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Lexus RX 300 Check Engine, VSC and TRAC OFF Lights

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Comments

  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    You just got HAD to the tune of that $300 upcharge, there is NO "code" indicating gell.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Start by cleaning and burnishing the battery posts/connections.
  • cars4funcars4fun Member Posts: 5
    my 2000 rx has had this engine light thing going on for years now.....
    Stopped going to the local "stealership" about 4 years ago, and have a great mechanic here in Baltimore who only works on Japanese cars.....
    He has replaced O2 sensors on the car, yet the engine light came back on again. He thinks it is the gasket assembly around the gas cap. another expensive repair just to make the engine light go out.....
    ... but if the engine light is on, at least in my neck of the woods, you cannot pass your emissions test! so this is a real pain. more $$$

    another annoyance, I'm curious to know if anyone else had this happen, the "D" (drive) light on the dashboard went out. just the D. the P, R, and others still illuminate. to fix this one little stupid light, requires that the entire dash be taken apart!!! how stupid is this? never had this sort of thing happen in any other car in the last 30 years...

    I have concluded that there are only 2 options: keep the car til it dies (which could be in a month or in 10 years) or trade in at some dealer--- or carmax. guess they will fix the issues and resell. cannot possibly sell on the open market, as these stupid problems will cause the car to flunk the inspection. so I guess we just keep on driving it. it's been a great vehicle, and other than these stupid problems it has been a totally reliable car. don't think I will get another RX.. all the bells and whistles just cost you a LOT of bread.

    one other annoyance, I'd like to know if anyone else has had: the door locks. I have replaced all of them in less than 10 years, and the driver's door TWICE! that is ridiculous... and at $500 a piece, that is crazy. I thought my house was a money pit, but this car is truly a money dump. I hope it does not hear me making snide remarks about it, as it sits peacefully in the garage while it snows outside.....

    what is everyone buying these days? I need a new car!
  • la4meadla4mead Member Posts: 347
    edited January 2011
    1. CEL codes should help diagnose the problem causing the CEL to come on. I DIY and the local Toyota Dealer I have a relationship with told me what needed fixing. They get an A+ for the extra help and earned my loyalty for maint and repair that are too involved for a home wrencher.

    The only problem that I've had with the CEL was the MAFS and since I cleaned it correctly, everything's been great. Yours might be some other easy fix; I'd try a different dealer (Toyota?) that you have, or are looking to build a relationship with.

    2. The "D" indicator in the combination meter is not essential because it's in addition to the actual indicator, and I can't see how your inspection would fail because of that. The gearshift indicator will clearly show "D" like any car that does not have a redundant display (remember all your other cars).

    This is a common light bulb to need replacement, and most cars need indicator bulbs replaced by the time they are 12 years old. "Search" the forum and you will find detailed explanation of "how to" if you want to DIY. If not, it's probably not worth paying a mechanic to replace. No the whole dash doesn't need to come out, just the combo meter (not a fun job). I've been toying with replacing mine, but it just doesn't bother me anyway.

    I understand your frustration with CEL, but in my experience it's usually a lot easier to fix on the RX than most other cars this age. That's been my experience. I have a Ranger that has a perpetual CEL and it's been a constant series of repairs but they have not solved the problem, so I understand. And that car has always had difficult to replace meter bulbs going bad since it was new. Replaced them a few times, not fun, and there are still more burned out again. I hope you find an end to your frustration. I'd get rid of the car if you just don't like it enough to repair.

    P.S. I've had the drivers door lock replaced under warrantee, and had to do it again myself out of warrantee. The part was expensive and not fun. The passenger rear lock has gotten weak when the car sat for a long time between uses and sometimes the battery is weak. The door lock actuators are a nuisance because they are a pain to replace and the part is packaged with the whole lock assembly. I'm going to take another's advice and stop by an alarm shop and have them install a generic lock actuator bypassing the one built into the lock. It should be a whole lot less expensive that way. You might find that suggestion on a search of this forum (try "door lock", etc.), ClubLexus, etc. Even if you don't do the work yourself, it helps to read alternative solutions other owners have come up with.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Seems unlikely that both A/F mixture control oxygen sensors failed simultaneously so where do I look first..?

    Cleared the codes twice, once via disconnecting the battery for 10 minutes, the second time with the OBDII reader, came back both times.
  • la4meadla4mead Member Posts: 347
    I've got p1150 and p1155 on mine; the a/f sensor for each bank. P1155 shows up as "pending" and I don't know what that really means. I assumed I should change both, anyway. I haven't had the time to replace them myself, and serious cash flow issues so I'm not taking it to a dealer. I hate the retina-burning brightness of the CEL and the "Trac Off" lights on dark roads.

    I'm guessing the system is detecting an error comparing the two a/f ratio sensor readings, could that be what's going on? There is lots of info from other owners on Club Lexus forums (some seem to be pretty savvy). There are really helpful photos posted by members.

    I guess I'll have to order both a/f sensors; that's probably the best route. After 13 years I guess the car's earned a new set. The sensor in back (bank 1 is it?) looks like it will be a knucle-buster to unplug, and then a trip to the chiropractor afterward.

    The OEM replacement sensor sold under the Denso part number appears to be the least expensive route to get OEM. $110 each through Amazon (unless the price changes while I'm online again).

    Let us know what you figure out. I'm sure others have had this come up, too.
  • ktcktc Member Posts: 30
    I also got both CEL and VSC lights on for my 2001 RX300 after 98000 miles, take the mass air flow sensor out (2 screws, sensor located on the air duct after air filter), spray it with alcohol, let it dry out, then reinstall it, and fix the problem, no cost and no need to replace the sensor
  • la4meadla4mead Member Posts: 347
    That is a good fix for the dirty MAFS (but won't help if the a/f ratio sensor (what used to be known as an oxygen sensor) is providing a faulty reading.
  • la4meadla4mead Member Posts: 347
    I scanned my codes again... Mine is showing both p1150 (perf malf bank 2 sensor 1) and p1155 (sensor heater circuit malf bank 1 sensor 1). Sensor 1 is the a/f sensor for each bank, bank 1 is the side facing the firewall, bank 2 is the side facing the radiator...

    The question is: could it be the bank 1 (firewall) sensor's heater circuit is bad, and that's the only problem. Or, do I need to order two new sensors (the part# is the same for each). Perhaps it shows the other sensor error based on comparing the two readings? Any ideas?
  • garytruonggarytruong Member Posts: 1
    My wife 07 lexus rx 350 check engine, vsc and trac off light came on couple of days ago, I drive it to check out anything unusual, sure enough I notice the steering wheel vibrates for 2 or 3 seconds every now and then, but every time this happen, the engine light starts blinking a few time and stay on steady. I took the car to my mechanic and he hook up the code reader, and he said the one of the inigtion coil is bad, this cause the engine to vibrate once a while and the check engine light blinking. I bought an inigtion coil cost 122 dollars from the dealer and the mechanic put it in and the all the lights turn off by them self, no need to reset like some people post in the forum. One more important issue that I want to mention here is depend on which coil is bad, because there are 6 inigtion coils in the car, and position 1to 6 , coil 2, 4, 6 are very easy to replace, anyone can turn a wrench can replace these coils, however coil 1,3,5 are located in the back of the engine and require a lot of labor to reach the coils. The mechanic will determine which coil is bad and will charge you accordingly. my bad coil happen to be number 5 so he charge me 100 dollars for labor, base on informations in the forum, I notice coil # 5 use to be the norm.
  • neecy57neecy57 Member Posts: 1
    edited September 2011
    Hello,
    I have a RX300 2002 that I purchased in July of last year so far only minor problems the car had 80,000 mi at purchase but what's brothering me is I hear a slight hum when I am idleing at stop light I've had this checked by a certified mechanic who only works on Lexus he hears it too he put it on a machine, checked everything to no avail I had a small hole in my flex pipe he changed that other than that the car runs like a dream for a 9yr old car. It was a one owner car no accidents garage kept paint looks like new. Does anyone else have this problem? It's not loud just annoying . In winter it's a little louder in summer not so.
  • becungbecung Member Posts: 1
    other day we had the same problem 0n 2001 rx300 with codes 1130 & 1150 and also lean bank1 & bank 2. misfire cylinder #1,3&5. we changed the camshaft actuator solenoid on bank1. test drove the car- got no more misfire cylinder #1,3 &5. but still had codes 1130 , 1150 and bank 1 & bank 2 lean. we cleaned out the fuel injection system and done deal. problem fixed. clean fuel system on this car take a long time to disable the fuel pump.
    to save time we ran a hose from fuel outlet to direct to fuel tank cap.
  • aecpharmdaecpharmd Member Posts: 2
  • garx300garx300 Member Posts: 2
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
  • jaswoodjaswood Member Posts: 7
    '01 "AWD" RX300, ~90,000 miles.

    Diagnostics indicated both l/r rear speed sensors out plus rear vehicle heigth sensor out.

    Suspected, inspected, for rear cable broken, kicked up road debris...?

    Nothing there.

    Opened passenger side kick panel and discovered.....WATER.

    Connector set, IM1,IM2, SOAKED.

    Water source, dripping, seems to be quite high up, seemingly just to the right of the CD player "box". Disassembled inlet cowling but could not replicate problem even with water pouring down the windshield and into the air inlet ducts for A/C intake airflow.

    Disconnected, cleaned and dried ,(hair dryer,) both IM1,2 connectors and fault indicators extinguished.

    Anyone experience this...? Ideas for fix?
  • xath101xath101 Member Posts: 1
    Prices are a little steeper, $185 Coil - back odd cylinder labor around $230. $415 total plus tax on coil at Lexus of Las Vegas.

    I currently just had lights turn on again without vehicle shaking.
  • jake132jake132 Member Posts: 1
    Im having the same problem I as I keep reading about, trac off, vsc and check engine light... I checked and it was still there... lol. I replaced bank 2 sensor 1 cleared code and lights came back ten minutes later I checked the hoses on the air box not disconnected.. what do you mean by cross pins 14 and 24?? maybe this could help me with my problem?
  • cseafoxcseafox Member Posts: 1
    Thank you all for suggestions to check gas cap. All dash lights went off after tightening cap!! :)
  • laurasdadalaurasdada Member Posts: 4,732
    Recently, all the usual suspect lights lit on our '02 RX300. Turned out to gas cap was cracked, new gas cap and the lights went out. For about a week: came back on, need a new vapor recovery valve, which means need a whole new vapor recovery canister. Which means $$$. Putting it off, as I'm assured only performance/mpg is being affected (and spark plugs), not polluting. And I'll need four new tires before the snow flies...any suggestions for tires?

    '21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)

  • moe4432001moe4432001 Member Posts: 1
    Hi ! I have the same issue with those three lights the thing is when they come on the motor shakes a little and the next day it's smooth but with the three lights on still. Can anyone help me with that?
  • looknow1looknow1 Member Posts: 1
    Lexus RX300 : Year 2000 . I got a new battery . The next day , I saw engine sign on dash board . I thought it is O2 sensor . However , the same night after a stop for 15 minutes ,the car will not start and clock is reset . The car started after using jumper cables . The car now starts fine and engine sign is gone . However , I wonder if the problem will return and whether the engine sign means that the battery is dying or something wrong with the alternator . I would like to fix the problem before it can happen again . Any ideas ??
  • bill10snutbill10snut Member Posts: 1
    When I searched for the CEL, Traction Control and VSC lights on issue . . . "somewhere" on one of these forum-type sites was buried a suggestion to remove the EFI fuse (#14) for 30 seconds. I did and voila, the lights went out and have not come back on (it's been a week)!
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