NHTSA Complaint #10236353 — 2001 LEXUS RX300

FIRST, THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO REVERSE. THEN, AFTER ATTEMPTING SEVERAL TIMES, THE CAR VIOLENTLY JERKED ME INTO REVERSE AND I ALMOST CRASHED. AFTER BACKING UP, I SHIFTED INTO DRIVE, BUT LOCKED UP ON ME AGAIN. AFTER REVVING THE ACCELERATOR AND TRYING DIFFERENT GEARS, FINALLY JERKED ME AND CHILDREN FORWARD INTO DRIVE. INITIALLY, LEXUS "SUPPOSEDLY" FIXED THE PROBLEM BY REPLACING O2 SENSOR, BUT PROBLEM RECURRED IN JUNE AGAIN. SINCE THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED AT LEXUS SHOP, THEY GAVE ME MY CAR WITHOUT ANY REPAIR. THEN, A MORE SERIOUS OCCURRENCE HAPPENED IN MID JULY WHEN THE GEAR GOT STUCK WHILE DRIVING. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 30 MPH WHEN GEAR GOT STUCK, SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL, THEN VIOLENTLY JERKED ME AND KIDS FORWARD AND INTO DRIVE AGAIN. CHILDREN AND I WERE VERY FRIGHTENED. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE NOT ONLY ARE YOU DROPPED OUT OF GEAR INTO NEUTRAL WHILE CAR IS IN MOTION, BUT THEN YOU ARE SUDDENLY JERKED FORWARD INTO DRIVE. TO MAKE IT WORSE, ITS FREQUENCY IS ERRATIC SO YOU JUST HOPE THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN ON THE FREEWAY. ACCORDING TO MANY ONLINE BLOGS (ESPECIALLY EDMUNDS.COM), IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT 1999-2001 LEXUS HAS BUT WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE. MOSTLY HAPPENS AT ABOUT 65,000 MILES. DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL ALREADY. ARE WE WAITING FOR THERE TO BE A FATALITY OR SERIOUS INJURY FOR THIS TO RECEIVE ATTENTION? *TR