Trunk Won't Open

[SATY92]

Hi,

My 99RX3 trunk won't open the handle broke. Took it to Lex dealer, says this is common in 99 suv's. Anyone hear of a recall on this or had that happen?

Thanks,

Saty

[Ericok]

Hi,

My 99RX3 trunk won't open the handle broke. Took it to Lex dealer, says this is common in 99 suv's. Anyone hear of a recall on this or had that happen?

Thanks,

Saty

A Mazda RX3? No wonder the Lexus dealer was clueless. :P

Seriously, makes sense that it wouldn't open if the handle was broken. There's no recall - since recalls are safety, not convenience, related. However, there is a technical service bulletin on the LOCK - not sure what it fixes though.

[SATY92]

Sorry it's a RX300 I left the zeros out..

[Ericok]

Sorry it's a RX300 I left the zeros out..

Yes, I know. I was just giving you a hard time - sorry. There is a service bulletin on "Easier Hatch Opening" for '99 (and other year) RX300. By the way, I believe the handle costs $430.

[Rx330driver]

:o is that a diamond encrusted handle ($430)

[anal.og]

welcome to the club! by that I don't mean the lexus owners club, but the failing hatchdoor "club".

it's a well known problem with 99 RX300. the problem is that the door is sticky. I think the lock latch is a bit tight, especially with that foam rim around the top, making the lock-latch down at the bottom having too much interference. there's a service bulletin out. if you are within warranty you can tell them about it so they would follow the service bulletin to mitigate that stickiness. it would be free if you went in for some other service at the same time. and do that BEFORE the door handle breaks (or breaks again after you replaced that handle).

the door handle is about $60 to $70, available from Lexus only. even used door handles are hard to come by. and if you find a used one it may break easily. the new one may do the same. it's a design problem. it can also be a manufacturing problem of that whimsy plastic handle. there's a "finger" that extends from the handle into the door to unlatch a lever hooked up to a pull string, which opens the door. the problem usually happens at that right angle bend between the finger and the handle (one plastic piece). it's under a lot of stress, given a sticky door. for me, that part has a tiny hole in that bend inside the plastic, technically called a "void". it's a defect during manufacturing of that plastic part: I can see it only after it's broken, to expose that void; or they could use ultrasound to show it. the stress with the sticky door and this defect caused the finger fracture from the handle. the finger fell inside the door panel. and so the door can't open.

you can then open the door only from the inside: by folding down the back seats and going to the trunk; pull the door panel cover off, then manually actuate the lever/string. if you want to attempt fixing this yourself, say, after getting a new or used trunk door handle, you could follow the above. the thing should not take more than an hour for a skilled person. you could also google for a similar part on the Sienna, look for Sienna hatch handle or Sienna trunk handle. you will find some websites with good info on how to replace a hatch door handle. I remember someone has even lots of pictures on his site and the forum. unfortunately that part isn't the same part for the RX300. but some of the techniques may apply.

I still haven't replaced mine as my RX300 is garaged. ironically we got a Sienna just that week the handle broke. the reason we got the Sienna wasn't because of the handle: we just needed a van. and I attempted at the two local dealers, for the part, citing the defect. they are pretty rude and discriminatory: I guess I appear cheap. take this - my RX300 is only 24k miles, always garaged, never exposed to extreme weather. and they said that may be the cause, my!

unfortunately it's out of warranty. and even if it's within, it wouldn't be a covered item (see other posts around here). so they said that if I pay for the service they would put the part on, ie, I pay for labor and they pay for the part. that's bogus: service is like $350! so I argue, why not just give me the part and I do the installation myself, it's not like it's brain surgery. they said, well, since you didn't have any service done here (ie, no service record with them), we can't do that or give you any courtesy service. well, I did have service in another state's dealership before I moved here, then the warranty expired, not to mention the two dealerships are so far away from my house... so I wouldn't pay the inflated services there. the way I see it, if you didn't get sucked by them a lot in the past, don't hope for a free lunch from them. so I said I would go to BBB with them. no answer from BBB so far.

I think I will do the fix myself, using the broken part. I will drive a screw thru that dawn thing and reinforce it with some metal pieces. they should've used a metal piece instead of plastic: cheap Toyota engineering. I will never buy a Lexus again. and I will tell all my friends not to buy a Lexus. piece a crap, especially if you can only afford the inflated car price, then can't afford the services down the road. it's a Toyota after all. the same engine and drive and feel the same.

on the other hand, my Sienna had totally the opposite experience. even before I bought the Sienna, I took it to the Toyota dealership for a checkup. not only they did it for free, they even extended a courtesy transmission overhaul outside of warranty! the car wasn't even mine! I bought the car (not from the dealership), and it came with a brand new transmission with a new design that fixed the original problem common to Siennas of those years ('99-'00). I haven't had any new problems with the Sienna.

so to mitigate the sticky door problem, especially for those who park the car on a uphill driveway, with heavy grocery leaning on the door, you should push down the door with the other hand or the thumb part of your hand before pulling on the door handle. or park the car facing downhill, and still use the above method. this applies to the RX300 and other minivans.

update: I finally gotten around to fixing the broken handle, by using the broken pieces, and drive a long wood screw thru that finger, from the handle side. I didn't use any reinforcement around it because there's hardly any space between that finger and the panel. you have to take the handle down and flip that metal clamp over to work on it. drill a hole between the two ridges of the handle, and the finger, making sure they are align. you will find two productss from SuperGlue useful. I got both from HomeDepot, under $4 each. one is a thread locker/filler for the screw, and a "Plastic Fusion" epoxy mixed from two seperate tubes. it's got 4000 Lbs/sq inch rating. so that figures to about 600 Lbs for that one centimeter sq finger. but that's for a lift force, not a bend. with the moments (3X finger legnth vs. breakage point moment arm, ie 3X reduction), you probably have less than 200 Lbs before it breaks. so you'd be the judge to see if you need that screw. I suppose you could try without the screw and just use the Plastic Fusion epoxy. if it breaks again, use it again, and after it hardens, drive a screw thru it, with or without the thread locker. I used a 1.5 inch #6 wood screw. as such I used a big washer over the ridges because the tapered head can ply open the two ridges. I suppose a metal screw with a flat head is fine. 1.25 to 1.5 inch long is fine. regular super glue or SuperGlue brand super glue doesn't work. you need hardening epoxies that harden. the kind that mix from two tubes work best. I didn't get the one for metal and plastic, but got the one for plastic only. that thread locker is good at metal binding to plastic.

total cost: $7 for the SuperGlue epoxies, with plenty of left over. less than 2 hours of work if you are skilled (and knowing how to get the hatch apart). it took me 3 hrs, including a one hour trip to HomeDepot, and a mistake (getting impatient and use a slightly larger size drill bit, thus needing a longer screw and thread locker). it should be less than an hour if you have a new part and just need to replace the old part.

[Booyah]

:o is that a diamond encrusted handle ($430)

No thats what you get when you buy the big "L"

[JabobJEFF]

Here's a video on how to replace the handle...

 

[minnesotaBlues]

2000 LexRX300  

The back hatch only opens 'sometimes' after fiddling with fobs, running, not running etc..  but it's NOT a broken 'latch' yet, at least.

Is there no way to get around this? I cannot see a 'latch release' like newer models have on the inside.. bummer.!!

IF I crawl into the back and take off the two covers, can I manipulate the latch to open without taking it all apart? ..also, key won't turn the lock at all.

Edited March 9, 2022 by minnesotaBlues
also..