IllustrationTRANSMISSION COMPLETELY FAILED AT 101,000. COMPLETE MAINTENANCE RECORDS AVAILABLE. *TR
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*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 LEXUS RX300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE GEAR SET IN THE FRONT PUMP SHUTS DOWN THE TRANSMISSION OF HER VEHICLE. THE FAILURE RENDERS THE VEHICLE IMMOBILE AND DOES NOT LUBRICATE THE TRANSMISSION PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC, WHO WILL REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEA…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 LEXUS RX300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE GEAR SET IN THE FRONT PUMP SHUTS DOWN THE TRANSMISSION OF HER VEHICLE. THE FAILURE RENDERS THE VEHICLE IMMOBILE AND DOES NOT LUBRICATE THE TRANSMISSION PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC, WHO WILL REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED BECAUSE THE REPAIR COST WOULD BE TOO EXPENSIVE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.
TRANSMISSION HAS COMPLETELY FAILED AT APPROX 121,000 MILES. *TR
AFTER LEAVING HIGHWAY TRANSMISSION FAILED AND FRONT WHEELS LOCKED. WILL NOT MOVE IN ANY GEAR. *TR
AFTER OWNING AND PROPERLY MAINTAINING MY 2000 LEXUS RX300 FOR MANY YEARS IT THE TRANSMISSION TOTALLY LOCKED UP ON ME AND MY 2 TODDLERS IN THE MIDDLE OF RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. IT WAS THEN FLAT BEDDED TO A MECHANIC AND I AM CURRENTLY BEING QUOTED SEVERAL THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT. *TR
TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT, WOULD SHIFT WHEN IT SHOULDN'T HAVE, WHEN PUT IN GEAR WOULD DO NOTHING THEN UNEXPECTEDLY LURCH FORWARD OR BACKWARD DEPENDING ON GEAR SELECTION. LEXUS DEALER REPLACED TRANSAXLE ASSEMBLY. *TR
I OWN A 2000 MODEL LEXUS RX 300 WHICH WAS BEEN HAVING ALL SERVICES ON TIME AT LEXUS DEALER AND AT 89K MILE MY TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN BROKEN. I HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS A COMMON ENCOUNTERED PROBLEM BY MAY RX 300 OWNER AND SEEMS POSSIBLE RELATED TO FAULTY MANUFACTURING. I HAVE CONTACTED LEXUS FOR REPLACEMENT, HOWEVER THERE SEEMS TO B…
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I OWN A 2000 MODEL LEXUS RX 300 WHICH WAS BEEN HAVING ALL SERVICES ON TIME AT LEXUS DEALER AND AT 89K MILE MY TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN BROKEN. I HAVE LEARNED THAT THIS A COMMON ENCOUNTERED PROBLEM BY MAY RX 300 OWNER AND SEEMS POSSIBLE RELATED TO FAULTY MANUFACTURING. I HAVE CONTACTED LEXUS FOR REPLACEMENT, HOWEVER THERE SEEMS TO BE A NEED FOR A RECALL ON THIS MATTER. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 LEXUS RX300. THE CONTACT HEARD A SCREECHING SOUND THAT OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED. THE SOUND WOULD CEASE SEVERAL MINUTES LATER. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS THE CAUSE FOR THE NOISE. SHE ALSO NOTICED THAT THE OUTER CASING FOR THE HEADLIGHTS TURNED A MILKY …
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 LEXUS RX300. THE CONTACT HEARD A SCREECHING SOUND THAT OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED. THE SOUND WOULD CEASE SEVERAL MINUTES LATER. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS THE CAUSE FOR THE NOISE. SHE ALSO NOTICED THAT THE OUTER CASING FOR THE HEADLIGHTS TURNED A MILKY WHITE COLOR, WHICH HINDERS EFFECTIVE LIGHTING. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 76,900 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 75,000.
2000 RX 300 STARTED HAVING A WHINING NOISE WHEN FIRST STARTED TO GO UP HILLS WHEN COLD. TRANSMISSION THEN STARTED TO SLIP ON WAY OVER MOUNTAINS. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO TOWN AT SLOW SPEED BEFORE TRANSMISSION FAILED. *TR
MY 2000 LEXUS RX300 STARTED HAVING GEAR SLIPPING PROBLEMS 3 DAYS AGO. TODAY, THE TRANSMISSION WON'T GO INTO ANY GEAR REVERSE OR FORWARD. AFTER DOING RESEARCH ONLINE, IT APPEARS THAT HUNDRED OF PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON LEXUS RX MODELS. OBVIOUSLY, BOTH YOUR ORGANIZATION AND LEXUS KNOW OF THIS PROBLEM…
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MY 2000 LEXUS RX300 STARTED HAVING GEAR SLIPPING PROBLEMS 3 DAYS AGO. TODAY, THE TRANSMISSION WON'T GO INTO ANY GEAR REVERSE OR FORWARD. AFTER DOING RESEARCH ONLINE, IT APPEARS THAT HUNDRED OF PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON LEXUS RX MODELS. OBVIOUSLY, BOTH YOUR ORGANIZATION AND LEXUS KNOW OF THIS PROBLEM AND YET NOTHING IS DONE ABOUT RECALLING THIS MODEL WITH THE PROBLEM. *TR
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.