LEXUS RX · model year

2000 LEXUS RX

30 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2000LEXUSRX carries 30 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2000 RX is power train:automatic transmission with 20 filings, followed by power train (5) and seat belts:front:retractor (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 2000 RX. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

30
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

30 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION20
POWER TRAIN5
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING1
AIR BAGS1
SERVICE BRAKES1

Recent Complaints

20220804SERVICE BRAKES

Vehicle stalls when giving it gas then lunges forward all at once ….brake light is on

20220727CrashAIR BAGS

ON 7/26/2022 APPROX 8:00 AM I WAS DRIVING ON BRIGHTON CLOPTON RD WHEN THIS FLAT BED WRECKER WAS BACKING OUT ON HIGHWAY AND I WAS LOOKING DOWN TO MAKE SURE MY SPEEDOMETER WAS AT 30 MPH ALL OF A SUDDEN I CRASHED INTO THIS BED OF THE WRECKER, (NOT ONE) AIRBAG DEPLOYED MY KNEES, SHINS, CHEST BONES , HURT LIKE CRAZY , HEAD, I WAS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL FOR EVALUATION, I ATTACH SOME PICTURES FROM MY CRASH , THE OFFICER HAD ME TO MOVE OUT OF DRIVERS SEAT JUST IN CASE THE AIRBAGS DID FINALLY GO OFF. WHY NOT THEY DIDN'T IMPLOYED ? AIR BAGS DID NOT GO OFF .... WHY ????????????

20200509POWER TRAIN

2000 RX300 DO NOT SHIFT INTO THE 3 GEAR WHILE DRIVING, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS FROM 1 &2 BUT NOT 3. THE ENGINE SPEED IS HIGH AND DOESN'T SHIFT. WE HAVEN'T DRIVEN IT SINCE, TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT TO DO NEXT WITH THIS VEHICLE. I HAVE A FRIEND THAT HAVE THE SAME MAKE & MODEL AND HE'S HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS ALSO! *TR

Mileage: 180,000

20140415POWER TRAIN

TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 98,000 MILES. SEEMS TO HAPPEN TO EVERYONE WITH THIS CAR. *TT

Mileage: 97,000

20130129POWER TRAIN

TRANSMISSION FAILURE. *TR

Mileage: 116,237

20120903POWER TRAIN

TRANSMISSION STARTED MAKING A WHINING SOUND AT CERTAIN SPEEDS ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF EARLIER. TOYOTA DEALER CONFIRMED ODD NOISE FROM TRANSMISSION, BUT SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO APART FROM REMOVING TRANSMISSION. I WAS IN A NEARBY STATE WHEN THE TRANNY FINALLY WENT OUT - 1ST GEAR STILL WORKS AND SOMETIMES 2ND GEAR, BUT 3RD, 4TH AND REVERSE ALL WENT OUT WHEN I WAS ACCELERATING ONTO THE HIGHWAY - A LOUD BANG AND THEN IT REVVED UP LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL EVEN THOUGH IT WAS IN DRIVE. I'M CONCERNED THIS WAS A DESIGN FLAW, BUT LEXUS DOES NOT AGREE AND HAS OFFERED NO COMPENSATION UP TO THIS POINT. THEY SAID IF I WANT TO TAKE IT FURTHER I NEED THE TOYOTA DEALER TO CONFIRM THE TRANNY IS OUT. I SAID THAT WOULD NOT BE DIFFICULT AND AM IN THE PROCESS OF DOING THAT NOW. I AM CURIOUS HOW SOME PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN LEXUS TO PAY A PORTION OF THEIR BILL. I ENDED UP RENTING A UHAUL AND TRAILER TO GET IT HOME. *TR

Mileage: 143,000

20120821POWER TRAIN

WHILE DRIVING CAR LOST POWER WOULD NOT GO FORWARD. NEVER GAVE ME ANY WARNING NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT NOTHING! MADE IT HOME AT 5 MPH. TRANSMISSION WENT OUT WITH NO WARNING! $3600 TO FIX AT AAMCO, SEEMS LIKE THEY SEE THIS PROBLEM OFTEN IN THE RX300 MODELS 1999-2003 MINE IS A 2000. CALLED LEXUS BUT OFFERED NO HELP! VERY UNHAPPY LEXUS OWNER. *TR

Mileage: 140,000

20111115EXTERIOR LIGHTING

AT 90,000 MILES MY DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHTS HAVE STOPPED WORKING . THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW IN DEC 2000 . *TR

Mileage: 90,000

20071205POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. AFTER DRIVING ON EXPRESSWAY PARKED CAR IN DRIVEWAY AT HOME. 20 MIN. LATER TRIED TO PUT CAR IN GARAGE AND IT WOULD NOT MOVE. HAD IT TOWED TO SHOP ON CAR CARRIER AND FOUND BROKEN GEARS IN TRANSMISSION. *TR

Mileage: 85,000

20071203POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

MY 2000 LEXUS RX300 TRANSMISSION DOES NOT SHIFT TO HIGHER GEAR. I PURCHASED AND USED THE CAR IN USA UNTIL 09/2004 AND THEN SHIPPED IT TO BAHRAIN. IT IS STILL IN BAHRAIN. HOW TO GET IT FIXED WITH NO COST? SINCE IT IS MANUFACTURER FAILURE. *TR

Mileage: 163,400

20071101POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY MY CAR CEASED FORWARD ENGAGEMENT. I WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED HOWEVER, I WAS SUCCESSFUL IN MANEUVERING OFF THE FREEWAY. I WAS STRANDED OUT OF TOWN FOR SEVERAL HOURS. AFTER HAVING TOWED TO A LEXUS DEALERSHIP IN SACRAMENTO FOR AN ASSESSMENT IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONED AND ADVISED THE COST WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY $4,400. I CONTACTED THE LEXUS CORPORATION BECAUSE NO TRANSMISSION SHOULD FAIL ONLY HAVING 89,000 MILES AND 7 YEARS OF AGE WITH REGULAR MAINTENANCE. I ALSO FOUND OUT THAT THE LEXUS 1999 & 2000 RX300 MODELS HAVE A KNOWN TRANSMISSION DEFECT BUT NO RECALL, WHY? *TR

Mileage: 89,587

20071019POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

LEXUS RX300 TRANSMISSION FAILED ON MAJOR HIGHWAY AT 86000 MILES. INTERNET SEARCH AND PHONE CALLS TO INDEPENDENT MECHANICS REVEAL MANY SIMILAR INCIDENTS AND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM LEXUS IS AWARE OF. CAR WAS 8 DAYS PASSED A 3 YEAR EXTENDED WARRANTY PROVIDED AT PURCHASE, CURRENTLY LEXUS WILL REPLACE AT ABOUT THE COST THAT AN INDEPENDENT WILL REBUILD

Mileage: 86,000

20070829POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON 2000 LEXUS RX300. *JB

Mileage: 73,200

20070828POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 LEXUS RX300. WHILE DRIVING UNDER 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE DID NOT LOSE POWER, BUT IT FAILED TO MOVE. WHEN THE CONTACT PLACED THE GEAR IN DRIVE OR REVERSE, THE ENGINE WOULD REV BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS UNCOMMON AND THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE REMAINS AT THE DEALER. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 76,000.

Mileage: 76,000

20070826POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

I HAVE A 2000 LEXUS RX 300 WITH 103,000 MILES. WHILE DRIVING IT SUDDENLY LURCHED, WOULD NOT GO AND LURCHED AGAIN. THE TRANSMISSION FAILED SUDDENLY. IT "FROZE" MEANING WOULD NOT SHIFT, THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE ETC. I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR. I HAVE OWNED IT FOR MORE THAN 3 YEARS. WHEN I BOUGHT IT, IT HAD 33,000 MILES. IT HAS BEEN FULLY AND REGULARLY SERVICED ACCORDING TO THE MANUAL. THE CAR NOW IS IN THE TRANSMISSION SHOP HAVING THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED. *TR

Mileage: 103,000

20070811POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

2000 LEXUS RX300. THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT UNEXPECTEDLY AT 126,000 MILES. I HAVE SEVERAL OTHER VEHICLES (MAXIMA 292,000+ MILES, SILVERADO 1500 P/U 120,000+ MILES AND HONDA ACCORD 240,000+ MILES ) AND NONE OF THE WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE INFERIOR CARS HAVE HAD ANY SORT OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. BUT A LEXUS , WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO MEAN QUALITY, GOES OUT AT ONLY 126,000. ACCORDING TO RECENT RESEARCH ON THE LEXUSCLUBOWNERS.COM FORUM IT APPEARS THAT THE RX300'S AND THE 330'S ARE PLAGUED WITH TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY THE LEXUS CORPORATION. *JB

Mileage: 126,000

20070425POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

I HAVE A TRANSMISSION FAILURE IN A 2000 LEXUS RX 300. THE TOTAL COST OF THE REPAIR IS ESTIMATED TO BE IN EXCESS OF $3K. THE SPECIALIST THAT ESTIMATED THE REPAIR COST TOLD ME IT IS A NATION WIDE "EPIC" PROBLEM, (HIS WORDS), AND THAT HE COULD NOT EVEN GUARANTEE THE REPAIR BECAUSE OF THE HIGH RATE OF REPEAT FAILURE. *TR

20070410POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 LEXUS RX300. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED AND COULD NOT DRIVE IN REVERSE. WHEN DRIVING FORWARD AT 32 MPH THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN. THE MOTOR WAS RUNNING BUT THE VEHICLE WAS IMMOBILE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE MECHANIC , WHO DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AS THE TRANSMISSION. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 76,500 ,AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,500.*AK

Mileage: 75,500

20070315POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 LEXUS RX300. WHILE SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT THE DRIVER SMELLED SMOKE. THE SMOKE WAS PRESENT IN THE TRANSMISSION , AND THERE WAS A LOSS OF TRANSMISSION FLUID. THE MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE AS NEEDING A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE 101,000. *AK

Mileage: 101,000

20070226POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

I HAVE A LEXUS RX300. IT IS A 2000 WITH 58,000 MILES. THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AND LEXUS REFUSES TO FIX IT UNDER WARRANTY (CLAIMING ITS 6 YEAR OR 70,000 MILES). NOW THAT I AM DOING RESEARCH, IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THE RX300. IT APPEARS THEY HAVE FAULTY TRANSMISSIONS. I AM HOPING YOU CAN HELP. THE FORUMS SEEM TO INDICATE THAT IF WE FILE REPORTS, HOPEFULLY THERE WILL BE A RECALL OR SOME SORT OF LEGAL CLAIM. THE LEXUS OF SANTA MONICA WANT TO CHARGE ME $4,800, THEY OFFERED A 10% DISCOUNT. *JB

Mileage: 58,000

Compare 2000LEXUSRX to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2000 LEXUS RX have?
The 2000 LEXUS RX has 30 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2000 LEXUS RX?
The most-complained component for the 2000 LEXUS RX is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION with 20 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN and SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR.
Is the 2000 LEXUS RX safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.