Car begins to lurch both backing up and accelerating in the low gears. The computer erroneously tells the clutch to engage, thus blowing the transmission. I have neck pain from the lurching; it feels as though you are getting hit from behind. Because of the jumping, it could also be very easy to rear end someone. Many owners have reported this on various blogs, including 12 pages at edmunds.com. The cost to replace both the computer and the transmission ranges from $4000-8000 depending on whether or not you use the dealership. Toyota/lexus recognizes this as a common problem and has corrected it in newer models, however every older car has this dangerous problem.
1999 Lexus RX300 transmission complaints
Page 4 of 5: complaints 71 to 100 of 129, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Own a 1999 lexus rx 300. Engine transmission has been sluggish since I purchased the car in 2001. Since we have owned the car we complained the dealer that when you start to run the car in the morning it will take a few minutes before the car will shift from 2nd to 3rd gear. The dealer kept telling us that was normal for the model car. The transmission got continually more sluggish over the years meaning that there was hesitation or jerky ness when you would pull your foot off of the gas. Last week I started to hear a grinding noise when the car was shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear. I just got back from the repair shop where I was told that the transmission which just turned 130,000 miles was shot and that the only fix was to purchase a rebuilt one from lexus at a cost of $4,500 to $5,000. They told me they were aware that this was a common problem with 1999 - 2001 rx 300 transmissions but that there was never a recall or service bulletin issued. If this is a common problem then I think someone should do something about it.
Transmission failure 1999 lexus rx 300.
The transmission completely failed. Could not drive the vehicle. Occurred on the freeway at 60 MPH.
I own two 1999 lexus rx300's. One with 100,000 miles and one with 76,000 miles. Within the last two months, the transmission has failed in both cars.
My 1999 rx 300 has 110k miles on it. The transmission went out in the middle of street and almost got an accident. I did some research, its definitely a manufacturer's defect. There are so many other owners with same problem. Please let me know if you guys can investigate this.
The transmission of our 1999 lexus rx300 failed suddenly and completely while at highway speed. The transmission seemed to be in neutral and no longer in drive. This was a dangerous situation on an interstate highway in heavy traffic. The transmission was replaced at our expense since the drivetrain was out of warranty. A cursory search of the internet shows that this is a common failure in the 1999 rx300 and is well known to lexus. This type of complete failure is not normal. Lexus should be warning of the possibility of this failure and helping to prevent/correct it.
I am the owner of a '99 lexus rx 300 with only 60k miles on it. I recently experienced serious transmissions problems. It first started when I tried to get out of my parking space and could not put my car in reverse. The car would not respond for the first initial attempts and then it violently jerked into reverse. I took my car to my mechanic and he diagnosed a transmission problem. I am having a rebuilt transmission put in the car for $2000, which appears pretty competitive compared to the average price of $4k that is being quoted over the internet. Lexus should be responsible for paying for this obvious defect in this make and model vehicle.
The wheels of a 1999 rx300 locked up at highway speed causing the vehicle to spin 220 degrees and crash into a drainage ditch. Transfer case was replaced by dealer/insurance co. Abs sensors are rusting at the wheels and require repair after only 23 months/27k miles since the last ABS sensor overhaul. Lexus has the transfer case.
Transmission locked up at @55mph on rt 100 on a clear warm sunny day while driving in a straight line. The wheels locked up and the 99 lexus rx300 spun 220 degrees into an adjacent stone lined drainage ditch. Len stoler lexus replaced the transmission.
1999 rx300 first heard knocking from the hood and cut off, next day the car would not go forward or backward.
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 lexus rx300. The contact stated that the he was unable to drive more than 5 MPH. The mechanic drained the transmission fluid; however, the failure continued to occur. In addition, they recommended that the transmission be replaced. The manufacturer offered a $1,500 voucher towards the repair; but the contact declined the offer. The current and failure mileages were 87,082.
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 lexus rx-300. The contact stated that he heard a crackling noise when he applied the brake then the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that ten minutes later he was able to restart. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the transmission caused the failure. As of january 7, 2008, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The failure mileage was 89,000 and current mileage was 89,000. Updated 02-14-08. *kb the consumer stated the vehicle would frequently loose power.
Rx300 1999 transmission died at about 160,000 km (100,000 miles): engine will start and then from 50-60 kmph die down after driven for a little while. Got the car towed to a repair shop where it is waiting to be fixed. I live in ontario, canada. I went to lexus owners forum and found numerous other owners of rx300 complaining about the tranny failure at around 75,000-85,000 miles. Other owners are frustrated and complaining about the poor design by lexus for this part and also strongly feel that lexus should be responsible for the repair costs. I also own es300 1993 whose tranny also failed about 2 years ago at about 220,000 km (137,500 miles) and I got a used one replaced and paid for it myself about $2,000 cdn. One of the owners in the forum mentioned about "sludge" in the transmission admitted by one of the lexus customer service representative being the cause of the tranny failures. My family only drive lexus cars as mentioned above and are very disappointed with the tranny problems with both and feel very strongly that lexus should pay for it's repair.
My 1999 rx300 lexus lost it's transmission at 110,000 miles. I paid to have the transmission replaced. The new transmission now failed again. The sun gear, ring gear and 4 planet gears on that one stage have extensive tooth fracture. Failures of this type can generally be attributed to one or more of the following causes: 1. Poor design analysis resulting in improper gear selection resulting in tooth overload and tooth fracture. 2. Improper alignment at assembly resulting in non-equal load distribution leading to fatigue fracture of the teeth. 3. Foreign material, getting into the planetary gearing from either contamination at assembly or breakdown of other components within the transmission.
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 lexus rx300. The contact stated that the vehicle would not move and the engine revved while attempting to accelerate from a stop. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they replaced the transmission, which had only 90,000 miles. The repair was not covered under warranty. She paid for her new transmission, but after 6,000 miles, the vehicle involuntarily accelerates. She will return to the dealer to have the vehicle inspected. The speed and mileage information were unknown.
Complete transaxle failure - at 91000 miles, the transmission on the 1999 awt lexus racks failed at 50 MPH without warning. Although the engine was running normally, there was a sudden loss of power to the drive wheels and the car coasted to a stop. This happened on a narrow country road with heavy traffic and it was only luck that avoided an accident. The car had been routinely serviced as required by lexus and had been in for a routine service the day prior. Review of the federal safety agency complaint database suggests that this is not an isolated incident and, if so, it represented a serious safety concern for this model and year of car, in general. It was very troubling that any vehicle would have the type of defect that could lead to an unannounced sudden major failure at less than 100000 miles. The repair required replacement of the transmission. Lexus was contacted for more information, but was of no help beyond noting that the car was no longer under warranty. Lexus required that the removed transaxle be returned to them, unopened.
In november 2006, the transmission on my 1999 rx300 unexpectedly failed. While traveling home, the car started to rev up, but would not move - as if in neutral. I had the rx towed to local lexus dealer, and was told that it was the transmission and I could probably save money by going to a transmission rebuilder. I had the work done - around $5000. My rx has been regularly serviced and had 130k miles on it at the time of the event. Now, I'm hearing that this may be a common problem.
The transmission failed in my 1999 lexus rx300 with no warning at only 97,000 miles.
The transmission on the 1999 rx 300 wa s serviced exclusively by performance lexus, started to slip, and by the time I got it home it had no gearing. I had a problem with it one year ago, and took it to my dealer, who said they could not find anything wrong.
My transmission broke down on me and had to be replaced on my 1999 lexus rx 300, with less than 124,000 miles. There was no indication that the transmission was going bad.
I was driving on the highway when the transmission failed suddenly leaving me stranded.
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 lexus rx300. While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle suddenly began to decelerate. The contact attempted to depress the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle felt as if it was in neutral. The vehicle failed to accelerate and began hearing a grinding sound. The vehicle came to a complete stop and was towed to a mechanic. The mechanic was told that the transmission was no good. The current and failure mileages were 105,000.
The lexus rx300 had 123000 miles on it. The transmission failed in the middle of the road when traffic was at its peak. I have learnt after the fact that the rx300 transmission prone to failure and lexus had not posted any information regarding this.
Transmission failure at 169k with no warning, car has been fully serviced according to lexus guidelines. Dealer wants $5k to replace the transmission.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 lexus rx300. At approximately 55 MPH with clear road conditions, the transmission unexpectedly shifted gears. The vehicle began to jerk followed by a loss in power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The failure was diagnosed as internal transmission failure and has not been repaired. The current and failure vehicle mileage were 103000.
At 67,000, my transmission would not shift. Fortunately, this occurred in my driveway and not on the road. No warning, just no transmission. After replacing transmission, check engine light stuck on. Replaced a broken sensor. I am out $4,000.00 for a defect that I believe lexus is very aware of.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 lexus rx 300. While shifting in reverse or second gear the vehicle hesitated. The local mechanic on 02/11/07 stated that the transmission and the planetary assembly needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileage was 87,000. *ak update 4/9
I have a lexus rx300 awd and just found out that the transmission needs to be replaced at 120,000 miles. I was very shocked when I took my vehicle in for scheduled maintenance and was told that the transmission is going out and it would be $5720 to repair it. I am very disgusted with this because I started researching the issue and have found that there are several problems with this "so called luxury vehicle" that is suppose to last you to 250,000 miles or more.
No events leading to transmission failure needs replacing.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1999 Lexus RX300?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history