BR_lexus Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 Not sure if this is an issue that has already talked about in this forum...if it has, please direct me to some of those answers. If not, here is my problem in a nutsell.... When we put the gear in 'R' or 'D', and press the accelerator, the car does not move. We see the RPM going up. So after pressing it a bit harder, it jerks really hard and then gets moving. Once it has started up it runs fine (atleast from what we can see/hear) It has happened 3 times today with a 3-5 hours of gap between the starts. If anyone knows what could be the problem ,please let me know. Appreciate any and all replies. TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filehorse Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 I'm guessing it's the transmission. I had similar symptoms a few months ago and following a $3,000 rebuild, I'm back in business. The shop said it was the planetary gear that failed which is a known failure mode on these transmissions. I had 160,000 miles on mine. The dealer offered to install a remanufactured transmission for $4200 but I opted for an independent transmission shop with an A+ BBB rating; no complaints within the past 36 months; and personal recommendations from friends. Lotsa luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR_lexus Posted May 18, 2011 Author Share Posted May 18, 2011 @Filehorse, Thank you for your quick response. Ours is also around the 160K mark. Just curious, how long did you drive the car after you started seeing the issues? Just trying to get an idea of how long I can drive around with it without having it completely breaking down ( need to look for another car now :( ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filehorse Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 @Filehorse, Thank you for your quick response. Ours is also around the 160K mark. Just curious, how long did you drive the car after you started seeing the issues? Just trying to get an idea of how long I can drive around with it without having it completely breaking down ( need to look for another car now :( ) Interestingly enough, my first symptom occurred some 3+ months before the transmission failed catastrophically. The first symptom was a neck-snapping jerk when pulling away from a traffic light followed by a few "after shocks" in a nearby parking lot. Had AAA tow it home and after going over everything the next day I could not get the RX to repeat the occurrence. Took it to the dealer and had all the fluids changed (transfer case, rear differential, and the transmission flushed). The vehicle performed flawlessly for the next 3 months and then failed completely with many of the same symptoms you are now seeing. Like the first occurrence, the major failure occurred without any warning. We decided that we were going to keep the RX for another year or two so I opted for a complete rebuild by a reputable shop with good references. I intentionally stayed away from the chain outfits and fly-by-night independents which I might have considered if I was going to drive the vehicle from the repair shop directly to the trade-in lot. My independent shop has been repairing transmissions for 30 years and all his people are long-term employees and not some 19-year old picked up off the street and "repairing" transmissions for $10/hour. My independent's warranty (12 months or 12,000 miles) is the same as my dealer was offering on the remanufactured transmission. I've now put some 2,500 miles on the RX since the transmission rebuild and it continues to perform exactly as it did for the first 160,000 miles. My indy shop says the rebuild should perform just as well as it did when it was new so I expect it to still be going strong when I finally do decide to sell/trade it in a couple of years - or so. Let us know what you find out with your situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaswood Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Not sure if this is an issue that has already talked about in this forum...if it has, please direct me to some of those answers. If not, here is my problem in a nutsell.... When we put the gear in 'R' or 'D', and press the accelerator, the car does not move. We see the RPM going up. So after pressing it a bit harder, it jerks really hard and then gets moving. Once it has started up it runs fine (atleast from what we can see/hear) It has happened 3 times today with a 3-5 hours of gap between the starts. If anyone knows what could be the problem ,please let me know. Appreciate any and all replies. TIA That's classically an indication of low ATF. Might be other problems but I'd go "there" first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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