There are 3 stored owner reports matching the engine leading-label group for the 2003 Lexus RX in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 3 of 3 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)2003 LEXUS RX300 VEHICLE STALLED. REPLACE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE TWICE**CW** THE CONSUMER ALSO REFERENCED A TOYOTA HIGHLANDER THAT HAD THE SAME STALLING ISSUE. *JB
THIS COMPLAINT IS ALMOST IDENTICAL TO OTHERS I HAVE FOUND AND IS VERY SERIOUS. PURCHASED 2003 LEXUS RX300 FROM A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP; APPROXIMATELY 57000 MILES NOW, ABOUT 56000 AT PURCHASE. CAR CHECKED BY DEALERSHIP, OK. NO HARD DRIVING. AFTER FIRST DISTANCE TRIP (ST. LOUIS TO KC) CHECK OIL LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOWED TO LEXUS DEALER WHO KNEW RIGHT WHERE TO LOOK. FOUND GELLED SLUDGE ALL THROUGH AND SAID IT WAS MISUSE. COMPLETE LIE. SAID ENGINE MUST BE REPLACED. NO HELP SO FAR FROM LEXUS. EXPECT TO SEE IF THIS IS HIDDEN DEFECT IN ENGINE, SINCE I HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET THAT READ ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME.
WHILE TRAVELING OUT TO DENVER FROM OMAHA, RECEIVED LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT ON MY 2003 LEXUS RX300. PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY, HAD CAR TOWED TO LEXUS DEALERSHIP. THEY IMMEDIATELY KNEW WHAT TO LOOK FOR AND SAY..THE CAR HAS BEEN MISUSED, (NO OIL CHANGES) AND OIL GELLING WAS RESULT. WITHIN MINUTES THEY SAID THE ENGINE WAS SHOT AND WOULD REQUIRE NEW ENGINE. THEY SHOWED ME THE SLUDGE WHICH WAS ONLY FOUND ON ONE CYLINDER HEAD, BY THE OIL RETURN LINE. QUANTITY WAS ABOUT ONE HANDFUL AND AS STATED, ONLY NEAR THE RETURN LINE, REMAINDER OF HEAD CLEAN. I HAD CHANGED OIL NIGHT BEFORE TRIP. THEY WILL NOT HONOR POWER TRAIN WARRANTY, SINCE I CANNOT PROVE OIL WAS CHANGED EVERY 7500 MILES. CAR HAS 50,000, AND I PURCHASED CAR FROM INDIVIDUAL WHO STATED HE ALWAYS MAINTAINED CAR BUT CANNOT PROVE WITH RECEIPTS. CALLED CUSTOMER SATISFACTION LINE WHO SAID UNLESS I PROVE THE ORIGINAL OWNER HAD OIL CHANGED THEY WOULD NOT HONOR. DEALERSHIP HAD STATED TODAY THAT ONLY ONE HEAD IS DAMAGED, THE OTHER IS FINE. SHORT BLOCK WILL REQUIRE REPLACEMENT AS WELL. IF IT WAS AN OIL CHANGE ISSUE WOULDN'T THE SLUDGE BE IN BOTH HEADS AND WHY WAS THE SLUDGE ONLY FOUND IN ONE SMALL SECTION OF HEAD, BY OIL RETURN LINE. IF THIS WERE A LACK OF MAINTENANCE, SLUDGE SHOULD BE EVERYWHERE (BOTH HEADS) NOT JUST ONE AREA...LEXUS STATED IT IS MY FAULT AND THEY DO NOT HAVE A DESIGN ISSUE WITH THIS V-6 ALTHOUGH I HAVE NEVER SEEN OIL GEL LIKE THIS...REGARDLESS OF MAINTENANCE HISTORY. LEXUS REPUTATION IS BIG JOKE IF THEIR ENGINES CAN'T MAKE IT 50,000 MILES. *NM
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Aug 30, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.