2000 Lexus RX 300

Summary:

The Car is very solid, but the transmission is weak

Faults:

Transmission Planetary Gear Set broke at 74,260 miles.

General Comments:

This problem has occurred in many other RX300 models from 1999 to 2000.Why has Lexus not issued a recall. My Insurance agent told me Toyota recalled 1999 transmission for failure if you had 100,000 miles or less. They replaced the transmission for free.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 3rd August, 2006

25th Sep 2006, 20:07

I have a 2000 Lexus RX300 and my transmission @ 96,000 miles is SHOT. Will not move in any gear. It's my wife's car for God's sake! She pampers it. She's pissed because she is now driving our old '91 Ford Explorer with 200K miles and it runs like a champ. Lexus' are overpriced and nothing but pure junk! It's supposed to be the car of all cars. What a POS! Do not buy a Lexus.

2000 Lexus RX 300 6-cylinder gasoline

Summary:

Lexus, fix your problem and you'll have the finest car I have ever owned - including Mercedes

Faults:

My 2000 RX300 transmission went out after having the fluid changed at the proper intervals. It had given no indications whatsoever that it was about to shoot craps. After having read so many other similar stories, I think Lexus owes the public an explanation. I'm not asking for the $4800 repair fee back, simply an explanation of why they have refused to admit/address this issue for so long. Consumer Guide needs to know this issue as well. They are next on my list.

General Comments:

I thought I had found the car of my dreams - outstanding in every regard until now.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 5th July, 2006

2000 Lexus RX 300

Summary:

Disappointing quality

Faults:

Transmission failed at 96k miles. Major disappointment when I learned that this problem unfortunately happened to many other owners at about the 100k miles. Have not expected that from Lexus!!!

General Comments:

Smooth ride, comfortable.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 16th June, 2006

19th Jul 2006, 11:06

People, please find a good mechanic and stick with them... NOT A LEXUS dealership. I bought a used 2000 RX3000 with 62K and these reviews freaked me out. I spoke to my mechanic and he told me that people came with similar problems as written on the reviews... transmission and back knock sensors and so on so forth, and he has fixed those things for the fraction of the costs because usually it would be something like an engine needed to be cleaned up, or a small sensor somewhere needed to be fixed.

He said that he has 2 people with the same exact car with over 200,000 miles on them, and don't have any serious problems whatsoever. Please take it to a specialist in japanese luxury cars, or a mechanic who has been around for a few years, and avoid the Lexus dealerships.

2000 Lexus RX 300 3.0 Gas

Summary:

Great ride

Faults:

Power Antenna

Rear Main Seal at 72KM Miles

Air Fuel Ratio Sensor at 65K Miles.

General Comments:

Terrific car with great versatility. My wife adores the car. For the two of us it is great.

One of my wishes would be a slightly larger fuel tank to get it above the 300 mile range. I think the RX330/350 tank is larger. Also it's a little hard on tires. I was also disappointed by the failure of the rear main seal. This is a $1000+ repair and seems to be fairly common.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th April, 2006

19th Apr 2006, 17:57

Just wait till your transmission goes then that's another $5000.00. I always had my car serviced every 5000miles and though my transmission wouldn't go, but it did at 75000miles. Every RXs tranny will go out on the 1999-2003 years.

2000 Lexus RX 300 Base 3.0 litre

Summary:

I love it, but do I have a ticking time bomb under the hood (ie. tranny/sludge)?

Faults:

1. Intermittent flickering of the dashboard lighting and tailights. Dealer ran a $100 computer diagnostic and failed to determine the problem. $100 fee was waived as a result. The free loaner RX300 they gave me for the day had the exact same problem, so I assume everyone else has the same issue, but I do not see anyone posting about it. I went to a car electronics shop instead and they diagnosed a faulty voltage regulator in the alternator. I haven't resolved the issue yet, because the only solution is to replace the alternator, which is the same design and potentially could mean the same problem again. I wonder if this is the cause of bulb failures everyone comments about here.

2. OEM Bridgestone Duelers wore out prematurely. Absolutely horrible tires... poor wear, low grip, useless in the winter. Dealer exchanged them with Michelin X-Terrains and the difference is like night and day.

3. Right front door speaker cuts out intermittently, usually if someone slams the door hard. As usual, it works fine when I bring it into the dealer to have it checked, and then it cuts out again after I leave. Still unresolved.

4. I have a clunk in the steering if I am turning the wheel full opposite lock while not moving. I haven't been to the dealer yet. I thought it might be the steering rack, but someone else thinks it's the brake pads being loose in their carriers? Still unresolved.

General Comments:

We bought this car used in 2005 from Jim Pattison Lexus Northshore in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. It had been traded in as an ex-lease for a new rx330 by the previous owner 2 days before, and I had to fight off 3 other parties to get at it first. It had full service history and no accidents aside from a few parking lot dings and dents. Aside from what I've mentioned it's been trouble-free, especially in comparsion to the 2001 ML320 my friend bought which has had endless problems.

I thought I had done sufficient research on the RX300 before buying, but only found out about engine sludge and transmission problems after we purchased our car. There are so many posts online about these issues I actually went to my dealer's service department with printouts in hand to ask. They told me they themselves have not had an RX300 come in with a failure related to these issues, but would not deny the problems existed. I also noticed that in their own service schedule (not the one in the owner's manual), it calls for full transmission fluid flushes every 24k kms.

Other non-reliability related issues...

Sometimes I absolutely hate the radio/HVAC controls. Whenever I have a blonde moment I either freeze/bake myself or lose all my station presets.

Turning circle... it's huge! What is up with that?

Power is a little down... I wasn't expected v8 power anyway, but when you pack all the gear and family into it there is some sufferage in performance.

Mileage... I can't do better than 20mpg. I know it's not a little Tercel, but sometimes it really shows, especially with the small gas tank (which they made larger in 2001)... at least it runs on regular unleaded and not premium.

Otherwise we're happy with the RX! The flat floor in the back means I really can have 3 people in the back seat. It handles well for what it is, which is not surprising since it's more car than truck. We never go off-road so that dosen't matter. Brakes are strong, and the ride is nice and quiet. We've had no rattles other than the sunroof shade on occasion when it's open. I know many others here seem to be plagued with issues... are we just lucky?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th March, 2006

30th Mar 2006, 12:45

Regarding your speaker issue, if possible, remove the speaker yourself and check if the wire is securely connected to the speaker. That is probably the only problem.

25th May 2006, 15:08

I thought so as well, but there were no wiring issues. I ended up getting another speaker from a wrecker and so far it's working.