Purchased from my mother in 2013 at 115k after she had purchased new from dealership. Babied, dealer serviced, my transmission gave out at 130k at a cost of $3800!!! Then in less than a year it went again, and it was under aamco warranty. Then transmission went again in 2018, and just out of warranty. Why is there not a class action lawsuit!!!!!! Car died 3 separate times without warning in very dangerous situations. $3800 was my entire savings, and now my lexus was the only thing I had of value, and it is worth $250 as a junker!
The worst 2001 Lexus RX300 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Transmission123
- Acceleration20
- Engine17
- Airbags8
- Brakes6
- Electrical4
- Suspension3
- Fuel system2
- Steering1
- Visibility1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2001 Lexus RX300
Transmission failure 65Jerking 10Sudden acceleration 10Won't shift 9Stalling 7Check engine light 5Engine failure 5Loss of power 5
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Technical service bulletins for the 2001 Lexus RX300 63
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Lexus Safety Recall and Service Campaign
- POL: This consolidated Tire Warranty Guide contains the complete warranty terms for all brands of ground...
- Vehicles may display evidence of a fluid leak or fluid seep from powertrain components
- Safety Recall and Service Campaign
- Supersession notice
- Obsolete notice
- Obsolete notice
- Supersession notice
- Replacement Certification Labels
- Revision Notice: Applicability section has been updated to include 2016-2017 applicable model year Lexus...
2001 Lexus RX300 fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0L 6‑cyl | FWD | 17 | 21 | 18 |
What 2001 Lexus RX300 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The vehicle was started and in park in a flat lot. When I shifted to reverse, it did not engage/roll back. As I applied pressure to the accelerator nothing happened until a it suddenly clunked and lurched back. I put it back in park and then it repeated the same synptom. The transmission has now begun to whine and there is rumbling and jerkily between rough shifts on the streets and highway. After hearing and reading numerous horror stories of these transmission problems, and how they have suddenly gone out or locked up at highway speeds, I'm sure this is a problem lexus has known about and is defective, especially since it represents more than 70% of the nthsas published complaints on this vehicle. There should be an investigation into this. The sudden unreliability of this transmission and it's potential to cause harm is not a coincidence among these many reports. If this were a boeing max 8 plane it'd be out of commission for a failure like this!
My transmission is not shifting smoothly between gears. This happened about 7 years ago and I had to have the transmission replaced. Now it is happening again.
Takata recall - transmission failed. Had to replace the transmission at 140,423 miles. There was metal in the transmission. Cost to replace the transmission was $2,875.10
Vehicle has 133,890 miles on it, vehicle has been serviced every 5000 miles, according to the vehicle history and owners manual. We had transmission failure 100 miles from home. Pulled over to the side of the I-90 , had to wait 2 hours for a flatbed on the side of the highway. Mass state police were not happy having to wait that long nor safety of being on the side of the road for 2 hours. We tried moving vehicle after it was off for an hour, moved gear selector had only park and natural , was at " full hot " mark on the dip stick, fluid is clean, doesn't smell burnt at all.towed to service department and needs a new transmission. Vehicle was on the highway at 70mph , and then had no forward movement at 70mph. Google " rx300 transmission problems" and you'll find thousands of links to people having same issue. Toyota/lexus should be stepping up and fixing these transmissions , this is obviously a weak point in their vehicles and a major safety issue.
While driving the car on city streets I attempted a u turn with the vehicle as I was completing the u turn the transmission made a weird noise and then there was nothing. No forward or reverse and when I put the vehicle in park it acted like it was in neutral. I had to put the emergency brake on to keep the car from rolling. Had to have the vehicle towed to my house 115 miles away. He car only has 145,000 miles on it. Car starts up and runs great but will not engage the transmission. The vehicle is still financed so I need to get it fixed however the cheapest rebuild I can find is $5,000.00. I called toyota and asked if I could trade it in on a new car and they said not with the transmission fixed because they would lose money on it. I feel toyota should fix this due to the fact there are numerous complaints about this issue with other lexus owners. I still owe $5,500.00 on the loan and cant afford the cost of another transmission. I think toyota should fix this since there are a lot of complaints about the drive train.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 lexus rx300. The contact stated that the reverse gear was no longer operable in the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 147,651. Updated 06/02/2016*lj
Tl* the contact owned a 2001 lexus rx300. While driving 35 MPH, the vehicle accelerated when the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle crashed into a tree and the air bags failed to deploy. The driver sustained a broken breast bone (sternum) and head injuries that required medical attention. The passenger sustained neck and knee injuries, and bruises from the seat belt that required medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 156,000.
The transmission has been damage no power , no gears are engage total failure, the vehicle has in motion at highway speed.
Transmission failure: started to make noise couple of days ago and finally failed while on the road. Engine is running good, but no gear engagement. All drive train position seems like the car is in natural. Excessive transmission failures was reported by other rx300 owners. Cost to service re-build transmission is $3,551.00
Compare the 2001 Lexus RX300
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Questions about the 2001 Lexus RX300
Is the 2001 Lexus RX300 reliable?
Owners have filed 169 complaints about the 2001 Lexus RX300, 1.9 times a typical RX300 model year.
What is the 2001 Lexus RX300 year score?
The 2001 Lexus RX300 scores 51 out of 100 (below average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Lexus RX300: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2001 Lexus RX300?
Transmission and drivetrain, with 123 complaints, typically around 113,000 miles. Next is acceleration (20).
How many recalls does the 2001 Lexus RX300 have?
No recalls on record.
What gas mileage does the 2001 Lexus RX300 get?
Official estimates for the 2001 Lexus RX300 range from 18 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.0L 6-cyl, FWD) gets 17 city and 21 highway.
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