Does anyone know about a possible class action law suit against Toyota / Lexus regarding transmission problems in the 2018 ~ 2020 RX 350 and several other vehicles. I read a little about it on classaction.org but it did not state that a suit had been filed. Seems they were gathering information to see if they have a case. I want to know more like IF they are moving forward with a class action suit before buying a 2020 RX.

 

Quick question

Why would you buy a car that you are so unsure of. That you might be part of a future class action law suit?

Just buy one of those fantastic German made cars. I hear they are great.

 

Hopefully I won't experience it on my car. Haven't notice anything weird on 2020 RX yet, 1500 miles.

 

you could test drive the 450, and not worry about the transmission ??

 

From my understanding, Lexus and Toyota uses Aisin transmissions which are good quality. Lexus/Toyota's transmission tuning on their end is good, too.

Sounds to me, like you've never owned a german car before and are simply going off of what you've read online. Not personal experience.

 

Have we had any posts of transmission failures in the RX? I don’t think we do. That transmission is used in many Toyota/Lexus products and I’ve never heard of problems or any class action suit.

I wouldn’t worry about it one bit.

 

Recent 8, 9, and 10-speed transmissions from a number of manufacturers, overall, have, in fact, had more problems than earlier units with fewer speeds. This is partly because they are more complex mechanically and electronically, partly because not all of them have been perfected yet, and partly because they use thin, lightweight aluminum and plastic parts instead of the old steel and cast-iron. Some of the problems have also been from poorly-designed shifters, as with some Jeep Grand Cherokees.

 

The major factor would be how the manufacturer tuned the transmission. The 8 speed ZF in BMW's for example is an absolutely excellent unit with zero transmission issues, no gear hunting, very accurate shift points, almost telepathic with the way it choose gears. The EXACT SAME transmission in the Grand Cherokee (tuned by FCA instead of BMW, mind you) has tons and tons of failures. Gives a good transmission a bad name simply because FCA did the software mapping themselves.

Read my above post

 

GM made the transmission yes, but GM engineers were also responsible for tuning the gearbox as well.

Even if the 8L90E is a good gearbox in terms of mechanical design, which it may be, software tuning for a trans is no easy business. If the engineers didn't do a good job, (which, considering they are GM engineers, is likely) then the transmission is going to be garbage.

 

I believe this thread is in reference to the following lawsuit: https://www.classaction.org/toyota-h...ssion-lawsuits

From this blurb alone, I think it's safe to conclude the complaints are unfounded:

re: the Sienna,



When it comes to the RX:

I don't understand this at all. If you are getting 6000-7000 RPM before a shift, outside of a defect, the only reason would be that you are giving the car significant throttle input, as in, almost full throttle. Also, "randomly"? I am not sure I believe that.

The fact that the 2018-2020 Lexus GS 350 is listed also makes me suspicious, since it doesn't even use the same transmission. Neither does the 2018 ES 350 - in fact, it uses a 6-speed, not an 8-speed.

 

I had two Grand Cherokees and I've read their forums a good bit, I don't know anything about FAILURES. People complain about the shift mapping...

 

Been driving Lexus's since 2001 the RX specifically... I know the product and love it! I was just posting to see if anyone had any knowledge of this possible class action suit. I like being informed. I'm not knocking Lexus in anyway, just trying to decide should I buy a 2020 or wait until 2021... maybe as suggested I'll look into the hybrid since I've never owned one.
As for as the suggestion to buy a German made car... NO thank you. Been there, done that and learned a expensive lesson. I drive Lexus!!!

 

I've always thought Toyota and Lexus transmissions have largely been very good to drive. The one exception I can think of is the new 2018+ Camry's 8-speed. It's not as smooth as the 6-speed in an older Camry, and it takes longer to downshift due to it having so many ratios. However, the one in the RX and ES, while possibly the same unit as the Camry, seems to be tuned a lot better. I didn't experience weirdness when driving either of those vehicles.

Just test-drive the car and see if it behaves to your liking. I am honestly thinking a lot of the complaints come from drivers who didn't get what they were expecting out of the vehicle.

 

That has more to do with how the shift points and the transmission is mapped, not the number of ratios. Manufacturers tune their gearbox to get into the highest gear as soon as possible and be reluctant to downshift unless you are generous with the throttle in order to make a more economical product.

 

Outside of dual-clutch transmissions, or transmissions that are capable of skipping gears, the number of gears is undeniably important. If I am in a 10-speed-auto-equipped vehicle, going 80 MPH, in 10th gear, and I floor the accelerator, it will take some time to get to 3rd or 4th gear. That's what I mean. Obviously if I am going at a lower speed, the mapping comes into play more. One vehicle might be in 6th gear at 40 MPH, whereas another might be in 8th depending on the way the shifts are mapped. So what you say is true, but there's no getting around the number of ratios when I am cruising in top gear, all other things being equal.

edit: For an example, the 6-speed in my IS has no fancy technology to skip gears, yet it is near-instantaneous in how it can go from 6th gear to 3rd for passing on the highway. I've driven an IS 350 RWD with the 8-speed, and it take noticeably longer, even though that 8-speed transmission is more advanced.