Transmission Problems/failures with RX300 awd/fwd

[wwest]

My 1999 RX300 AWD was bought new, and serviced at the prescribed intervals at the dealership. Until now I wasn't taking note of specifically what type of transmission maintenance they were doing, but as an example, in January of this year, they flushed the transmission fluid (according to the service records I received).

In January your RX's odometer had somewhere between 70,000 - 75,000 miles. If your RX didn't have it's first transmission oil change until 70,000 miles then the fluid could have deteriorated back around 30,000 miles meaning that for the past 40,000-45,000 miles you were driving around on deteriorated fluid. No transmission in the world can survive very long if it is lubricated by deteriorated fluid.

If you want to convince everyone here the transmission has a design defect - in other words convince everyone the transmission would have failed even if you had changed the fluid every 15,000 or 30,000 miles - then please provide the proof the fluid was changed back around 15-30,000 miles. One way you can get the proof for free is to give your Lexus dealer your Vehicle ID number and request a printout of your RX's service history. Then post a photo here of the service receipt that shows transmission fluid was changed every 15,000 - 30,000 miles and if it was just a partial or complete fluid change (the receipt would show the number of quarts of new fluid you paid for)

With regard to your new transmission, how do you plan to care for it? The same failure could happen all over again if you don't change at least part of the fluid every 15-30,000 miles, personally verify the shop uses only Toyota Type T-IV fluid and personally verify the transmission fluid level is correct after the shop changes the fluid.

I agree with Bluestu when he wrote: "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."

An additional problem is that many owners fail to realize the service intervals prescribed in the Scheduled Maintenance Guide of ALL carmakers are merely the minimum frequency intervals required to keep the 70,000 mile powertrain warranty in effect. But for optimum mechanical component life, more frequent service intervals are necessary.

What if....??

The dealer service records are retrieved and they indicate that the vehicle was properly serviced by an "honest" dealer in accordance with the factory recommendations....??

And yes, it is a design flaw. The fact that the ATF contamination exacerbates the failure rate doesn't release Toyota from the fact that the initial ATF contamination is a result of the design flaw.

[overton]

I RECENTLY TOOK MY CAR IN AND FOUND OUT THAT MY TRANSMISSION HAD GONE OUT ONLY AFTER 89,000 MILES AND WOULD BE $5,000-$6,000 TO REPLACE NEW AND $3,500 FOR USED. AFTER RESEARCHING ABOUT THE LEXUS RX300 1999 MODEL I AM FINDING OUT THERE ARE SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLES TRANSMISSION AND DRIVE TRAIN. I AM JUST WONDERING IF THIS PROBLEM OCCURS MORE THAN IT SHOULD WITH OTHERS WITH THIS PARTICULAR MODEL?

Add another failed transmission to the hoard! My wifes 2000 RX300 has 95,000 miles and the tranny is toast. I have called customer satisfaction and I have the car at the dealership. I'm going to see what if anything Lexus will do. I have owned over 40 Toyota products (mostly Land Cruisers) and I have never had this issue. In fact, I've never had a transmission fail on any vehicle. I think we need to rally together and try to get some concessions from Lexus. If they're not willing to stand behind the product then I voluneteer to build the "Don't Buy a Lexus" website to share our experience. - Feel free to e-mail me at overton@aol.com, especially if you have any tips for getting these guys to step up to the plate. Oh and by the way Monarch before you ask, YES, we did have regular service on the Transmssion and the whole vehicle.

[lenore]

I am so sorry that you have joined the ranks of RX300 Tranny failures. I would be very much interested in the support to provide pressure on Lexus. I have tried, but it appears to be a uphill struggle. Make sure you enter a complaint to the NHTS board online. YOU will need the vin # of the vehicle. Describe your failure and displeasure with this failure. THE list is finally growing. There were none last year. Give me a break. I know there are thousands. Good luck. By the way I paid $4300 for the tranny at LExus, but an independent might be a lot cheaper. Some have paid even more. Watch their worksmanship also. My first replacement was defective ( they are all rebuilts) Lexus does not work on the transmission themselves but use rebuilts. By the way read RX NC for tips to get them to step up to the plate at the dealership. maybe you will get some relief from the dealership. But Lexus of AMerica could care a less. They will tell you sorry, its past warranty.

[tmastres]

Well I get more nervous with each new occurence. Mine is almost at the exact mileage point as yours right now and I'm super sensitive to anyhting weird in the tranny. Could you post the number you called for "customer satisfaction" and perhaps whom you spoke to there? It may be useful for future "victims'

[lenore]

Keep the tranny fluid changes up, not my idea of course, but with this transmission probably a necessity. Change it at least every 15k miles, the dealerships are recommending that, they know they have a problem, but Lexus will not admit it officially. If it fails file a complaint with the NHTS board online.

[overton]

Keep the tranny fluid changes up, not my idea of course, but with this transmission probably a necessity. Change it at least every 15k miles, the dealerships are recommending that, they know they have a problem, but Lexus will not admit it officially. If it fails file a complaint with the NHTS board online.

I did open a case with Lexus Customer Satisfaction at (800) 255-3987 and spoke with Caroline who is going to ask that the rep for Iowa contact me. The car is sitting at the dealership - We'll see what they say. I am compiling quite a MS Word file on RX300 failed tranny's.

[RX in NC]

Keep us posted on your experiences and your success in getting Lexus to assist you. Use the failures documented on this site to your advantage. Stay cool, calm, and professional, but stick to your guns.

Sorry about your failure. You have a number of folks here who've been through the same experience with varying degrees of success in getting their particular dealership to step up to the plate. Bear in mind that you have a far greater chance of getting financial assistance from your dealership than you do from Lexus Corporate....

[bluestu]

In your opinion, how long should an RX300 transmission last having the dealer perform a partial drain and fill every 30k miles?

[RX in NC]

In more than 36 years of vehicle ownership spanning 20-some vehicles built in the U.S., Japan, and Italy, the only transmission that's ever failed on me is my wife's RX300. Some of those vehicles had well over 130,000 miles on their odometers when I traded or sold them, and one had well over 200,000 miles (I believe I changed the transmission fluid three times on that particular vehicle, but not because of problems - I just thought it might be the right thing to do at the time). All of the other vehicles had their transmission fluid changed no more than once, and some of them never had their fluid changed for as long as I owned them.

I should point out here that the Italian vehicles were all 1980s-built sports cars with manual transmissions, so they don't factor into the question at hand. But I doubt if Italian automatic transmissions of that vintage would have lasted as long as either U.S. or Japanese-made ones would. One of those cars is still in the family - a 1986 Ferrari 308GT. My brother-in-law and sister have it, and although it's now 20 years old, it's still in good shape with about 30,000 original miles and it will still flat-out fly. But it is one expensive mother to maintain and insure, and I certainly don't miss that aspect of the "Fabulous '80s". I came to my senses and got rid of the expensive, impractical sports cars long ago.

So, combining my experiences with the vast majority of comments about the durability of the typical automatic transmission in the typical vehicle that others have had, and taking into account that an automatic transmission in a typical full-time all-wheel-drive vehicle is probably not going to last as long as one in a typical two-wheel-drive vehicle, my answer to your question is this: at least 150,000 miles.

That is based on drain-and-fills every 30,000 miles, which is much more frequent than most manufacturers recommend. For those that do recommend changing the transmission fluid, the average recommended interval of doing so seems to be around 60,000 miles. But my history with all of my other vehicles has taught me that the vast majority of vehicles are capable of going far beyond 60,000 miles without needing a transmission fluid change providing their drivetrain is well-engineered and suitable to the vehicle.

As you know, those of us who've suffered premature transmission failure in our RX300s, even with frequent transmission fluid changes and proper maintenance performed on schedule, do NOT believe that these transmissions are properly engineered.

Hope that answers your question, bluestu. It will be interesting to see how others respond.

[lenore]

As usual RX NC you answered the question beautifully. Thank you for your support on this issue, I really do appreciate your efforts. Blu stu just does not get it, I too have owned a carriage house of autos, many being British Sports Cars, and have also drive at least 15 company cars that the company refused any transmission maintenance, and they all performed up to 100k miles without a failure. I don't refute Toyotas being reliable, but the black sheep in the toyota stable is the AWD RX300. It has shown a premature failure rate on the transmission and the numbers keep rolling in. Seems everyweek there is another addition just to this site. And I dont believe everyone thinks of going on the internet to search this failure when it happens. So I end with my famous question HAVE YOU FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE NHTS board today? Have a great morning.

[tmastres]

For anyone whos compiling complaints or "reports of incidents" heres an interesting site that details a few more RX trans failures. Interesting pattern I noticed here though was that it seems most of the failures are on the 99 models not with 2000 or later. I think we deduced here that it was both 99/00 models that had higher failure rates, anyho just FYI

http://www.carsurvey.org/model_Lexus_RX300.html

[bluestu]

There would obviously be more reports on the '99 and 2000 models because they are higher mileage cars. I've owned several makes of cars that have experienced transmission failures including an Izuzu Rodeo and a Toyota Celica. I've seen friends have many transmission failures on all types of cars. Almost all of these failures occurred between 70 and 100k miles. Most of them were never serviced or improperly serviced.

I have another question. If the RX300 is the design lemon you are saying it is, then what about the Toyota Highlander? They are basically the same car.

[lenore]

The Toyota Highlander may have some changes that we do not know about. Also I believe it is a little lighter and came out in 2001. There may be significant mechanical and computer shift changes that have improved reliability. Why does'nt Toyota tell us what they are?

[monarch]

For anyone whos compiling complaints or "reports of incidents" heres an interesting site that details a few more RX trans failureshttp://www.carsurvey.org/model_Lexus_RX300.html

Did everyone see this owner comment: "I am the original owner of a 1999 Lexus RX300 with 232,000 miles on it. The transmission just died."

[lenore]

I suspect all highway driving with such high mileage, I believe then the tranny is not trying to shift into overdrive all the time. I have a friend with 150k but it is all speed limit highway miles. So there be the problem, just not any good for around town. So there the weakness lies.

[tmastres]

I have another question. If the RX300 is the design lemon you are saying it is, then what about the Toyota Highlander? They are basically the same car.

Good point on the model year/mileage issue. That definitely may be a factor.

The Highlander question my lend creedence to the 99/00 RX trans problem theory though. I think the Highlander came out in 01 or 02 when (theorhetically) Lexus has "addressed" the problems in RX transmissions, therefore they dont have many problems. Either that or they also havent accumulated enough mileage to show problems yet.

[RX in NC]

monarch,

Yes, I did see the one comment from the owner of the 1999 RX300 with 232,000 miles whose transmission just died. But I also saw the 50 or 60 comments from other owners whose transmissions failed between 60,000 and 120,000 miles. You can continue to spin information such as this in any way you care to, but the fact remains that the RX300 suffers from a significant premature transmission failure problem, particularly the 1999 and 2000 all-wheel-drive models. You constantly hash out incorrect and inappropriate advice in your continuous attempts to blame owners for their vehicles' inherent problems.

I guess it's a good thing for you that you're on the West Coast while I'm on the East Coast. You need to be turned over someone's knee and given a good old-fashioned, behind-the-barn whuppin' to bring you back to reality and I would definitely be first in line to be the one who gets to deliver the message....

[lenore]

Gosh RXNC I like your style, We are just to politically correct on the WEST coast. Have a great fantastic day. Tom

[monarch]

RX in NC, to my way of thinking, the fact that some 1999 RX300 owners are getting 200,000+ miles of transmission life means the transmission is capable of a long service life, just like any other Toyota automatic if it is operated in a certain manner and receives a certain level of preventive maintenance. My guess, at this point, is that a relaxed, unhurried driving style where the owner avoids violent full throttle downshifts helps prevent the production of wear particles that can eventually clog the transmission filter or foul up the valve body. 15,000 mile pan only drain and refill should keep the fluid looking fresh. Lastly, locking the transmission out of overdrive when driving around town in heavy traffic should help avoid transmission fluid overheating. Overdrive should also be locked out when driving in mountainous terrain. To my way to thinking, just because the RX300 transmission cannot withstand much leadfoot driving and delayed fluid changes as well as the transmission in the LS400 can does not mean the RX300 transmission is defectively designed or should be recalled.

[bluestu]

Gosh RXNC I like your style, We are just to politically correct on the WEST coast. Have a great fantastic day. Tom

RX in NC,

Have you and Tom set a date yet??? Oh yeah, I've seen a total of less than 10 owners that have had transmission failures, certainly not 50 or 60. Talking about spinning a topic. I'll let you guys know when the defective transmissions on my 1999 and 2000 RX burn up. Don't hold your breath, it will probably/hopefully be a while. Flush or die!!!

[lenore]

Hey Monarch, great suggestion locking the tranny out of overdrive in town, Now how many cars manufacturors have that in the owners manual because their transmission can't take the everyday city driving? The real question is would you have bought a car that required you (john Q Public) to take your car out of overdrive in town, and change the fluid every 15k miles, because otherwise it would fail early? I don't think so.... It is fruitless to read your posts unless you either want to get mad, laugh, or go beat your head against a brick wall. For an individual that drives a rear wheel drive, normal tranny your input just does not make sense. I posted previously that probably most other toyota products are reliable, but not the RX300 AWD. Here it is again folks, HAVE YOU FILED YOUR COMPLAINT WITH THE NHTS board today?

[monarch]

The real question is would you have bought a car that required you (john Q Public) to take your car out of overdrive in town, and change the fluid every 15k miles, because otherwise it would fail early? I don't think so.... It is fruitless to read your posts unless you either want to get mad, laugh, or go beat your head against a brick wall.

My intent is to help existing RX300 owners become future proud members of the RX300 transmission 200,000+ club. I believe the same transmission durability enhancing tips that car makers suggest to owners who are hauling heavy loads or towing trailers would also help extend the life of the RX300 transmission.

[tmhtmh]

Monarch, when are you going to "get it" that we ALL KNOW your true "intent" on this board is to excuse Toyota/lexus for a tranny/power design that is a disaster? You latest "advice" is getting comical indeed!

"Don't use 4th gear", "Change tranny fluid whenever you fill up the gas tank", "Don't accelerate", "Don't carry passangers", "NO children over 40 lbs (including car seat", "Use a different vehicle to "haul" groceries", "no long trips", "No short trips", .....

What's NEXT? "Go on a diet before driving the RX" !?!?!?!?!?

Dude, you well know that most lexus owners are not kids racing off stop lights. Few even tow with this "SUV". You really need to re-read your posts to see what a joke it's become!

[lenore]

The real question is would you have bought a car that required you (john Q Public) to take your car out of overdrive in town, and change the fluid every 15k miles, because otherwise it would fail early? I don't think so.... It is fruitless to read your posts unless you either want to get mad, laugh, or go beat your head against a brick wall.

My intent is to help existing RX300 owners become future proud members of the RX300 transmission 200,000+ club. I believe the same transmission durability enhancing tips that car makers suggest to owners who are hauling heavy loads or towing trailers would also help extend the life of the RX300 transmission.

I understand, but when is Lexus going to back up their product or at least compensate us with this high prone to failure tranny? The only resolution is to sell it to some poor individual, which really chaps my hide.

Oh you may get 200k after paying $4300 for a tranny or two. Oh boy.....

[RX in NC]

bluestu,

My invitation to go a few rounds in the ring still stands if you ever make it down to the Raleigh/Durham area. Some of the Thursday night bouts over the past couple of months have really gotten intense and I've picked up a few tricks from a couple of the long-time pros and gotten into great fighting trim. I've had my bell rung a couple of times but haven't been knocked out yet. My sparring partner last night got in a couple of great kidney punches as part of a smooth combination he pulled off and I'm still a little sore from that but I'll be ready and rarin' to go again by next Thursday night. Care to come on down and join me?