2002 Lexus RX300 problems
Owners have filed 106 complaints about the 2002 Lexus RX300 with NHTSA. Power train accounts for 36.8% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of vehicle speed control at 14.2%.
Complaints106
Crashes22
Fires1
Injuries16
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Power train 36.8% · 39
Vehicle speed control 14.2% · 15
Engine and engine cooling 11.3% · 12
Air bags 9.4% · 10
Electrical system 4.7% · 5
Unknown or other 2.8% · 3
Service brakes, hydraulic 2.8% · 3
Tires 1.9% · 2
Severity
Of those complaints, 22 describe a crash, 1 describe a fire and 16 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 4 model years of the Lexus RX300 in this data, 2002 draws comparatively few complaints; 1999 is the outlier year.
Filings are rising — 20 in the last three years against 6 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 94,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Fwd vehicle. Gear slippage began without warning and in minutes the transmission failed completely. No warning lights came on. The mechanic says the clutch is burned out, requiring a new transmission. The car has 94k miles on it and this is not covered under warranty. The cost for replacement with a re-manned oem transmission is $3,900. It is being replaced by the local toyota dealer. Power train · reported at 94,000 miles
2002 Lexus rx 300 transmission failed,stuck on nj turnpike,towed to prestige Lexus in ramsey nj. Dealer said transmission bad. Have read hundreds and hundreds of premature transmission failures in 1999-2002 Lexus rx 300 vehicles. So far Lexus has not admitted any problems and will look into it. Cost of repair 4000.00. Still in shop. Power train · reported at 85,000 miles
Takata recall, Lexus transmission is messing up not shifting properly. There is a bunch of complaints about the transmission messing up and no one is doing anything about it. I am scared to drive my car because it could fail at any given time. So please I ask you to look into this problem and at least try to help thank you Power train
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…