2000 Lexus RX300 complaints

CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR BRAKES. ON AUGUST 15, 2001 ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO DEALER. *AK

EVEN THOUGH THE OIL ON MY RX 300 WAS CHANGED 2,700 MILES AGO, THE ENGINE DEVELOPED ENGINE SLUDGE IN THE 3.0, 6 CYLINDER. LEXUS IS TRYING TO BLAME IT ON ME FOR NOT CHANGING THE OIL AT THEIR DEALERS. THEY WANT TO CHARGE ME $500.00 JUST TO LOOK TO SEE WHAT THE INTERNAL DAMAGE IS AND THEN ANYWHERE FROM A RE BUILD OF THE ENGINE FOR $6000 TO $8000 OR AN ENTIRE NEW ENGINE FOR $13,000.00 PLUS LABOR. I HAVE SINCE FOUND NUMEROUS INDIVIDUALS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM ALL CITING THE SAME ENGINE, SYMPTOMS ETC. ON TOP OF THIS, I WITNESSED THE LEXUS SERVICE MANAGER "RUSHING" TO TAKE DIGITAL PHOTOS OF THE INSIDE OF THE ENGINE AND THEY QUICKLY DOCUMENTED AN "OWNER NEGLECT" FILE IN THEIR MASTER LEXUS RECORDS. AFTER TALKING WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE AND MECHANICS, WE NOW BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A COVER UP ON THE PART OF LEXUS TO AVOID WHAT COULD BE ONE OF THE MOST COSTLY RECALLS IN HISTORY. ANY HELP PLEASE.....?*AK

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 70MPH ON HIGHWAY AND HEARD A POPPING NOISE. SHE HAPPENED TO LOOK OUT OF MIRROR AND NOTICED THAT PASSENGER'S REAR TIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM VEHICLE. BRIDGESTONE/ FIRESTONE .*AK

BRIDGESTONE, DUELER HT 687, P225/70R16 DOT ELWA, ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON A 2000, LEXUS RX 300 WITH 25000 MILES. FIRST BLOWOUT ON LEFT REAR TIRE OCCURRED IN FEBRUARY, 2001 AT HIGHWAY SPEED. SECOND BLOWOUT ON RIGHT REAR TIRE OCCURRED ON 12 AUGUST, 2001 AT HIGHWAY SPEED. NO ACCIDENT.*AK CONSUMER STATES SPEED WAS 15 MPH. *SLC

INSPITE OF CHANGING THE OIL WITHIN WARRANTY GUIDELINES, MY RX 300 DEVELOPED ENGINE SLUDGE IN THE 3.0 6 CYLINDER ENGINE. A SEARCH OF THE INTERNET DISCLOSED THAT NUMEROUS OWNERS OF THE RX 300 AND OTHER TOYOTO CARS, LIKE THE SIENNA, HAVE DEVELOPED ENGINE SLUDGE EVEN WITH TIMELY OIL CHANGES..THROUGH THE INTERNET I HAVE ALSO LEARNED THAT " THE 3.0 LITER V-6 ENGINE FOUND IN THE LEXUS RX 300 WAS REDESIGNED IN 1999. IT WAS MODIFIED TO IMPROVE FUEL EFFICIENCY AND REDUCE POLLUTANT EMISSIONS. THIS MODIFICATION INCLUDED REDUCTION IN THE SIZE OF THE COOLSNT PASSAGE ON THE HEAD GASKET SO THAT CYLINER HEADS RUN AT EXCESSIVELY HOT TEMPERATURES. THE OIL IS LITERALLY FRYING, RESULTING IN SLUDGE." HTTP: PHILIP.GREENSPUN.COM/MATERIALISM/CARS/SIENNA.HTML. ALSO, FROM WWW.CARREVIEW.COM/REVIEWS/VANS_MINIVANS/PRODUCT_225.SHTML "...THE COOLANT SYSTEM MAY NOT BE OPERATING CORRECTLY OR THOROUGHLY ENOUGH TO KEEP THE OIL FROM FRYING AND SLUDGING UP ULTIMATELY CLOGGING THE PORTS AND BURNING UP THE MOTORS. SOME MECHANICS THINK IT HAS TO DO WITH THE ALUMINUM HEADS WARPING...AND NOT JUST IN THE SIENNA, THAT ENGINE HAS BEEN REPORTED TO HAVE PROBLEMS ON THE LEXUS 300.."*AK

I EXPERIENCED AROUND 15,000 MILEAGE A NOISE WHEN APPLYING BRAKES VERY SIMILAR TO THE ROAD SURFACE CHANGING FROM SMOOTH TO ROUGH. I ASSUMED SINCE THE VEHICLE HAD JUST BEEN IN FOR SERVICE THAT THE BRAKES/BRAKE SYSTEM HAD BEEN ADJUSTED AND THAT IT WAS NOISE WAS NORMAL. THE NOISE AS I CONTINUED TO DRIVE INCREASED WHEN APPLYING BRAKES AND GRADUATED TO ALSO A VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN APPLICATION. IT WASN'T UNTIL A RELATIVE INDICATED TO ME THAT THE SOUND WAS NOT NORMAL DID I TAKE THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE NOISE AND VIBRATION WAS DUE TO ROTOR SURFACES THAT NEEDED TO BE TURNED. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT IT WAS DUE TO STOP AND GO DRIVING. I STATED TO THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE THAT I DID NOT THINK IT WAS NORMAL FOR THE BRAKES TO HAVE EVEN WEAR AND THE ROTORS TO HAVE BLUING SPOTS THAT I OBSERVED. I ALSO INDICATED THAT 99 PERCENT OF MY DRIVING WAS HIGHWAY AND NOT STOP AND GO. I ASKED THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN TO CONTACT LEXUS CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND THEY AGREED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO NORMAL WEAR. I DO NOT. I THINK THESE VEHICLES HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKING/ROTOR SYSTEMS AND THAT THE CUSTOMERS WAS BEING CHARGED FOR A DEFECTS. I WAS CHARGED $277.40 TO RESURFACE ROTARS. I THINK THAT THE PROBLEM THAT INITIALLY STARTED AT 15,000 MILES IS THE RESULT OF DEFECTS IN THE BRAKING SYSTEM AND NOT DRIVING HABITS AND TRAFFIC CONDITIONS.*AK

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE HEARD AND EXPLOSION IN REAR PASSENGER DOOR. CONSUMER THOUGHT IT WAS SPEAKER THAT EXPLODED. TOOK TO DEALER, AND THEY COULDN'T FIND A REMEDY. *AK

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, REAR SPEAKER EXPLODED SENDING THE PLASTIC COVER OF THE SPEAKER ACROSS THE VEHICLE AND DAMAGING THE REAR DOOR. THE CAR WAS INSPECTED BY THE DEALER WHO HAS NO IDEA WHY THIS HAPPENED.*AK

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION IN REVERSE AND HIT A POLE, GEAR SHIFT WAS STUCK IN REVERSE AND COULD NOT SHIFT INTO DRIVE, THE ENGINE TORQUED UP AND ACCELERATED FORWARD, CAUSING VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO A BRICK WALL, CONSUMER SUSTAINED WHIPLASH DUE TO THE ACCIDENT. *SLC

TIRE BLEW OUT; SOUNDED LIKE AN EXPLOSION. *AK (TIRESIZE: P225/70)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P225/70 )

WHEN CHANGING LANES STEERING WHEEL WENT INTO OPPOSITE DIRECTION, RESULTING IN A COLLISION. DEALER HAS INSPECTED VEHICLE, AND HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE OR CORRECT PROBLEM. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. THROTTLE WAS STICKING. SPEAKER FAILED. CONSUMER HEARD A RATTLING NOISE IN RIGHT FRONT DASH AREA, DEALER REPLACED THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT. *AK *SLC

THERE IS A RATTLING NOISE ON THE RIGHT SIDE (GLOVE BOX AND/OR DASHBOARD) WHILE GOING OVER BUMPS AT AROUN 5-30MPH. ALSO, WHEN TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 50-65MPH, IF THE REAR WINDOWS ARE OPEN (FRONT WINDOWS CLOSED) THE AIR FLOW INTO THE CAR CAUSES A TERRIBLE "WIND FLAPPING" NOISE (UNBEARABLE TO EARS), AND THE CAR ALSO SHAKES.*AK

CENTURY MODEL 4525 WVS - APPARENTLY THIS SEAT WAS RECALLED. WHEN IT WAS RECALLED THE MANUFACTURER DATES MENTIONED APPARENTLY WERE 9/95-5/96. WE THOUGHT THIS RECALL DID NOT APPLY TO OUR SEAT BECAUSE THE DATE THAT APPEARS AFTER OUR MODEL NUMBER IS 061197. WE JUST WENT IN FOR A POLICE INSPECTION OF OUR CAR SEAT INSTALLATIONS AND FOUND OUT THAT OUR CAR SEAT WAS RECALLED. APPARENTLY THE DATE ON THE SEAT AND THE DATE THAT IT WAS BOUGHT REALLY DON'T CORRELATE WITH THE MANUFACTURE DATES. WE ARE UTTERLY IN AWE THAT WE HAVE 2 CHILDREN WHO HAVE USED A POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING SEAT. THIS REALLY SHOULD BE CLARIFIED. I AM SURE THAT WE ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES THAT BELIEVED THAT OUR SEAT WAS SAFE DUE TO THE DATES PRINTED BY THE MANUFACTURER ON THE SEAT ITSELF!!! MORE IMPORTANCE REALLY NEEDS TO BE PLACED ON THE MODEL NUMBER!!!!. *AK

AT 40 MPH OR ABOVE, WITH THE SUN ROOF OPENED, THE AIR ENTERING THE VEHICLE MAKES THE WHOLE VEHICLE SHAKE AND CREATES A LOUD AIR NOISE WHICH WILL HURT YOUR EARS. I CONTACTED BOTH THE DEALER & THE MANUFACTURER. THEY BOTH ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THIS PROBLEM EXISTS ON EACH & EVERY RX-300. IT ALSO OCCURS WHEN THE SUN ROOF IS CLOSED AND THE REAR WINDOWS ARE DOWN. THEIR FIX IS FOR ME TO CLOSE THE SUN ROOF, CLOSE ALL THE WINDOWS AND TURN ON THE AIR CONDITIONER. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. LEXUS STATED THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE A FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE HELP. I DO NOT ENJOY DRIVING THIS VEHICLE, PLUS I SPENT $1,000. 00 JUST FOR THE MOON ROOF. LONGO LEXUS SUGGESTED THAT I PURCHASE AN EXTERNAL ROOF MOUNTED AIR DEFLECTOR AND RAIN/AIR DEFLECTORS AROUND THE WINDOWS. THEY WERE WILLING TO SELL ME THESE ITEMS. *AK

IF THE WIRELESS REMOTE IS USED TO LOCK THE VEHICLE AND A PERSON IN IT, THEN AFTER 30 SECONDS THE SECURITY SYSTEM ACTIVATES AND THE PERSON IN THE VEHICLE IS TRAPPED. NONE OF THE DOOR HANDLES OR WINDOWS WILL OPERATE. *AK

UPON ENTERING THE VEHICLE OCCUPANT PRESSED DOOR LOCKS AND SHUT THE DOOR. BUT DID NOT HAVE THE VEHICLE'S KEYS, AFTER 30 SECONDS, ALARM WENT OFF, AND THE OCCUPANT COULD NOT GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE. HAD TO BREAK A WINDOW IN ORDER TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK