2001 Lexus RX300 problems
NHTSA has received 189 complaints about the 2001 Lexus RX300, and 47% of them involve transmission. Next are drivetrain & axles (19%) and cruise control (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 189 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Transmission 47% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 17 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 20 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 106,000 miles 168 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 4 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 13 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 15 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 36 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 41 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 23 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 21 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 8 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 6 |
What the data shows
Of the 168 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 106,000 miles. For transmission specifically, the median reported mileage is about 105,000 miles (86 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 17 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 20 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2001 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 5 model years of the Lexus RX300 with enough data (29 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
When parking the vehicle, the vehicle suddenly accelerated while the driver was not pressing the accelerator. Despite the driver's efforts to stop the vehicle, the vehicle jumped over a curb and headed toward a head-on collision with traffic. In an attempt to avoid a possibly fatal collision, the driver swerved hard to the left intending to hit a pole to stop the vehicle. The vehicle missed the pole and hit a starbucks with the vehicle ending up completely inside the starbucks.
Tl* the contact owned a 2001 lexus rx300. While driving 35 MPH, the vehicle accelerated when the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle crashed into a tree and the air bags failed to deploy. The driver sustained a broken breast bone (sternum) and head injuries that required medical attention. The passenger sustained neck and knee injuries, and bruises from the seat belt that required medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a dealer.
My transmission died on my 2001 lexus rx300 at 110k miles. The car stopped in the middle of a road during morning rush hours.
2001 lexus rx300 failed transmission with no prior symptoms @ 106k miles. Estimated $3,800 - $4,800 to replace with rebuilt transmission.