Transmission Problems

[Jim Beckerle]

I have been reading about the problems with the AWD transmissions. Does anyone know what year that the problems were fixed? I have a 2002 RX 300 with 114,000 miles on it. I changed all of the fluids when I bought it at 104,000 miles. The transmission doesn't seem to have any problems right now, shifts very smoothly. Should I be worried like everyone else?

Jim

[jgr7]

Did the fluid look or smell bad when you changed it? If not I wouldn't worry.

[eatingupblacktop]

Here's a few suggestions:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...st&p=355321

[RX in NC]

Drain-and-fill your transmission fluid at least every 30,000 miles. Drive sensibly - the RX is completely opposite the definition of "performance". After having my wife's previous 2000 RX300 AWD transmission fail under warranty at 48,000 miles, I have continued my routine of changing the fluid every 30,000 miles on my wife's current 2004 RX330 AWD. At more than 87,000 miles now, that transmission continues to perform normally. These RX transmissions are harsh-shifting from day one. Those of us who are accustomed to smooth shifting from our other SUVs (in our case, Jeep Grand Cherokees) have had to come to terms with the fact that these RX vehicles simply do not shift smoothly, especially the early ones. Along with insufficient engineering and substandard parts design (take a look at some of the photos of planetary gears and housings that Lenore has posted on this site within the past month), that may be a contributing factor to the failures we constantly read about on these forums....

A little side note here - I believe that Lexus has long been aware of these problems and managed to rectify most of them by the time the RX300 evolved into the RX330 for the 2004 model year. Most of the failures involve the 1999 and 2000 model years with some 2001 models thrown in as well. Your 2002 RX may indeed have made it through to the "transmission safe zone" production years although Lexus will never do the right thing and admit where that may have occured. So change your fluid at least every 30,000 miles, drive this vehicle like a station wagon, not a sports car, and your chances are much better than the unfortunate folks who have the 1999 and 2000 model years....

[Jim Beckerle]

I have been reading about the problems with the AWD transmissions. Does anyone know what year that the problems were fixed? I have a 2002 RX 300 with 114,000 miles on it. I changed all of the fluids when I bought it at 104,000 miles. The transmission doesn't seem to have any problems right now, shifts very smoothly. Should I be worried like everyone else?

Jim

To be honest about it, I only looked at the fluid once before I bought the car. Outside of it looking like it needed to be changed I didn't smell anything bad. I didn't ask the service tech either about the condition of the fluid. I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed. Thanks Jim

[eatingupblacktop]

With 114k on your RX, that's a lot of history for a vehicle with the kinds of probs common to it. Without knowing how it was maintained, it's a bit like closing the barn door after the horse has left. Next time you go shopping for a new car, do some research on the model your interested in beforehand. As you have found out, there are plenty of forums for every car on the market. More importantly, have the car inspected thoroughly before buying. If the dealer balks, take your business elsewhere. Get a full documented history. If there is none, look elsewhere unless you're a mechanic, know what to look for, and can evaluate the condition of the car. With no history, to avoid the usual RX failures, I would bump up the intervals for oil/tranny fluid changes and avoid hard driving. For example, make any stops complete stops. Sounds like Chrysler minivan advice for a Lexus - who would have thunk it. After the stop allow the tranny at least a couple of seconds before intiating the throttle again. This may seem overly paranoid, but will help keep you out of the shop.

[code58]

. These RX transmissions are harsh-shifting from day one. Those of us who are accustomed to smooth shifting from our other SUVs (in our case, Jeep Grand Cherokees) have had to come to terms with the fact that these RX vehicles simply do not shift smoothly, especially the early ones. .

Have you ever asked them at Lexus about reflashing the transmission? Most all transmissions today are electronically controlled and I know for those cars that have a tuner available, you can make a lot of changes in the transmission just through the tuner. There probably isn't one available for an RX, but the possibility of someone being able to reprogram that harshness out is at least worth investigating.

[RX in NC]

I've had multiple transmission firmware reflashes performed on my wife's current 2004 RX330 AWD. Only slight shift quality improvement has been accomplished as a result. I've had enough RX experience over the years to know that regardless of firmware improvements, the RX series shifts harshly compared to our other vehicles. I've said many times on this forum that my 1999 Dodge Ram 5.9-litre V8 1500-series pickup (which turns 10 years old today), still running its original factory fill of Mopar ATF+3, shifts smooth as glass compared to any RX we've driven including several 400h loaners when my wife's RX was in for warranty service. The drive-by-wire throttle system is definitely a contributing factor. Our 2005 Jaguar S-Type sedan is also drive-by-wire and while its well-respected German-built ZF 6-speed transmission is considerably smoother and much more adaptive to different driving styles than my wife's current RX330, the Jaguar is still not quite as smooth through the power curve as my big V8 Ram is. That truck is phenomenal - the best engine and transmission combination I've ever had in any vehicle in the nearly 40 years that I've been driving. The downside, of course, is gas mileage - perhaps 20 mpg at best under ideal highway conditions, and no better than 16 mpg around town. So there is a tradeoff involved for the Ram's effortless transmission performance. The upside to the Jaguar is that while its transmission is not quite as smooth as my Ram, it is still a true highway cruiser, such a pleasure to drive, and comes very close to 32 mpg on the highway in ideal conditions. I never expected that from a 3,900-lb. 4-door sedan delivering 275 hp, and that has been a very pleasant surprise indeed....

[BillyShaft]

Hey RXinNC,

I am not sure about the RX400h shift quality issues you are talking about since it uses a CVT and doesnt actually shift or have "gears" as such. AFAIK, the CVT tranny doesn't even have a reverse gear, reverse is handled by the electric motors.

I get that your experience with the RX trannies has not been great and I respect that, but isn't adding the RX400h to the issue piling-on a bit?

[RX in NC]

Sorry to cause any misconceptions, but I'm not "piling on". We've had at least two of the RX hybrids (probably 2007 models) as loaners over several days, and my perception is that no, they were not as smooth as I thought that they should be. Bear in mind, I'm not putting the RX hybrid in the same lousy transmission boat as I believe the conventional RX dwells in. The loaners we had definitely moved through the power curve far better than either our previous 300 or our current 330 did or does. But the hybrids still weren't as smooth as my Ram is. Again, drive-by-wire could be a factor here as well. Not having owned a 400h and therefore not having a great deal of time behind the wheel of one, I can't say for sure. But I had the loaners long enough to know that my Ram was smoother. As I said, it is truly a phenomenal truck for my purposes. I don't look forward to the day when I have to say goodbye to it....