IllustrationFAILED TRANSMISSION AFTER 90,000 MILES ON A $50,000 LEXUS RX 300.*JB
2000 Lexus RX300
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most RX300 years
Owner complaints for the 2000 Lexus RX300 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 88.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all RX300 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
50–25K
525–50K
1750–75K
4375–100K
77100–150K
15150K+
162 reports with mileage · 54 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 138 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
16 crash reports0 fire reports12 injury reports
Power Train complaints
138 reportsTL* - ON 12-22-06 WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH TRANSMISSION DROPPED TO FIRST GEAR AND WOULD NOT MOVE OUT OF FIRST GEAR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED AT THE DEALERSHIP ON SCHEDULE. THE CONTACT CURRENTLY HAS VEHICLE AT THE REPAIR FACILITY. *AK UPDATED 2/27/2007 - *NM
PURCHASED 2000 LEXUS RX300. SERVICED BY DEALER AT ALL RECOMMENDED TIMES. ONE PREVIOUS OWNER PRIOR TO ME. AT APPROXIMATELY 125,000 MILES. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, DIAGNOSTIC DONE. NEED NEW TRANSMISSION. APPARENTLY THIS IS A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. HOW CAN THEY BE ALLOWED TO SELL DEFECTIVE PRODUCT TO CONSUMERS? ISN'T THAT…
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PURCHASED 2000 LEXUS RX300. SERVICED BY DEALER AT ALL RECOMMENDED TIMES. ONE PREVIOUS OWNER PRIOR TO ME. AT APPROXIMATELY 125,000 MILES. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, DIAGNOSTIC DONE. NEED NEW TRANSMISSION. APPARENTLY THIS IS A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. HOW CAN THEY BE ALLOWED TO SELL DEFECTIVE PRODUCT TO CONSUMERS? ISN'T THAT FRAUD? *JB
TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *JB
AFTER A FEW WEEKS OF FEELING OCCASIONAL SLIPPAGE IN THE DRIVE TRAIN OF MY 2000 RX300 (118K MILES), I HAD MY LOCAL MECHANIC CHECK IT OUT. HE DROVE TESTED IT, CHECKED ALL FLUID LEVELS, VISUALLY INSPECTED THE TRANSMISSION, TRANSFER CASE, U-JOINTS ETC AND COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. TODAY WITH NO FURTHER NOTICE, THE TRANSMISSION FULL…
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AFTER A FEW WEEKS OF FEELING OCCASIONAL SLIPPAGE IN THE DRIVE TRAIN OF MY 2000 RX300 (118K MILES), I HAD MY LOCAL MECHANIC CHECK IT OUT. HE DROVE TESTED IT, CHECKED ALL FLUID LEVELS, VISUALLY INSPECTED THE TRANSMISSION, TRANSFER CASE, U-JOINTS ETC AND COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. TODAY WITH NO FURTHER NOTICE, THE TRANSMISSION FULLY BROKE - LURCHING, CLUNKING, AND AFTER PULLING OVER TOTAL SLIPPAGE. I HAD IT TOWED TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP WHERE I'M WAITING FOR AN EVALUATION OF THE SITUATION. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ON A BUSY HIGHWAY, I COULD HAVE CAUSED A SEVERE ACCIDENT, AS THERE WAS NO ACCELERATION CAUSING A VERY UNSAFE AND DANGEROUS SITUATION. *NM
EARLY FAILURE OF PLANETARY GEAR SET IN LEXUS RX300 TRANSMISSION FAILING IN MORNING TRAFFIC IN BUSY STREET. *JB
MILEAGE 75000 AWD RX300 COMPLETE FAILURE OF TRANSMISSION PUMP. LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND MANUVERABILITY => DANGEROUS CAR WAS 100% MAINTAINED BY A LEXUS DEALER WEB REVEALED MANY SIMILAR FAILURES FIRST TIME TOYOTA TRIED TO USE A LIFETIME TRANSMISSION FLUID, IT DID NOT WORK!!!!*JB
WHILE TRAVELING ON CENTRAL EXPRESSWAY IN DALLAS US75 GOING ABOUT 65 MY LEXUS RX300 LOST FORWARD ACCELERATION AS CARS ZOOMED PAST ME, THE ENGINE WAS STILL ON AS I MANAGED TO SAFELY EXIT ONTO THE ACCESS ROAD AND INTO A PARKING LOT. I TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND CHECKED FOR LEAKS OR A BROKEN BELT, BUT FOUND NO PROBLEM. I RESTARTED T…
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WHILE TRAVELING ON CENTRAL EXPRESSWAY IN DALLAS US75 GOING ABOUT 65 MY LEXUS RX300 LOST FORWARD ACCELERATION AS CARS ZOOMED PAST ME, THE ENGINE WAS STILL ON AS I MANAGED TO SAFELY EXIT ONTO THE ACCESS ROAD AND INTO A PARKING LOT. I TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND CHECKED FOR LEAKS OR A BROKEN BELT, BUT FOUND NO PROBLEM. I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND KEPT GOING. I TALKED TO THE LEXUS DEALER IN PLANO BUT SERVICE DEPT. WAS CLOSED AND THEY REFFERED ME TO TAKE IT INTO MY AUSTIN DEALER. I WAS TOLD THAT WITHOUT A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT NOTHING WOULD BE FOUND. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE AND WHILE ON ANOTHER TRIP IT LOST FORWARD ACCELERATION AGAIN, ONLY TO FIND OUT IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. I HAD TO REPLACE IT , RENT A CAR AND THEN FLY BACK TO A TOYOTA DEALER TO PICK IT UP.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1DP02004 · Engine Seizure
Opened Apr 30, 2002 · Closed Jun 20, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling
No summary supplied.