found the shift control solenoids were to blame.

[lenore]

Ok Monarch, I kind of agree with you on the shift solenoids, When I dropped the Valve body assembly on my tranny, there was metal debris, which in turn could clogg the shift solenoid plungers. The real problem is gear or bearing failure caused by poor design which contaminates the rest of the tranny and causes a slow or rapid death. I agree wholeheartedly that the maintenance position is not the failure of these trannys but a poor design, whether it be computer controlled or hardware or both. Have you filed your complaint with the NHTS board today Lexus RX300 owners???? This is the new band wagon if you want LExus to stand behind their product. Because as far as they are concerned it is a dead product and not worth their bother to support you the customer unless you want to pay $4300 to $5400 to fix it yourself. Yea Ha......

[rcheong]

Hindsight is 20/20. Well, I experienced the transmission issue (as mentioned in a previous post), and was told by the Lexus dealership that I needed the transmission rebuilt, and that Lexus Corporate no longer offered that service, so I'd have to take it to a transmission shop. I did this, and subsequently started reading all the entries of other owners with transmission issues. Thereafter, I contacted Lexus Support and after a couple of weeks of reviewing the case, they have advised me that yes, "a small percentage" of vehicles have experienced the transmission issue, but that they do offer a transmission refurbishment (something about them sending it overseas?) and sorry I was told otherwise, but since I wasn't advised properly there's nothing they can do for me except give me one free service.

This car is NOT driven hard or fast, but feels like it's slowly breaking down. Recently, the transmission. Now, the creaking with the struts, and some sort of strange vibration perhaps coming from the drive train. And, intermittent problems keeping the engine started -- when this happens it doesn't idle at all, just shuts off unless I rev on the gas pedal.

In my driving history, I've never had a transmission problem before (and I've kept most of my cars for more than 10 years) and have not spent nearly as much as I have on this Lexus between the normal maintenance charges and the corrective work. And, I've owned two Ford Mustangs so that's saying a lot!

This was my first Lexus, and really I think there's more hype than reality about the quality. From the very beginning there were creaks and noises, and various little things that would repeatedly have to be replaced, especially tail lights and the inside hatch fasteners. Now with the magnitude of the repairs getting bigger and bigger, there's no way I'm going to even consider another Lexus. They're not even fun to drive. But, reliability was my number one priority. At this rate, I'd rather buy something that I at least enjoy, even if I have to have it fixed now and then. And "Maintainence included" would be a plus!