Hey everyone,

My dad recently picked up a 2015 Lexus RX350 from auction sight unseen. It's a one-owner Carfax, dealer only service history, 95K mile car. Interior and exterior has been kept in really good condition and the fluids, tires, and brake pads look new too. However, we have a weird transmission issue:

• In Drive: The car drives forwards.
• In Reverse: The car also drives forwards.
  

The first thing my mind went to is that the shifter cable / shifter linkage is having an issue, prices on them aren't too bad so I can replace them with not too much difficulty. Before I go ahead and purchase them though, has anyone seen this happen on these cars? Any advice on what else to look for would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

Other than R and D there are other positions. The cable problem would mess up all of them. Also the display indicates the position selected. Is that in sync with gear position?

If you access to lift, you can see if the other end of the cable shifting the selector rod at the transmission.

Salim

 

The vehicle shows all the appropriate positions in the cluster when I use the shifter, drive acts as drive, park is parked, neutral is neutral, reverse shows up as reverse on the gauge cluster, but the car drives forward when in reverse.

I'm going to try and get the car on a lift tomorrow or Friday.

 

Do you have these dealer service records?
If not, and you know which dealer, you could call them up and ask if the transmission has been serviced, repaired, had the fluid changed, had this problem etc.

If you have the VIN you can go the the Lexus Drivers Site, join for free, and after entering the VIN look up the dealer service history. https://support.lexus.com/s/article/...ew-my-ser-8226
I do this for all used Toyotas or Lexus I consider purchasing.
​​​​​​Join the Lexus Drivers Site (free) then enter the VIN of the vehicle you plan to purchase and with a little hunting you can find the dealer service history.
Be warned that the site is sometimes cranky about finding service histories.
​​​​​​https://www.lexus.com/My-Lexus

To see the service history at Lexus Drivers do the following:
On the page that lists the car whose VIN you entered there will be a line that states
Vehicle Health Report
Learn More - click this box
Then on the next page it will state
My Service
On the right side it will state Service History
View History - click this box to see the service history
The it will slowly take you to a page you need to scroll down to see the service history
Each entry will be a line, click on the + at the side to see more about each entry
__________________

 

Weak battery or connections can also appear as transmission shifting problems, interested to hear of repair result.

 

It looks like the transmission is on its last legs.
Either the friction plates have fused together due to overheating, or a valve in the valve body has possibly seized. It is also possible that the manual valve inside the valve body is malfunctioning, causing pressure to be constantly directed to the forward clutch packs.

Lift the vehicle on a hoist; if, while in NEUTRAL, the wheels spin forward with significant force and are difficult to stop by hand, it indicates that the friction packs have welded together.
Connect a scanner and check the live data to see what commands the TCM is sending to the solenoids. If everything looks correct, the problem definitely isn't electrical.
Additionally, during a comprehensive diagnostic inspection, it will be necessary to drain the transmission fluid to check for a burnt odor and discoloration, as well as to inspect the magnets inside the oil pan for the presence of metal shavings.

Hope for the best, but be prepared for a transmission rebuild or replacement.
I could be wrong, though. Advice found on a forum is just that—advice—not a guaranteed bullseye or a call for drastic measures.
Do not take any action without a full professional diagnostic!

Was the car sold at auction "as-is," or did it come with a warranty (that is still valid) allowing you to return it?