rena

I have always been a toyota driver because of the reliability and was interested in upgrading and getting a Lexus RX300 till I saw all the breakdowns of the transmission. These were not just of the older 99-00s.

I thought I saw somewhere that they had fixed this problem but I dont know if that is correct or what year. I live in Canada B.C. where it rains a lot and moving up to a RELIABLE SUV is my preference. More information would be appreciated on this as I couldnt afford to buy a new tranny.

hypervish

Moderator: Please move this to the correct section.

The transmission "issue" is blown way out of proportion. With proper maintenance they will last forever.

My uncle has a 99' AWD RX300 and he's on 350k + miles with the original transmission no problems at all. I have 165k on original transmission and it still runs great . I know many people that have gotten 250k + on their original transmission and still running great. People only come on the forum to complain about their problems, they don't come online to talk about how amazing their car is. We here on Club Lexus are a "small" community, we don't represent even close to how many Lexus RX's are out there on the road.

Where I live I see at least 2-3 RX300's EVERYTIME I leave the house...NO JOKE.
People love these car's. They run forever with proper maintenance.

bobfloyd

What is proper transmission maintenance?

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

I used to think the same thing until I saw the CR reliability surveys (which have a very large sample size). Unfortunately, the earlier RX300s ('99/'00) cars have dropped off their online history ranking, so we don't know how they have progressed since. The following site tends to back up their previous survey results, though:

http://www.mycarstats.com/reports/le...omplaints.aspx

Putting a Camry transmission in an SUV probably wasn't the best idea!

Agree 100% that, whatever the absolute reliability, properly maintened transmissions will last longer than poorly maintained ones.

hypervish

Drain and Fill every 20k, and it'll last forever. That's what my uncle does, and that's what I do. Every 20k, which is every summer in my case. My uncle, and I both drive our RX's hard as hell and they still shift and perform like day one. My uncle bought his brand new with 2 miles. I got mine at 90k miles.

Another thing, to help keep the transmission running good and prevent failure is to come to a complete stop before shifting cars. (i.e. reverse to drive, drive to reverse, drive to park, reverse to park, etc). That is one of the main killer's of transmission along with overheating.

So, if you want to take another step in making sure the transmission doesn't die add another cooler in addition to the factory cooler. I haven't done this, because I don't feel it's necessary.

Besides, the transmission this car is bulletproof. Just do maintenance and you can hop in the car anytime and drive around the world.

Australian

I will define proper maintenance in this situation. Ignore the manual where it is described as maintenance free and flush and change filter every 10,000 miles.
If it was to be flushed with every oil change in manual then owners would have known about issues before half of them failed and rest hadn't had transmission services either. Mine failed at 110,000km 60k miles due likely to never being serviced even though log books would match service instructions with the recommended maintenance schedules.

Basically i will service every 10,000 and i am confident my transmission will last.

salimshah

Not to burst anyone's bubble, but there have been reports of failure where the transmission fluid has been replaced regularly.

If you think there is a problem with the transmission then here is the list of possible source of problems [in no particular order] [all combinations are possible too].

1. Improper use (lack of driver care) of transmission.
2. Lack of service.
3. Recommended schedule is too long.
4. Pump size (design flaw ... volume too low).
5. Material of planetary gear (design flaw)
6. Screen filter is allowing fine particle pass through (design flaw)
7. Unreasonable expectation of trouble free life (what is considered to be the life of transmission?)
8. Flush instead of drain and fill

&

There is evidence that there is nothing wrong with the transmission. The number of reported problems compared to units sold is in line with any other product. Internet complaints is chatter as most of the owners who have problems are internet savvy.

At the end, do what ever makes you feel better. For better or worse it is the vehicle you own. Fret about it or enjoy it is all up to you.

Salim

PS : Salim's hunch
The emission control which keeps higher gears locked out, when every thing is cold (engine + transmission), imposes drivers to drive slow till things warm up. Regrettably, if any one lives near a highway they need to rev in 3K+ engine rpms => much higher rpms inside transmission, leading to breakdown. Note: I have no hard data to back it up, and it is just a hunch.

ZishanM

This is really good news to hear but the regardless of the sample size, if people are having problems it will show up in any group.

salimshah

I am not trying to stir up a controversy here ... BUT

Guess how many owners of RX would post on internet if they have a problem with transmission ... close to 100%
And how many owners of RX would post on internet if they don't have a problem .. close to 0%.

So when you look at number of problems reported on the net, you get a skewed impression.

In any case, it is much talked about issue.

Salim

trhs75

Excellent point, Salim! My dealer reports they've never seen a problem.

hypervish

My uncle who owns a shop, hasn't had to do a transmission on a RX300 either.

He's done a ton on Honda Odyssey's, he literally does one a week sometimes. He also done a ton of 41TE transmissions, found in Caravans and Town And Country's >> I'm on my forth one for my Grand Caravan.... I hate that P.O.S