What breaks most · 1998 to 2003 model years
Lexus RX 300 problems by year
Owners have filed 722 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Lexus RX 300 across model years 1998 to 2003. Three years stand out: 1999 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2000 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2001 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 1998.
- Years to check closely: 1999, 2000, 2001
- Fewest complaints: 1998
- Complaints on file
- 7221998 to 2003, all trims
- Worst year
- 1999221 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 7213 fires · 62 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 104kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 25Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 0 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 221 | 18 | 7 | Powertrain and transmission (129) | |
| 216 | 16 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (138) | |
| 169 | 14 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (123) | |
| 88 | 18 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (38) | |
| 25 | 5 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (7) |
What fails on the 1999 Lexus RX 300
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 58% |
129 | 3 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 11% |
24 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1999 Lexus RX 300 |
| Air bags | 6% |
14 | 10 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 5% |
11 | 5 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 1999 Lexus RX 300 |
| Seat belts | 5% |
10 | 0 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 4% |
8 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1999 Lexus RX 300 |
| Tires | 3% |
7 | 1 | — |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 3% |
6 | 0 | Shop suspension parts for the 1999 Lexus RX 300 |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
I was driving down the street doing about 40 or so and all four wheels locked up at once suddenly. It causing the car to a come pleat stop in the road. The car behind me had to lock up all most causing a accident.
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Was driving home from work on the highway it started slipping it was getting out gear now it moves on low gear no drive reverse or 2nd only low gear
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My transmission is not shifting smoothly between gears. This happened about 7 years ago and i had to have the transmission replaced. Now it is happening again.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Lexus RX 300 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1999, 2000, 2001 carry the most filings on the Lexus RX 300. The 1999 alone has 221 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Lexus RX 300 problem?
On the 1999 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 129 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Lexus RX 300 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Lexus RX 300 complaints that include mileage is about 104,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.