1999 Lexus Rx300: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 1999 Lexus Rx300
On the 1999 Lexus Rx300, the failure owners report most often is other powertrain problem, and the reports cluster around 105,000 miles. The earliest to appear is other engine problem, reported by a median of 90,000 miles. Overall it scores 73 out of 100, high risk for a 1999.
High risk for a 1999 — 37th riskiest of the 303 1999 vehicles we can rate. 268 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.
What breaks on the 1999 Lexus Rx300
Owners have reported 41 named failure modes on the 1999 Lexus Rx300, and the three most-reported carry 51% of everything filed.
Other powertrain problem leads with 67 reports, about 2.9 per 1,000 vehicles and with the middle half of reports between 84k to 130,000 miles.
Complete transmission failure follows with 52 reports, usually reported between 89k to 142,500 miles. 1 of those report mention a fire.
Other engine problem follows with 17 reports, usually reported between 68k to 130,000 miles. 1 of those report mention a fire.
By system, the reports fall mostly into transmission (121), engine (25) and airbag (17).
When these failures get reported
170 of the reports on the 1999 Lexus Rx300 came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 104,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 5% by 50,000 miles, 45% by 100,000 miles and 84% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed, with 10 filed above the top of the chart.
The busiest stretch is between 80,000 and 90,000 miles, which alone holds 13% of the dated reports.
4% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, so this is mostly a story about older, higher-mileage cars.
In the order they tend to show up: other engine problem around 88k, other powertrain problem around 104k and complete transmission failure around 111k.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 41. The full list is in the table below.
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A further 10 reports came in above that, which is why the line stops short of the top. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
How bad it is when it goes
Across the named modes, 15 mention a crash, 13 a fire and 9 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 5.45, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other powertrain problem at $400–$4,500, complete transmission failure at $2,800–$8,000, other engine problem at $300–$4,000 and seat belt or retractor failure at $200–$900. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
57% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures, so more than half of what owners complained about here is expensive.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 67 | 59 | 84k | 104k | 130k | 2.9 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Complete transmission failure | transmission | 52 | 47 | 89k | 111k | 143k | 2.2 | $2,800–$8,000 | Critical |
| Other engine problem | engine | 17 | 9 | 68k | 88k | 130k | 0.7 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Seat belt or retractor failure | airbag | 10 | 4 | — | 50k | — | 0.4 | $200–$900 | High |
| Engine sensor failure | electrical | 9 | 2 | — | 180k | — | 0.4 | $180–$900 | Moderate |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 8 | 7 | — | 100k | — | 0.3 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Other wheel or tire problem | wheels | 8 | 1 | — | 20k | — | 0.3 | $200–$1,500 | High |
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.3 | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Other speed control problem | adas | 6 | 5 | — | 103k | — | 0.3 | $250–$2,000 | Critical |
| Other body or interior problem | body | 6 | 3 | — | 77k | — | 0.3 | $200–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Cruise control failure | adas | 5 | 4 | — | 228k | — | 0.2 | $200–$1,400 | High |
| Exhaust leak or fumes in the cabin | emissions | 5 | 1 | — | 81k | — | 0.2 | $250–$2,000 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 5 | 2 | — | 104k | — | 0.2 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Differential or transfer case failure | drivetrain | 4 | 3 | — | 52k | — | 0.2 | $900–$4,200 | High |
| Misfire or rough idle | engine | 3 | 3 | — | 100k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,600 | Moderate |
| Loss of braking | brakes | 3 | 1 | — | 249k | — | 0.1 | $400–$3,000 | Critical |
| Steering column or shaft failure | steering | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $600–$2,500 | Critical |
| Other lighting problem | lighting | 3 | 2 | — | 84k | — | 0.1 | $120–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other visibility problem | glass | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $150–$1,400 | Moderate |
| Timing chain, belt or tensioner failure | engine | 2 | 2 | — | 161k | — | 0.1 | $1,200–$4,500 | Critical |
| No-start or intermittent start failure | engine | 2 | 2 | — | 230k | — | 0.1 | $200–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure | fuel | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,800 | Moderate |
| Parking brake failure | brakes | 2 | 2 | — | 275k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,300 | Moderate |
| Tail light, brake light or signal failure | lighting | 2 | 1 | — | 184k | — | 0.1 | $100–$900 | Moderate |
| Other fuel system problem | fuel | 2 | 1 | — | 88k | — | 0.1 | $300–$2,200 | High |
| Other steering problem | steering | 2 | 1 | — | 120k | — | 0.1 | $350–$2,400 | High |
| Other suspension problem | suspension | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.1 | $350–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Excessive oil consumption | engine | 1 | 1 | — | 116k | — | 0.0 | $900–$6,500 | High |
| Overheating | cooling | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $400–$3,500 | High |
| Transmission will not engage a gear | transmission | 1 | 1 | — | 10 | — | 0.0 | $1,500–$6,000 | Critical |
| Shifter, linkage or stuck-in-park failure | transmission | 1 | 1 | — | 111k | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,400 | High |
| CV axle or driveshaft failure | drivetrain | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $450–$2,200 | High |
| Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure | electrical | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $700–$3,000 | High |
| ABS module or sensor failure | brakes | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $500–$2,400 | High |
| Strut, shock or spring failure | suspension | 1 | 1 | — | 73k | — | 0.0 | $500–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Control arm, ball joint or bushing failure | suspension | 1 | 1 | — | 51k | — | 0.0 | $400–$2,200 | High |
| Tire blowout or tread separation | wheels | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $200–$1,500 | Critical |
| Door latch or handle failure | body | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,200 | High |
| Liftgate, tailgate or trunk failure | body | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $250–$1,500 | Moderate |
| Air conditioning failure | hvac | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 0.0 | $400–$2,800 | Moderate |
| DPF, EGR or DEF system failure | emissions | 1 | 1 | — | 88k | — | 0.0 | $800–$5,000 | High |
| Unclassified problem | other | 14 | 2 | — | 117k | — | 0.6 | — | Moderate |
Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 1999 Lexus Rx300 draws about 11 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 88th percentile of complaint rates among 1999 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.
The working figure is 23,441 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 1999 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Other powertrain problem
I own 1999 lexus rx300, since february of the last year, I had numerous problems with the car's engine (it has sludge), transmission, emission system, and over use of gas per mile. First problem started during the first month of my ownership and since that time the vehicle has spent weeks in auto repair shops. Lexus dealer and others charged me lavish fees but never fixed the problems and lexus dealers even never admitted that serious problems existed. *jb
Lexus rx300-have owned car since beginning 1999-never had a problem with car except normal tune ups and new brakes-however, that all changed september 2004. Yes, I've had the car 6 six years but with only 68,000 miles on the car which is considered low mileage use. While traveling to san diego to take my granddaughter back home from my current home at the time in aliso viejo, california my auto while on the I-5 just completely dropped out of gear-I had enough speed going that I was able to get off the freeway and came to a stop at the camp pendleton marine base front gates. The soldiers were able to push my car behind their station gate until aaa could send a truck to tow me and for my son to pick up my granddaughter there. My transmission was completely gone and cost me over $4,000.00 to get it fixed. I was told by the repairman that the planetary gear is what broke but that lexus has had to update the planetary gear for my model and year 4 (four) times. It sounds to me that lexus knows that they had a problem with this main gear and I want to know why there was never a recall to have it fixed. Lexus is rated tops so why would my…
Complete transmission failure
Transmission failure with 1999 rx300. My transmission is shot. We only have 85,000 miles on the car. The dealership is telling me that we should have changed the transmission oil more frequently. However, we were never approached with this recommendation during service visits. The vehicle has always been a little sluggish. We bought the vehicle in ca and two years ago moved to nc. During one of our first service visits, we asked them about the performance. The service staff at the time told us it was inherent to the design. Even worst, we bought the pre-own vehicle in ca. We were told that it was throughly inspected. They even presented a inspection certification certificate. We I presented this certificate to the dealer in nc, they are telling me that it does not match the VIN for my vehicle. Also, they can not track any information of this inspection in their internal network. Now I have a castistrophic failure on a vehicle that I bought for $30,000 with only 85,000 miles!?!? Please help with any recommendations. Thanks.
Transmission failure with 1999 rx300. My transmission is shot. We only have 85,000 miles on the car. The dealership is telling me that we should have changed the transmission oil more frequently. However, we were never approached with this recommendation during service visits. The vehicle has always been a little sluggish. We bought the vehicle in ca and two years ago moved to nc. During one of our first service visits, we asked them about the performance. The service staff at the time told us it was inherent to the design. Even worst, we bought the pre-own vehicle in ca. We were told that it was throughly inspected. They even presented a inspection certification certificate. We I presented this certificate to the dealer in nc, they are telling me that it does not match the VIN for my vehicle. Also, they can not track any information of this inspection in their internal network. Now I have a castistrophic failure on a vehicle that I bought for $30,000 with only 85,000 miles!?!? Please help with any recommendations. Thanks.
Other engine problem
I own 1999 lexus rx300, since february of the last year, I had numerous problems with the car's engine (it has sludge), transmission, emission system, and over use of gas per mile. First problem started during the first month of my ownership and since that time the vehicle has spent weeks in auto repair shops. Lexus dealer and others charged me lavish fees but never fixed the problems and lexus dealers even never admitted that serious problems existed. *jb
Had my 60,000 mile service done on my 1999 rx300. The wife drove it when I got home and told me the car was running sluggish, didn't accelerate like it did before I brought it in. I took the car out to drive it and feel what she was telling me and noticed that when I would let off the gas and coast them give it gas there was a clunking noise. I took it to the dealer, the mechanic heard the noise and said he wasn't sure what it was. The service person said that I should just drive it normal and not try to make it clunk and it should be ok. If it kept doing it to make an appointment to bring it back. Car will be out of warranty! In 4 months. *la
Recalls on the 1999 model year
NHTSA has issued 7 recall campaigns covering the 1999 Lexus Rx300, affecting an estimated 30,589 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.
The campaigns cover exterior lighting:headlights, exterior lighting and visibility:glass, side/rear. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.
Recalls also distort complaint counts. Publicity about a campaign reminds owners that complaining is possible, so reports for a recalled component often spike after the recall rather than before it.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
42,540 vehicles 2009-05-11- Defect
- Dope, inc. Is recalling 42,540 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. These headlamps fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." these lamps do not contain the required amber side reflectors.
- Consequence
- Decreased lighting visibility may result in a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dope, inc. Will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. The safety recall began on july 28, 2009. Owners may contact dope, inc. At 1-626-272-1798.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
16,270 vehicles 2009-04-07- Defect
- Sabersport is recalling 16,270 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. These headlamps fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." these lamps do not contain the required amber side reflectors.
- Consequence
- Decreased lighting visibility may result in a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Sabersport will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. The safety recall began on may 11, 2009. Owners may contact sabersport at 1-909-598-7589.
VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR
931 vehicles 2008-03-06- Defect
- Polymer process development is recalling 931 units of back glass, p/no. Fb20415zpy, sold as replacement equipment for use on 1999-2004 lexus rx300 vehicles. The glass fails to conform to the automotive glazing material requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 205, glazing materials.
- Consequence
- The purpose of this standard is to reduce injuries resulting from impact to glazing surfaces.
- Remedy
- Polymer will notify owners and replace the affected glass free of charge. The recall began on april 18, 2008. Owners may contact polymer toll-free at 800-510-9879.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
27,176 vehicles 2006-05-24- Defect
- Certain ck motorsports combination headlights, clear corner, bumper, and side marker lights sold as replacement lamps for use on the passenger vehicles listed above. Some combination lamps that are not equipped with amber side reflectors fail to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.
- Consequence
- Without the amber reflectors, the vehicle will be poorly illuminated, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash without warning.
- Remedy
- Ck motorsport will notify owners and replace the noncompliant lamps free of charge. The recall began on july 1, 2006. Owners may contact ck motorsport at 1-909-610-7211.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
61,944 vehicles 2006-03-23- Defect
- Certain pro-a motors corner lamps, turn signals, and headlights sold as replacement lamps for use on certain passenger vehicles listed above. Some combination lamps that are not equipped with amber side reflectors fail to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.
- Consequence
- Without the amber reflectors, the vehicle will be poorly illuminated, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash without warning.
- Remedy
- Pro-a motors will notify owners and offer to repurchase the lamps. The recall began on april 3, 2006. Owners may contact pro-a motors at 323-838-2988.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:SWITCH
23,441 vehicles 1999-01-20- Defect
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The headlights and taillights may not automatically illuminate in low ambient light when the headlight switch is placed in the "auto" position.
- Consequence
- Vehicles following behind may not see the vehicle since no headlights and taillights would be illuminated, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a modified body electronic control unit.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DIFFERENTIAL PROPORTIONAL VALVE
6,503 vehicles 1999-01-20- Defect
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with the optional traction control system. Due to improper design of the rear brake tube distribution, if one of the dual brake lines fails when the driver applies the brake, the vehicle will feel unstable compared to vehicles with proper rear brake tube distribution.
- Consequence
- This condition can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install modified brake tubes.
Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.
How it ranks in the 1999 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Where 1999 sits in the model line
High risk for a 1999 — 37th riskiest of the 303 1999 vehicles we can rate. The comparison is always within the same model year, so an older car is never penalised for having had longer to break.
Across the 5 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 1999 comes out best at 73 and 2001 worst at 79, with 1999 itself at 73.
No other year of this model scores meaningfully better than 1999, so if this generation is what you want, the year is not the lever.
Within the 1998–2003 generation specifically, 1999 is the strongest year at 73 and 2001 the weakest at 79.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.
Within the 1998-2003 generation, 1999 Lexus Rx300 scores best at 73 and 2001 Lexus Rx300 worst at 79.
What the numbers say to check
The mileages below are where the first quarter of reports for each mode had already been filed, which makes them the point at which a fault is worth looking for rather than the point at which it happens: other engine problem from about 68k, other powertrain problem from about 84k and complete transmission failure from about 89k.
On a 1999 Lexus Rx300 with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether other engine problem has been dealt with, and if so with what parts and at whose expense. A car that has already had the repair is in a different position from one that has not.
None of this is a diagnosis. It is a list of what other owners of the same model year reported, ordered by when they reported it, which is a good place to point an inspection and a poor place to stop.
The limits of complaint data
268 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 268 reports, 170 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 63% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
Named failure modes come from matching phrases in the complaint text, so a badly worded complaint can land in the wrong bucket. The effect washes out across hundreds of reports and does not wash out across five.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Lexus Rx300?
The most-reported failures are other powertrain problem (67 reports, median 105,000 miles), complete transmission failure (52 reports, median 110,000 miles) and other engine problem (17 reports, median 90,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
At what mileage do 1999 Lexus Rx300 problems start?
Other engine problem is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 90,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 70,000 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 104,000 miles.
Is the 1999 Lexus Rx300 reliable?
It scores 73 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 37th riskiest of the 303 1999 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 1999 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Lexus Rx300 is best?
Within the 1998–2003 generation, 1999 scores best at 73 out of 100 and 2001 worst at 79. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed