1999 Lexus RX300

LEXUS 1999 RX 300 AWD TRANSMISSION FAILED - MARKED DROP OF ACCELERATION POWER ON FREEWAY. SINCE ORIGINAL PURCHASE OF NEW VEHICLE, IT HAS RECEIVED REGULAR SERVICE MAINTENANCE THROUGH THE DEALERSHIP. LAST SERVICE INCLUDED A FLUSH OF THE TRANSMISSION. PROBLEM EXPERIENCED AT 74,000 MILES. DEALERSHIP ADVISED THAT LEXUS NO LONGER OFFERS A TRANSMISSION REBUILD AND THAT I NEEDED TO TAKE IT TO A TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP (FOUND OUT LATER THAT'S NOT ENTIRELY TRUE). TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REBUILT INCLUDING SOLENOIDS, PLANETARIES, TORQUE CONVERTER, SUN GEAR) AT COST OF OVER $4,200. I'VE SINCE DISCOVERED THAT SEVERAL '99 RX300 OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED TRANSMISSION FAILURE OR ISSUES AT RELATIVELY LOW ODOMETER MILEAGES, AND LEXUS CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THIS AS WELL. *NM

MY 1999 LEXUS RX 300 TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE I WAS TRAVELING AT 70 MPH DOWN THE HIGHWAY. THE DEALER AGREES MY SERVICE RECORD WAS IN "TIPTOP" SHAPE AND YET I LOST ALL GEARS WITH 66,000 MILES ON THE CAR. SEARCHING THE INTERNET REVEALS THAT THERE ARE MANY INSTANCES OF THIS SAME PROBLEM. OF COURSE, MY WARRANTY JUST EXPIRED 4 MONTHS AGO. LEXUS OFFERED TO SPLIT THE $5000 REPLACEMENT COST IN HALF. IT SEEMS TO ME THEY SHOULD COVER 100% OF THE COST. *NM

THE MANIFOLD SYSTEM ON MY 1999 LEXUS RX300 HAD TO BE REPLACED AT ONLY 68,320 MILES WHICH COST WELL OVER $1,000. USUALLY THE MANIFOLD SYSTEM ON A CAR IS NOT REPLACED. LEXUS SHOULD BE REPSONSIBLE FOR THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM FOR US. I ALSO HAD THE JELLYING PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE. YES, I DO ALL THE REQUIRED ONLY CHANGES AND ETC.

AT 68K MILES, I TOOK TO INDEPENDENT GARAGE IN JANUARY & MARCH 2004 WITH PROBLEM OF VEHICLE HESITATING TO SHIFT FROM 2ND TO 3RD. GARAGE COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM AND CHANGED TRANSMISSION FLUID. I LET VEHICLE WARM UP 2 MINUTES TO AVOID THE SHIFTING PROBLEM. IN SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER WITH 72K MILES, I TOOK TO DEALER WITH ADDITIONAL PROBLEM OF FAILING TO ENGAGE THE REVERSE GEAR AND SHUDDERING IN FORWARD GEAR. DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE AND CHANGED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. IN NOVEMBER 2004, THE TRANSMISSION DROPPED COMPLETELY OUT OF GEAR WHILE DRIVING ON THE STREET. THIS TIME DEALER FOUND METAL SHAVINGS IN THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND SAID I NEEDED $4250 TO REPLACE WITH A REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION WARRANTED FOR ONLY 12 MONTHS. LEXUS SHOULD HAVE PAID TO REPLACE THEIR DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION INSTEAD OF HIDING THEIR HEAD IN THE SAND. *JB

JAN 2004-VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT GARAGE TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF GEAR FAILURE BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD. FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. MAR 2004-VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN AGAIN TO INDEPENDENT GARAGE TO DETERMINE CAUSE OF GEAR FAILURE BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD. FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. SEPTEMBE R 2004-VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER AFTER GEAR FAILURE IN REVERSE AND SHUDDER IN FORWARD. FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED.*AK NOV2004--VEHICLE WAS AGAIN TOWED TO DEALER AFTER SHUDDER WHILE IN DRIVE AND THEN GEAR FAILURE IN REVERSE AND FORWARD. DIAGNOSIS NEED COMPLETE TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY.

LEXUS RX300-HAVE OWNED CAR SINCE BEGINNING 1999-NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH CAR EXCEPT NORMAL TUNE UPS AND NEW BRAKES-HOWEVER, THAT ALL CHANGED SEPTEMBER 2004. YES, I'VE HAD THE CAR 6 SIX YEARS BUT WITH ONLY 68,000 MILES ON THE CAR WHICH IS CONSIDERED LOW MILEAGE USE. WHILE TRAVELING TO SAN DIEGO TO TAKE MY GRANDDAUGHTER BACK HOME FROM MY CURRENT HOME AT THE TIME IN ALISO VIEJO, CALIFORNIA MY AUTO WHILE ON THE I-5 JUST COMPLETELY DROPPED OUT OF GEAR-I HAD ENOUGH SPEED GOING THAT I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE FREEWAY AND CAME TO A STOP AT THE CAMP PENDLETON MARINE BASE FRONT GATES. THE SOLDIERS WERE ABLE TO PUSH MY CAR BEHIND THEIR STATION GATE UNTIL AAA COULD SEND A TRUCK TO TOW ME AND FOR MY SON TO PICK UP MY GRANDDAUGHTER THERE. MY TRANSMISSION WAS COMPLETELY GONE AND COST ME OVER $4,000.00 TO GET IT FIXED. I WAS TOLD BY THE REPAIRMAN THAT THE PLANETARY GEAR IS WHAT BROKE BUT THAT LEXUS HAS HAD TO UPDATE THE PLANETARY GEAR FOR MY MODEL AND YEAR 4 (FOUR) TIMES. IT SOUNDS TO ME THAT LEXUS KNOWS THAT THEY HAD A PROBLEM WITH THIS MAIN GEAR AND I WANT TO KNOW WHY THERE WAS NEVER A RECALL TO HAVE IT FIXED. LEXUS IS RATED TOPS SO WHY WOULD MY TRANSMISSION GO OUT AT ONLY 68,000 MILES? I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO HAVE IT REPAIRED IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE I WAS MOVING TO FLORIDA IN TWO WEEKS AND DIDN'T HAVE THE TIME OR WHEELS TO TAKE MY COMPLAINT TO THE DEALER. IS THERE ANY RECOURSE SINCE THE PLANETARY GEAR WAS CLEARLY DEFECTIVE?*AK

TRANSMISSION FAILURE WITH 1999 RX300. MY TRANSMISSION IS SHOT. WE ONLY HAVE 85,000 MILES ON THE CAR. THE DEALERSHIP IS TELLING ME THAT WE SHOULD HAVE CHANGED THE TRANSMISSION OIL MORE FREQUENTLY. HOWEVER, WE WERE NEVER APPROACHED WITH THIS RECOMMENDATION DURING SERVICE VISITS. THE VEHICLE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A LITTLE SLUGGISH. WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN CA AND TWO YEARS AGO MOVED TO NC. DURING ONE OF OUR FIRST SERVICE VISITS, WE ASKED THEM ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE. THE SERVICE STAFF AT THE TIME TOLD US IT WAS INHERENT TO THE DESIGN. EVEN WORST, WE BOUGHT THE PRE-OWN VEHICLE IN CA. WE WERE TOLD THAT IT WAS THROUGHLY INSPECTED. THEY EVEN PRESENTED A INSPECTION CERTIFICATION CERTIFICATE. WE I PRESENTED THIS CERTIFICATE TO THE DEALER IN NC, THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT IT DOES NOT MATCH THE VIN FOR MY VEHICLE. ALSO, THEY CAN NOT TRACK ANY INFORMATION OF THIS INSPECTION IN THEIR INTERNAL NETWORK. NOW I HAVE A CASTISTROPHIC FAILURE ON A VEHICLE THAT I BOUGHT FOR $30,000 WITH ONLY 85,000 MILES!?!? PLEASE HELP WITH ANY RECOMMENDATIONS. THANKS.