Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | ||||||
| DP09001 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. | 04/08/2009 | 10/29/2009 | UNWANTED AND UNINTENDED ACCELERATION | ||
| The office of defects investigation (odi) opened dp09-001 on april 8, 2009, to evaluate a defect petition requesting additional investigation of potential throttle control system defects unrelated to floor mat interference with accelerator pedals in model year (my) 2007 lexus es 350 vehicles.the petitioner referenced an earlier odi investigation concerning floor mat interference with accelerator pedal return (pe07-016/ea07-010), which he stated was too narrow in scope as it did not include all incidents of unwanted acceleration and consider all potential causes of vehicle speed control concerns.the petition also requested an investigation of my 2002-2003 lexus es300 for those 'longer duration incidents involving uncontrollable acceleration where brake pedal application allegedly had no effect' that were determined not to be within the scope of investigation pe04-021. as background, the petitioner owns a my 2007 lexus es350 that allegedly experienced an unwanted and uncontrolled acceleration event (odi complaint number 10261660).toyota concluded that the incident was caused by an unsecured floor mat. to assess the petitioner's request, odi interviewed the petitioner, inspected his vehicle, reviewed information submitted by toyota, reviewed owner complaints alleging incidents of unwanted acceleration in the subject vehicles and material related to the investigations cited by the petitioner.odi identified 64 complaints alleging incidents of unwanted acceleration in my 2007 lexus vehicles, resulting in 8 crashes and 15 injuries.odi's analysis of these complaints determined that 50 (78%) involved incidents of floor mat interference, including 7 (88%) of the crashes and all 15 injuries.therefore, odi's analysis found that the only defect trend related to vehicle speed control in the subject vehicles involved the potential for accelerator pedals to become trapped near the floor by out-of-position or inappropriate floor mat installations. on october 5, 2009, toyota initiated a safety recall (recall 09v-388) to address concerns with potential accelerator pedal entrapment by floor mats in approximately 3.8 million vehicles, including the subject vehicles.except insofar as the petitioner's contentions relate to that recall, the factual bases of the petitioner's contentions that any further investigation is necessary are unsupported. in our view, additional investigation is unlikely to result in a finding that a defect related to motor vehicle safety exists or a nhtsa order for the notification and remedy of a safety-related defect, as alleged by the petitioner, at the conclusion of the requested investigation.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize nhtsa's limited resources to best accomplish the agency's safety mission, the petition is denied.this action does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will take further action if warranted by future circumstances.please see thefederal register notice for further details. | ||||||
| DP05002 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. | 08/05/2005 | 01/05/2006 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | ||
| In a letter dated july 8, 2005, and after experiencing two incidents (and one crash) where he alleges his model year (my) 2002 camry accelerated without driver input, mr. jordan ziprin petitioned the national highway traffic safety administration | ||||||
| PE04021 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. | 03/03/2004 | 07/22/2004 | THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM | ||
| The lexus models were the subject of defect petition (dp) 04-003.twelve odi complaints are duplicative to toyota reports, including the two minor crashes.the v6 equipped solara models have been excluded because they do not contain the subject throttle control system.toyota introduced electronic throttle control (etc) on the subject vehicles beginning in model year (my) 2002.odi opened the investigation to determine if the system could be the cause of complaints alleging the engine speed increased, or failed to decrease, (for a short duration) when the accelerator pedal was not depressed (the alleged defect).during the course of the investigation, odi analyzed agency data and reviewed vehicle owner questionnaire (voq) reports, conducted interviews involving 113 voq and 36 toyota reports, inspected two complainant vehicles, reviewed relevant toyota service and new car feature documentation, reviewed and analyzed toyota | ||||||
| DP04003 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. | 02/17/2004 | 03/05/2004 | THROTTLE CONTROL SYSTEM | ||
| The population number noted above is estimated.in the january 15th, 2004 petition request letter to the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa), the petitioner identified 37 voq complaints as related to vehicle speed control issues similar to those the petitioner allegedly experienced in their own vehicle on multiple occasions (as described in the petition request letter).during it's consideration of the request, the office of defects investigation (odi) reviewed the 37 complaints and concluded that 34 of the complaints did not involve a throttle control issue as described and alleged by the petitioner; three voqs (one of which is the petitioner's) do allege a throttle control issue.however, the throttle control issues alleged by the petitioner are similar to those alleged in the supporting voqs for preliminary evaluation pe04-021 which involves the throttle control system on model year 2002 and 2003 toyota camry and camry solara models.based on odi's review of available service information, it appears the throttle control system manufactured on the lexus es300 models is the same as, or similar to, the throttle control system used on the toyota camry and camry solara models.accordingly, the es300 models will be added to the scope of pe04-021 and the petition is granted. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | |||
| 08/16/2011 | 139450 | ||
| My 2002 lexus es 200 was dying or not starting at all. suddenly, it was working fine. 2 days later, while idling or when my foot was on the brake, it would lurch forward and start accelerating at sometimes 40mph. i had to slam on the brakes, then emergency brake to stop, then after i turned it off, it would shake forward. | |||
| 08/04/2011 | 74000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2002 lexus es300. while driving at approximately 5 mph and depressing the brake pedal the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own and crashed into the vehicle in front of the contact. the contact experienced pain on the right shoulder, chest and upper arm. the driver of the other vehicle was transported by ambulance to the hospital because she experienced back pain. the police reported to the scene and a report was filed. the vehicle was towed to an auto body shop. the vehicle sustained damage to the front end. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a complaint was filed. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 74,000. ds | |||
| 05/10/2011 | 95000 | ||
| I was stopped at a red light approximately 3-4 ft. behind a utility truck. suddenly the car surged forward and hit the rear end of the truck in front of me. | |||
| 12/14/2009 | 1 | ||
| 2002 lexus es200. attorney writes on behalf of client in regards to unintended acceleration *tgw the attorney stated his client was injured when the vehicle accelerated on its own and crashed into wall and metal fence, even though the brakes were being applied. *jb | |||
| 08/13/2009 | 60000 | 1 | |
| I had just left my doctor's office and gone to a parking structure where i had parked my car for the visit. i paid the parking charge, got back my validated ticket, and inserted the ticket in the gate-arm machine. the gate lifted, and i put my foot lightly on the accelerator to exit from the parking structure into the street. the car then picked up speed, well past what it should have picked up based on the light pressure i had put on the accelerator, and the brakes had no effect. the car went faster and faster, crossed a street, and crashed into a concrete wall. on impact, the airbags were deployed. i suffered serious back pain, and my wife was in the hospital for three nights with two broken ribs. the car was totaled. *tr | |||
| 09/12/2007 | 40000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 lexus es300. while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle accelerated and crashed into the back of a vehicle.the contact and a witness were surprised that the wheels continued to spin after the vehicle had stopped moving. a week later the vehicle accelerated again without warning and crashed into the side of a bank. a police report was filed. there were no injuries. the failure mileage was 40000 and the current mileage was 78409, the vin was not available. | |||
| 10/22/2007 | 30000 | 1 | |
| Sudden acceleration leading to impact with home. police report dated 10-22-07 indicates sudden uncontrolled acceleration. scared to drive vehicle again. *tr | |||
| 03/07/2010 | 84500 | 1 | |
| While pulling into a parking space the car engine revved higher and car jumped forward. my foot was already on the brake so i pressed brake all the way down. the car stopped but the engine kept revving at just over 3000rpm. i put car in neutral and engine remained at just over 3000rpm. i then put car in park and engine rpm shot to over 6000 at which i immediately tuned key to off. i never took foot off brake during this time. i then turned car back on and everything was back to normal. this has never happened before and we have had the car since new from dealer. *tr | |||
| 08/14/2007 | 135000 | 1 | |
| Sudden unintended acceleration of 2002 lexus es 300 . my wife was operating her vehicle when it suddenly accelerated to 95 mph the brakes did not stop the vehicle and my wife applied the emergency brakes. fortunately traffic was light on the wb 101 w/of 405 fwy in los angeles ca she pulled on the shoulder passing numerous vehicles she placed the car in neutral and with full brake applications the car slowed after a few miles. i contacted lexus dealer who advised me this vehicle wasn't included in the recall and that i would have to pay for the diagnostic and i am appalled at this it occurred once and i feel its electronic the mat was not a factor. *tr | |||
| 07/11/2007 | 65000 | 1 | |
| Sudden acceleration from a stop in a line of traffic resulted in collision with vehicle in front. vehicle was 2002 lexus es 300. several prior sudden acceleration events had previously occurred. contact with lexus dealer resulted in no assistance. *tr | |||
| 01/29/2010 | 27200 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2002 lexus es300. the contact stated as he backed out of a parking space the vehicle accelerated and crashed into a parked vehicle. no one was injured. a police report is available if needed. the back end of the vehicle was damaged in the crash. the vehicle was able to be driven to contact's home and later to a body shop for repair. the toyota manufacturer was called and now the contact was waiting for a representative to return his call. the contact stated prior to the crash he had the acceleration problem, he took the vehicle to the lexus dealer they checked the vehicle but found no failure with the vehicle. the failure mileage was 27,200. | |||
| 11/22/2009 | 92000 | 1 | |
| I experienced the problem after my 90,000 scheduled major maintenance. on 11/22/09, i returned to my car and found the windows and sun roof were opened. i had not engaged the remote to do this. i got in the car and closed the windows and sun roof. i drove approx one and a half miles. i slowed the car to prepare to park. i turned into the parking space and noticed that the car was not stopping. i pressed on the brake and the car suddenly surged forward crossing over a curb and striking a parked car. while at the body shop a lexus technition went in to check the car and said he found everything to be within specifications. previously reported by phone but the account was not complete. *tr | |||
| 06/15/2009 | 73000 | 1 | |
| I was driving my 2002 lexus e300 on rte95 in providence r.i. i was in the middle lane traveling at the speed of the traffic--65mph. suddenly t check engine warning light came on and without warning when i stepped on the gas pedal there was no response. i was in the midst of heavy traffic losing speed rapidly. fortunately i was able to coast to the edge of the road . the chip which feeds gas to the engine failed. *tr | |||
| 02/12/2009 | 60000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2002 lexus es300. while driving approximately 5 mph out of a parking space pressure was applied to the accelerator pedal followed by an unintended increase in speed. the vehicle failed to slow down and crashed into the residence home and a tree. there were no injuries. the police was notified. the vehicle was completely destroyed and it was towed to an auto collision facility. the vehicle identification number was unavailable. the failure mileage was 60,000. | |||
| 07/14/2009 | 96000 | 1 | |
| My experience happened on july 14, 2009. i was easing into my parking place at the college where i teach, going about zero miles per hour, when all of a sudden i was plummeted into a tree less that five feet in front of me so hard that it totaled my 2002 lexus. the forward movement felt like an airplane in takeoff mode. *tr | |||
| 11/12/2009 | 45000 | 1 | |
| Tl* the contact owns a 2002 lexus es 300. while entering a parking space, the vehicle accelerated without intention. the vehicle went over the side-walk and crashed into a parked vehicle. after hitting the vehicle, she put the vehicle in reverse, but the vehicle then accelerated into a tree. a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed to a collision center. the current and failure mileages were approximately 45,000. updated 12/16/09 *bf pictures received. updated 12/16/09 | |||
| 10/15/2005 | 18655 | 2 | 08/03/2004 |
| My 2002 lexus 3000 suddenly accelerated as i was pulling forward into a parking space and crashed into a building. when it happened, my foot was resting lightly on the brake, preparing to brake to a stop, and letting the car idle into the spot. i had a similar thing happen about 4 months ago. *jb the consumer sustained some bruises as a result of the crash. updated 12/19/05. *jb *nm the vehicle was inspected by one of toyotas field technicians. the technician determined that the electronic throttle, brake system and other engine operating parameters were functioning properly. *nm | |||
| 07/15/2005 | 74500 | 1 | 11/24/2004 |
| I had pulled into my garage. i had my foot on the brake and lifted it a little to inch forward to my mark ( to allow for the garage door to close) when the car just surged forward! fortunately i applied the brake hard, since my foot was by the brake, but i banged into the garage wall and did damage to the car and the wall. *jb | |||
| 07/27/2005 | 1 | 03/01/2002 | |
| Dt: consumer owned a 2002 es 300. consumer was getting into a parking place when he went over a speed bump, he stopped with vehicle in reverse, then, placed the car in drive and the vehicle surged forward, consumer tried to apply brake and brakes failed. the vehicle would not stop, ended up striking a concrete pillar. there were no injuries. no police report, but it was reported to insurance company. the vehicle was moving forward with great force and brakes could not stop vehicle. consumer was aware of an investigation that was in progress on this matter. although investigation was officially closed, nhtsa said that they would monitor these type of vehicles. consumer said that investigation was on the electronic throttle control.*ak | |||
| 10/20/2002 | 25000 | 9 | |
| When the gas pedal was applied, the vehicle paused for 1-2 seconds before proceeding forward. as a result, the consumer had almost hit pedestrians and rear ended other motorists. if the consumer attempts to switch lanes to avoid hitting or rear ending anyone, the vehicle stalls. the vehicle has been serviced 9 times by the dealership, in which diagnostic test have been performed, but no failure code was found. the dealership only conclusion is that this is how the vehicle is suppose to drive. *jb | |||
| 08/08/2004 | 2 | 05/12/2002 | |
| In august i went to park my car (2002 es300) in my driveway when all of a sudden it picked up speed, crashing through my brand new fence and side porch. it must be noted that i had my foot on the brake, the car was stopped and all of a sudden it took off on me. my foot never moved off the brake the whole time; the car came to a stop when it hit the porch. the day before i was driving with my mom and as i started to slow the car down b/c i was coming to a stop sign the car all of a sudden picked up speed, but thankfully at that time i had time to press the brakes down harder and stop the car. when i park my car in the driveway it is only a couple of inches from the gate and from the gate it is about 2-3 feet to the porch so there was no way to avoid this accident. when lexus inspected the car they found nothing wrong with the dbw (electronic throttle control). i find this to be a coverup of some sorts b/c i've been driving for years and never had this happen to me before. i know first hand that is is not a driver error it is a manufactor's defect. i know it went into investigations and they are not recalling the cars b/c there was not enough evidence that this really happens. since i've been bringing this issue to light i recently found out that the same thing happened to my husband's friend's wife last year. her car took off on her and went through her garage. this is very dangerous and i do not feel safe driving my car. i feel that lexus is really in a position where they don't have to do anything because the nhtsa deemed there was nothing wrong with the car causing the unintended acceleration. both the dealership and manufacturer did not want to take any responsiblity what so ever for this incident. they were very helpful when i purchased the car but wiped there hands of any problems with the vehicle. *ak | |||
| 07/16/2004 | 20000 | 1 | 08/16/2002 |
| When backing out of a parking space the car went into a high acceleration. i rear ended two cars that were directly behind me. if there was anyone walking behind i would have killed them. i believe there is a throttle control problem. *la *jb | |||
| 06/07/2004 | 21600 | 1 | 03/25/2002 |
| Consumer stated while parking vehicle and depressing the brake the vehicle surged forward and ran into a street sign and barrier gate. *ak *nm | |||
| 04/27/2004 | 1 | ||
| Sudden acceleration of 2002 lexus es300 with foot on the brake. car was just at a stop when itt accelerated with foot still on the brake. car ran into side of a building before stopping--front end of car was demolished and building bricks and inside wall demolished. car is at dealership for repairs now, accident happened only 2 days ago. *la | |||
| 01/12/2004 | 5 | ||
| When driving at a low speed, the vehicle surged forward. the consumer took the vehicle to the dealership for inspection on five separate occasions, but the problem continued*ak the dealer acknowledged the situation but did not know how to fix it. there was excessive belt squealing in the morning, the brake pedal pulsated and the key would no turn in the ignition. *sc *jb | |||
| 02/19/2004 | 16000 | 1 | |
| Upon parking in a parking lot vehicle suddenly accelerated forward. when this occurred vehicle jumped the cement wheel block, and went through a complex before stopping. consumer had to apply excessive force to the brake pedal to stop vehicle. *ak vehicle was inspected by the dealer and found nothing wrong with the vehicle. *la | |||
| 09/07/2003 | 18000 | 1 | 03/08/2002 |
| I was driving at about 35 mph on highway. when the traffic slowed down, i applied the brake to bring down the speed of the car to about 3-7 mph. after following the car in front of me for about 5 seconds at about 3/4 car distance, i saw the car in front of me speeded up slowly and i decided to follow up by pressing the accelerator moderatly. the car first shuddered, then paused for about 1 second, and finally accelerated at almost maximum power. this was a near miss. before this happened, i brought our car to lexus dealer to complain about shuddering/pausing when accelerating from low speed after the car was updated with tsb-tc004-03; the chief technician drove the car and reproduced the kind of problems that we had. however, he said that he could not do anything about it and was going to write a report to toyota corp because it was a software problem. on the other hand, the receipt from the dealer said that they did not find any abnormal transmission shift during test driving, but would file a report. what a contradication! the danger of this transmission problem was further magnified by the fact that 2002 es300 runs very smoothly at most times (>98%). this shudder/pause/acceleration or pause/acceleration that only occurs sporadically under very special conditions gives drivers surprise that is the last thing they want during driving. for curiosity, i tested driving the car for about 50 miniutes by repeatly slowing down to about 5 - 10 mph by applying brake, then allowing the car to roll for about 3 seconds without pressing gas paddle, and then accelerating moderately to about 20 - 30 mph. the probobility for the shudder/pause/acceleration is about 5%, while that for pause/acceleration about 15%. it seemed that this problem happended more often on down/up hill.. *ak | |||
| 08/14/2002 | 3 | ||
| 2002 lexus malfunctioning brake system. *mr the engine surged while braking. it was indicated that this may be due to an increase in idling speed when the a/c was operating. on one occasion the vehicle continued to move although the consumer applied extreme pressure on the brake pedal. *scc *nlm | |||
| 1 | 06/27/2002 | ||
| The speedometer is not visible in bright sunlight. consumer has no idea how fast the vehicle is going. *jg *jb *nlm | |||
| 02/15/2002 | 1 | 11/11/2001 | |
| While driving the vehicle at any speed, the engine suffered sudden acceleration. the dealer could not duplicate or correct the problem. ts when accelerating to change lane or enter the freeway, the vehicle almost stalled and or decelerated. scc | |||
| 08/15/2002 | 1 | 06/20/2002 | |
| While pulling into park with foot on the brakes, vehicle suddenly accelerated and hit a tree. also while driving in cruise control, tapped on brakes to disengage cruise control and vehicle suddenly accelerated.*ak dealer checked vehicle and could not find any problems. *slc | |||
| 11/01/2001 | |||
| We have a surge or skip on deacceleration.this will happen from 40 to 60 mph. the dealer will only tell us they are aware of the problem but have no cure. i feel that after 7 months they should have a fix.*ak | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - ACCELERATOR PEDAL | |||
| 11/20/2009 | 2 | ||
| 2002 lexus es300 with unintended acceleration. consumer states that the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly and the brakes would not work to stop the vehicle. *kb the consumer stated when she placed the vehicle into drive, it accelerated quickly and crashed into another vehicle. *jb | |||
| 11/22/2009 | 92388 | 1 | |
| Tl* the contact owns a 2002 lexus es300. the contact stated as she came to a stop with her foot on the brake pedal, there was a bump in the road and the vehicle lurched and accelerated forward. the contact stated as the vehicle accelerated it hit another vehicle and there was extensive damage to both vehicles. there were no injuries. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was repaired and checked by a mechanic who stated there was no problem and everything was normal with the accelerator pedal. the mechanic also did a computer check showing no code problem. the failure mileage was 92,388. updated 03/04/10. the consumer received a letter from toyota stating upon examination of the vehicle, it was discovered that the after market floor mat that was on top of the factory floor mat was preventing the accelerator from reaching the floor. and it was not recommended to stack floor mats on the drivers side because of interference with the brake and accelerator pedals. updated 04/06/10.*jb | |||
| 11/12/2009 | 45000 | 1 | |
| Tl* the contact owns a 2002 lexus es 300. while entering a parking space, the vehicle accelerated without intention. the vehicle went over the side-walk and crashed into a parked vehicle. after hitting the vehicle, she put the vehicle in reverse, but the vehicle then accelerated into a tree. a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed to a collision center. the current and failure mileages were approximately 45,000. updated 12/16/09 *bf pictures received. updated 12/16/09 | |||
| 05/11/2004 | 10000 | 30 | 10/12/2002 |
| 2002 lexus es300 with about 18,000 miles has a problem with hesitation when accelerating after slowing down, especially after completing a turn. it is like the transmission doesn't adjust with the pressing of the gas pedal. almost had an accident because of the hesitation. also i have had problems with the car down shifting as i come down a hill. also a problem with the car trying to decide what gear to be in when going around 20 to 25 miles per hour. you can feel the car change gear. passengers even have asked what was that? complained to dealership, and was told it was the way i drive. i had the sb-tc004-03 performed after receiving the letter from lexus, but it didn't help. may have made it worse. *ak | |||
| 05/15/2004 | 18900 | 1 | 04/05/2004 |
| When driving a speed and the accelerator is pressed hard to pass or to enter a highway, the engine ravs but the car does not accelerate. the dealer tells me that is how the car is designed. i have a 2002 lexus es300 but have driven the 2004's and they act the same way. when you stump on the gas and the car does not go. it leaves you in a very procaries situation.*ak | |||
| 12/01/2001 | 2 | 11/10/2001 | |
| Power train: automatic transmission. vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal. ar hesitates on acceleration, lunges at times, searches for proper gear and shifts hard. the heistation can be quite dramatic; enough to lose confidence in critical situations. the car has been re-programmed by lexus, but problems continue. lexus denies there is a problem and says the car functions as designed. problems surfaced shortly after purchase and continue.*ak | |||
| 03/10/2004 | 1 | ||
| While backing out of the parking space at work, the car went around a bend and continued to the stop sign. approximately 250 feet. i never pushed on the acceralator at all during this time. the car went by itself. whatever was happening, the computer evidently was telling the car to move without pushing the acceralator.*ak | |||
| 04/13/2004 | 1 | ||
| There were two such incidents. upon coming back at lunch time to work, i turned to pull into a parking space. the angle of the car necessitated me to turn the steering wheel very tight to the right. with the pressure on the brake released but with foot in brake position the car surged almost hitting the parked car in front of me. it definitely a surge, a person can feel the sudden energy. in becoming more aware of the car after i had an accident doing this same type of maneveur, there seems to be a problem when trying to maneveur the car for parking and at the same type of the steering wheel turned very tight in one direction. *ak | |||
| 02/20/2004 | 10800 | 1 | 11/10/2002 |
| While on the way to work at approximtely 8:45 am, and shortly after leaving home, i stopped at a stop light at the intersection o muncaster mill road and bowie road. when light turned green i took my foot off of the brake and the car suddenly surged ahead without pushing on the acceralator. i missed the car ahead of me by inches. the brake stopped the car. this is the fourth incident with this car. other incidents have been reported.*ak | |||
| 03/08/2004 | 32005 | 1 | 02/09/2003 |
| The lexus es300 was driven at almost 0 mph speed to get ready to park outside the garage. the car continues accelerating even after the driver was hitting the brake to stop the car. the car smashed the car garage door, and everyhing on the way. there was more than $5,000 damages to the car and $1,250.00 on real property. there was no major injuries to the driver, but body pain on soft tissues occurred after the accident. *ak | |||
| 03/01/2003 | 22300 | 1 | 03/05/2002 |
| I puchased a 2002 lexus 300 from westside lexus in houston, texas. since purchase the vehicle has surged when shifting at lower speeds numerous times and has surged when the vechile is on cruise control. i have complained numerous times to westside lexus about the problem but they aways say that lexus is aware of the problem and is trying to come up with a fix. last year they adjusted the engine control module (ecm) calibration and lexus said the car should drive better - it did at first but is now back to the same old surging at slow shifting speeds. i believe lexus introduced the es330 model this year to avoid a problem with the es300 they could not fix. i am drivig an unsafe vehicle that lexus makes no effort to fix except have the service tech. give lame excuses. i thought i was purchasing an upscale car to drive instead it has turned out to be a miserable unsafe experience. please make lexus fix the defect or make them refund me my purchase price. thank you.*ak | |||
| 11/10/2003 | 12 | 1 | 11/07/2002 |
| 1. while pulling into a parking space, at 2-4 mph, with my foot on the brake, the car suddenly accerated at full speed, jumping the curb and hitting a tree with full force. because of previous concerns with throttle problems noted with the dealership at 1000 and 5000 mile check, i immediately called the lexus dealership. after a conference call with lexus roadside assistance and the dealership, my car was flat bedded to the dealership. the frontal crash rendered the vehicle undrivable. radiator damage with leakage of fluid covered a portion of the parking lot. the lexus dealership said they was no problem with the car. i could have been killed or somebody else live could have been in danger. 2. the front air bags did not inflate. 3. the brake rotors had to be corrected at 1500 miles and a part was ordered and put on the care to correct this problem. 4. the car when driving at above 50 pulls to the left and from the beginning it felt as tho the car was uneven even when not moving. at that time i requested a written explanation of this problem and told my record at the dealership would substanciate this. on the night of the accident i learned by reviewing complaints from the office of defect investigations on the nhtsa web site that the problems have been known by the coporate office of lexus from as early as january, 2002 in regards to all of the above problems. i also found out there have been two recalls on this vehicle that i was not informed about. i will be requesting an investigation with the lexus east regional office and discussing this with the rockville lexus office. i believe that this car is unsave to drive. i brought the lexus vehicle even with it's price tag because of its reputation and to drive my 3 year old grandson and 1 year old granddaughter in the saftest manner i could facilitate. i am sure that my son and daughter-in-law will not allow this after this crash!!!!*ak | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - CRUISE CONTROL | |||
| 09/10/2003 | 19500 | 1 | 08/22/2002 |
| Was driving to california in my 2002 lexus es300 last september and was adjusting the cruise control when suddenly it accelerated as if i had floored the gas pedal. incident did not result in an accident. no problems since then but decided to report it as i read an article in the newspaper today that you were investigating unexpected accelerations for this car. | |||