Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - ACCELERATOR PEDAL | ||||||||||||||||
| 09V388000 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. | V (Vehicle) | 4260319 | 10/08/2009 | MFR | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION | 10/05/2009 | 10/06/2009 | ||||||||
| Defect Summary | Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 passenger vehicles. the accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Toyota filed an amended defect report on november 25, 2009, stating that dealers will modify the accelerator pedal and, on certain vehicles, alter the shape of the floor surface under the pedal. these changes address the risk of pedal entrapment due to interference with the floor mat. redesigned accelerator pedals will become available beginning in april 2010 and dealers will replace any modified pedal with the new pedal if desired. also, dealers will replace any genuine toyota or lexus all-weather floor mats with redesigned all-weather mats, or repurchase the previous mats from owners who do not want the new ones. additionally, software modifications will be installed on camry, avalon and lexus es 350, is 350 and is 250 models that will ensure that the brake overrides the accelerator in the event both brake and accelerator pedals are applied. toyota will begin mailing letters to owners in december 2009. owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331, lexus at 1-800-255-3987. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Toyota recall no. 90l/90lg.owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov . | |||||||||||||||
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | ||||||
| EA07010 | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION | 08/08/2007 | 10/11/2007 | UNWANTED ACCELERATION, FLOOR MAT | 07E082000 | |
| The driver side floor mat will not interfere with the throttle pedal if properly secured using the retaining hooks provided by toyota.however, if the all weather mat is unsecured and moves forward from its intended position it can entrap the throttle pedal at the fully open position after it has been depressed.this can happen regardless of whether or not another mat (carpet) is underneath.when this occurs, some operators react by applying the brake pedal multiple times, depleting the braking system's (vacuum based) power assist.stopping the vehicle with unassisted braking while the throttle is fully open requires significant pedal force, which some operators did not, or were unable to, apply for the required duration.continued driving in this condition results in overheated brakes, which further diminishes the braking effectiveness.some operators attempted to turn the vehicle off by depressing the engine control button, however they were unaware the button had to be depressed for three seconds to stop the engine when the vehicle is in motion; this functionality was not explained adequately in the owner's manual.in odi interviews, owner's reported they were unaware the all weather mat had the potential to interfere with the throttle pedal, advising that this was never properly explained given the significant hazard it represented.owners reported several explanations for why the mat was unsecured, including that the vehicle was delivered in this condition (most common reason), or that they had (unwittingly) installed the mat themselves, or that another party, such as a car wash attendant, had disturbed the mat without the owner's knowledge.one consumer reported that their vehicle was delivered without the retaining devices installed.in a september 26, 2007 letter to nhtsa, toyota indicated that they would conduct a safety recall to replace the all weather mat with a redesigned mat.according to toyota, the new mat design will reduce the potential for mat interference with the throttle pedal.the population noted above represents the number of subject matsthat have been sold in the united states.since toyota cannot identify which vehicles may have the subject mats, they will send a letter to all registered owners of the subject vehicles (estimated 750k) advising them of the concern and remedy.a copy of that letter will be posted to nhtsa's web site under recall 07e-082; it contains a description of the condition and the actions an operator should take in the event throttle entrapment occurs while driving.the fatality incident noted above occurred in july 2007 and was investigated by nhtsa's special crash investigations office.it has not been reported on a vehicle owner questionnaire.the operator reportedly travelled at speeds in excess of 100 mph for an estimated eight miles on an interstate in california before it struck two other vehicles.one of the struck vehicles and the subject vehicle caught fire.the occupant of the struck vehicle did not evaculate and died at the scene.the subject vehicle driver suffered a broken bone.the california highway patrol is investigating the incident also.odi did not issue an information request letter during this investigation.the toyota reports noted above were reported during preliminary evaluation pe07-016 and are current through april 2007 for my 2007 lexus es350 only.odi does not have field experience data from toyota for camry vehicles.throttle entrapment due to improperly installed floor mats could be a concern in all vehicles.therefore, drivers should always ensure their floor mats are properly and safely installed.this includes original equipment mats (carpet and accessory) and especially aftermarket mats.operators of vehicles with engine control buttons should also ensure they fully understand the button's functionality. | ||||||
| RQ10003 | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION | 02/16/2010 | UNINTENDED ACCELERATION | |||
| On september 26, 2007, toyota filed a defect information report and notified nhtsa that some of its model year (my) 2007 and 2008 lexus e350 and toyota camry vehicles could experience unintended and uncontrolled acceleration due to interference between the optional all weather floor mat offered on those vehicles and the vehicles' accelerator pedal.this decision was influenced by an office of defects investigation (odi) engineering analysis.this recall was designated 07e082.two years later, on october 5, 2009, toyota filed a defect information report and notified nhtsa that a number of its my 2004-2009 lexus and toyota vehicles may also experience unintended and uncontrolled acceleration due to interference between the accelerator pedal and the driver's floor mat.this recall was designated 09v388.several months later, on january 27, 2010, toyota filed an amended, or supplemental, defect information report and expanded the population of vehicles to include additional my 2008-2010 toyota and lexus vehicles.since this expansiontook place in a different calendar year, this recall was designated 10v023.separately on january 21, 2010, toyota filed a defect information report and notified nhtsa that certain toyota vehicles and certain pontiac vibe vehicles contained a safety defect in the accelerator pedal assembly that may cause the accelerator pedal to become harder to depress, slower to return, or in the worse case, mechanically stuck in a partially depressed position.nhtsa designated this recall 10v017.in total, the four recalls cover over 7.6 million toyota and lexus vehicles as well as the pontiac vibe product made by new united motor manufacturing, inc., a venture of toyota and general motors corporation.nhtsa requires additional information from toyota to more fully understand and evaluate, among other things, whether the scope of the recalls identified above (makes, models and model years) is sufficiently broad.the agency is seeking to determine whether toyota viewed the underlying defects too narrowly as interference between the accelerator pedal and the driver | ||||||
| DP09001 | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION | 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. | ||||||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - ACCELERATOR PEDAL | ||||||
| PE07016 | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION | 03/29/2007 | 08/08/2007 | ACCESSORY FLOOR MAT | ||
| Complainants interviewed by odi stated that they applied the throttle pedal to accelerate the vehicle then experienced unwanted acceleration after release.subsequent (and sometimes repeated) applications of the brake pedal reduced acceleration but did not stop the vehicle.in some incidents drivers traveled significant distances (miles) at high vehicle speeds (greater than 90 mph) before the vehicle stopped (odi notes that multiple brake applications with the throttle in an open position can deplete the brake system's power (vacuum) assist reserve resulting in diminished braking).the subject vehicles have an engine control button instead of a traditional ignition key. some drivers reported that their attempts to turn the engine off by pressing the control button were unsuccessful.in these cases it appears the drivers were unaware that the button's functionality changes when the vehicle is in motion requiring that it be depressed for 3 seconds (instead of momentarily) to stop the engine.odi has observed that an unsecured lexus accessory all weather floor mat can trap the throttle pedal in an open position resulting in significant unwanted acceleration.unsecured floor mats have been found in the majority of incident vehicles.in addition, odi has inspected two incident vehicles documenting brake damage due to overheating. in the five odi crash incidents the operators allege they experienced unwanted acceleration and were unable to stop the vehicle to avoid the collision.four of the five crashes are multi-vehicle (one involving 7 vehicles) and two resulted in total loss damages (one involving a fire).one injury, which resulted from a roll-over crash, was significant and the injured person continues to show symptoms.one injury incident is not crash related (complainant alleges a knee injury due to overexertion during brake application). in their response to odi's april 5, 2007 information request letter, toyota acknowledges that some of the alleged incidents are likely related to improper installation of the driver side all weather floor mat resulting in interference with accelerator pedal movement.toyota describes various changes to the labeling of the all weather mat (including a sticker for the bottom of the mat and enlarging the statement on the visible surface) and the packaging used for sales of the mats, and has notified odi of an owner mailing to subject vehicle owners warning of the dangers of improper mat installation.toyota believes the subject vehicles and the all weather mat do not contain a safety related defect and that the actions they have taken are sufficient to address any future concerns. this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis to further investigate this issue and to assess the actions taken by toyota. | ||||||
| EA07010 | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION | 08/08/2007 | 10/11/2007 | UNWANTED ACCELERATION, FLOOR MAT | 07E082000 | |
| The driver side floor mat will not interfere with the throttle pedal if properly secured using the retaining hooks provided by toyota.however, if the all weather mat is unsecured and moves forward from its intended position it can entrap the throttle pedal at the fully open position after it has been depressed.this can happen regardless of whether or not another mat (carpet) is underneath.when this occurs, some operators react by applying the brake pedal multiple times, depleting the braking system's (vacuum based) power assist.stopping the vehicle with unassisted braking while the throttle is fully open requires significant pedal force, which some operators did not, or were unable to, apply for the required duration.continued driving in this condition results in overheated brakes, which further diminishes the braking effectiveness.some operators attempted to turn the vehicle off by depressing the engine control button, however they were unaware the button had to be depressed for three seconds to stop the engine when the vehicle is in motion; this functionality was not explained adequately in the owner's manual.in odi interviews, owner's reported they were unaware the all weather mat had the potential to interfere with the throttle pedal, advising that this was never properly explained given the significant hazard it represented.owners reported several explanations for why the mat was unsecured, including that the vehicle was delivered in this condition (most common reason), or that they had (unwittingly) installed the mat themselves, or that another party, such as a car wash attendant, had disturbed the mat without the owner's knowledge.one consumer reported that their vehicle was delivered without the retaining devices installed.in a september 26, 2007 letter to nhtsa, toyota indicated that they would conduct a safety recall to replace the all weather mat with a redesigned mat.according to toyota, the new mat design will reduce the potential for mat interference with the throttle pedal.the population noted above represents the number of subject matsthat have been sold in the united states.since toyota cannot identify which vehicles may have the subject mats, they will send a letter to all registered owners of the subject vehicles (estimated 750k) advising them of the concern and remedy.a copy of that letter will be posted to nhtsa's web site under recall 07e-082; it contains a description of the condition and the actions an operator should take in the event throttle entrapment occurs while driving.the fatality incident noted above occurred in july 2007 and was investigated by nhtsa's special crash investigations office.it has not been reported on a vehicle owner questionnaire.the operator reportedly travelled at speeds in excess of 100 mph for an estimated eight miles on an interstate in california before it struck two other vehicles.one of the struck vehicles and the subject vehicle caught fire.the occupant of the struck vehicle did not evaculate and died at the scene.the subject vehicle driver suffered a broken bone.the california highway patrol is investigating the incident also.odi did not issue an information request letter during this investigation.the toyota reports noted above were reported during preliminary evaluation pe07-016 and are current through april 2007 for my 2007 lexus es350 only.odi does not have field experience data from toyota for camry vehicles.throttle entrapment due to improperly installed floor mats could be a concern in all vehicles.therefore, drivers should always ensure their floor mats are properly and safely installed.this includes original equipment mats (carpet and accessory) and especially aftermarket mats.operators of vehicles with engine control buttons should also ensure they fully understand the button's functionality. | ||||||
| RQ10003 | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION | 02/16/2010 | UNINTENDED ACCELERATION | |||
| On september 26, 2007, toyota filed a defect information report and notified nhtsa that some of its model year (my) 2007 and 2008 lexus e350 and toyota camry vehicles could experience unintended and uncontrolled acceleration due to interference between the optional all weather floor mat offered on those vehicles and the vehicles' accelerator pedal.this decision was influenced by an office of defects investigation (odi) engineering analysis.this recall was designated 07e082.two years later, on october 5, 2009, toyota filed a defect information report and notified nhtsa that a number of its my 2004-2009 lexus and toyota vehicles may also experience unintended and uncontrolled acceleration due to interference between the accelerator pedal and the driver's floor mat.this recall was designated 09v388.several months later, on january 27, 2010, toyota filed an amended, or supplemental, defect information report and expanded the population of vehicles to include additional my 2008-2010 toyota and lexus vehicles.since this expansiontook place in a different calendar year, this recall was designated 10v023.separately on january 21, 2010, toyota filed a defect information report and notified nhtsa that certain toyota vehicles and certain pontiac vibe vehicles contained a safety defect in the accelerator pedal assembly that may cause the accelerator pedal to become harder to depress, slower to return, or in the worse case, mechanically stuck in a partially depressed position.nhtsa designated this recall 10v017.in total, the four recalls cover over 7.6 million toyota and lexus vehicles as well as the pontiac vibe product made by new united motor manufacturing, inc., a venture of toyota and general motors corporation.nhtsa requires additional information from toyota to more fully understand and evaluate, among other things, whether the scope of the recalls identified above (makes, models and model years) is sufficiently broad.the agency is seeking to determine whether toyota viewed the underlying defects too narrowly as interference between the accelerator pedal and the driver | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | |||
| 06/23/2012 | 59000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. the contact stated that while traveling 20 mph, the floor mat made contact with the accelerator pedal, causing the vehicle to erroneously accelerate. the contact was able to safely merge off the roadway to remove the obstruction. the vehicle was driven to the dealer where it was determined that the floor mats were not the original equipment mats and advised the contact to purchase new floor mats. the manufacturer replaced the floor mats only to experience the same failure. the manufacturer was contacted about the issue. the failure mileage was 59,000 and the current mileage was 87,000. the vin was not available. kmj | |||
| 06/23/2012 | 59000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. the contact stated while traveling 20 mph the floor mat made contact with the accelerator causing erroneous acceleration. the contact was able to merge to the side of the road to remove the obstruction. the vehicle was able to be driven to the dealer where it was found that the floor mats were not original equipment and advised the contact to purchase new floor mats. the manufacturer replaced the floor mats only to experience the same failure. the manufacturer was contacted about the issue. the failure mileage was 59,000 and the current mileage was 87,000. the vin was not available. mh | |||
| 08/15/2012 | 65000 | 1 | |
| Below is an e-mail sent to lexus regarding a description of the so called unintended acceleration event my wife experience and the remedies we are seeking from them. they have issued a complaint # of[xxx] on august 15, 2012 my wife [xxx] while driving our 2007 lexus es350 experienced what we are learning is referred to by lexus as an unintended acceleration event. the accelerator stuck and the car could not be stopped as she sped over 85 mph. downshifting the transmission and depressing the breaks as hard as she could did not stop the car... she said she pulled the floor mat away and the car stopped accelerating and she regained control of the vehicle. after my wife got home kendall had the vehicle towed to their shop, i contacted lexus got case # [xxx]. i was told during my first conversation with the lexus representative that the matter is not handled by them (customer service) but by lexus's legal department. kendal lexus, who had my car, told me they down loaded the car computer and that a lexus technician would be at their shop to inspect the vehicle on or about august 23, 2012. on august 22, 2012 i was advised by kendall's service manager [xxx] that the lexus technician would not inspect the car and that recall modifications would be completed by kendall as directed by lexus. after the modifications were complete i picked the car up at kendall on august 24, 2012. while driving home vibration coming from the front of the car and immediately called [xxx]. [xxx] said they had determined that the car was safe to drive and my issues would/should be addressed by lexus. bottom line i have been told that nothing was wrong with your car. my wife is too frightened to drive this vehicle. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr | |||
| 10/01/2011 | 1 | ||
| 2007 lexus es350. consumer states sudden unintended acceleration *tgw the consumer stated his wife was driving the vehicle, when it suddenly accelerated forward on its own, as she was entering a parking space, resulting in damage to the vehicle.*jb | |||
| 03/09/2011 | 61489 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. the contact stated that the driver was traveling 70 mph when the vehicle suddenly accelerated. the driver applied constant, abrupt pressure to the vehicle but to no avail. in order to stop the vehicle, the driver shifted to neutral which caused the engine to exhibit an extreme increase in rpms. she then inspected the accelerator pedal to determine if it was stuck but noticed that the floor mat was atop the pedal. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 61,489. | |||
| 03/09/2011 | 61489 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. the contact stated that while driving 70 mph the vehicle suddenly accelerated. the contact mentioned that although the driver was pressing the brakes the vehicle continue to accelerated, in order to stop the vehicle the driver shifted gears to neutral which caused the engine to start raving. when she was inspecting to see if the pedal was stuck she noticed that the floor mat was over top of the pedal. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage 61,489. pm | |||
| 12/29/2010 | 30000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. the contact stated that when coasting into a parking space the vehicle suddenly surged forward and crashed into two parked vehicles. the contact nor her passenger were injured and the police were notified and a report was available. there were no occupants in any of the two vehicles that were parked. the vehicle was towed to a dealer and was currently under an investigation. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 30,000. tb | |||
| 12/09/2010 | 28000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. while the contact was driving 40 mph the vehicle accelerated on its own. the contact placed pressure on the brake peddle which did not stop the vehicle and also tried shifting the gears which eventually made the vehicle come to a stop. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the technicians were unable to diagnose the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 28,000. ds | |||
| 10/30/2010 | 14000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350 with 14,000 miles.while driving at speeds of 5 mph and prepairing to stop at a light the vehicle surged forward. the contact stated that his engine revved when the failure occured. the local dealer was contact and they reffered him to the manufacturer. the contact did recive recall notice 09v388000 vehicle speed control : accelerator pedal. the vehicle had the recall repairs done before the failure occured.the vehicle has not been inspected by the dealer at this time. bl | |||
| 03/16/2008 | 2042 | ||
| Tl-the contact previously leased a 2007 lexus es350. the contact stated that the driver noted that the vehicle suddenly accelerated while the vehicle was stopped. the driver depressed the brake pedal which avoided an accident. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership but no repairs were performed. the vehicle was turned back in to the dealership. the contact called the manufacturer who stated that the dealer had to make a decision about the situation. the current mileage was unknown. the failure mileage was 2,042-bk | |||
| 06/02/2010 | 46000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. while attempting to park she engaged the brakes and the vehicle accelerated and crashed into the bricks of a store. a police report was file. the driver stated she was not injured. the vehicle was at an authorized dealer at the time of the report. the vehicle was damaged in the front frame, and the radiator. the failure and current mileage was 46,000. vwb | |||
| 04/19/2010 | 14000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. the contact stated that when driving at approximately 45 mph, she noticed the vehicle begin to suddenly accelerate. she depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle continued to accelerate. she stepped on the brakes again and engaged the emergency brake but the vehicle continued to accelerate for about two miles. the vehicle finally stopped and the contact pulled to the side of the road. the contact called the manufacturer who advised him to take the vehicle to an authorized dealership. the contact was uncomfortable driving the vehicle and opted not to. the current and failure mileages were approximately 14,000. | |||
| 04/10/2010 | 27211 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. the contact was driving approximately 20 mph when the speed increased to 80 mph. the brakes were engaged and failed to slow down or stop the vehicle; therefore, continuous pressure was applied to the brake pedal which traveled to the floor. suddenly, the vehicle decelerated from 60 mph to 80 mph. the vehicle was able to slow down after excessive force was applied to the brake pedal. the engine was turned off with the remote starter and came to a complete stop. smoke was also coming from the brakes. the vehicle was towed to a dealer for inspection. a police report was filed without incident. the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. the failure and current mileages were 27,211. the vin was unavailable. | |||
| 02/02/2010 | 16800 | 1 | |
| Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) re: lexus es350, 2007; 16,800 miles; vin: [xxx] on february 2nd, 2010, i was driving above referenced car, with only about 16,800 miles driven on it, barely at 20 mph on a side street and our lexus accelerated on its own, brakes failed and the car skidded and hit the pavement of a sidewalk. i took the car to the lexus of rockville (301 762 9009) and they said although most repairs are covered under the warranty, a few are not. they initially quoted me my share of the cost to about $250 with which i agreed. subsequently they called me and told me that my bill will be about $2300 in addition to the costs covered by the warranty. please verify that these costs are legitimate and please re-determine why will they not release my car for a second opinion? being in doubt, i asked for the car back for taking it to another dealer, but they will not give back to me my own car (they said due to safety reasons) and coerced me into paying a bill of $2199.36 (invoice #882736), which contained almost $1800 in labor cost and the balance in parts. please look into this incidence and the attached invoice very thoroughly. it was a manufacturing defect that the car accelerated on its own, brakes failed and the car skidded and hit the pavement. it was none of my fault and the car is still under 7 year warranty. lexus should fully and completely reimburse me for repairs and injuries (to my right wrist). as a civic and humanitarian duty, i also urge you to please consider a recall, so that others will not be injured more seriously. *tr | |||
| 06/03/2008 | 21000 | 1 | |
| 2007 lexus es350. suspected unintended acceleration causing fatal crash. *tgw the decedent was driving, when apparently his vehicle crossed the center line and crashed head-on into a van. a passenger in the van was also killed. (attorney on behalf of decedent) | |||
| 02/06/2010 | 55000 | 1 | |
| Gas pedal stuck and couldn't get stopped and wrapped the car around a pole to get it stopped. *tr | |||
| 03/16/2007 | 6045 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2006 lexus es350. while attempting to pass another vehicle at speeds of 30 mph uphill, the accelerator pedal became stuck in the open throttle position. she was able to maneuver the vehicle off of the road and utilize the emergency brake to bring the vehicle to a stop. the brake pedal was depressed for the duration of the unintended acceleration. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the dealer stated that the floor mat caused the gas pedal to stick. the failure has not recurred. the failure mileage was 6,045 and the current mileage was 35,000. | |||
| 06/03/2008 | 22000 | 1 | |
| Decedent was driving a 2007 lexus es350 on co. rd. 207 in ross county, ohio. vehicle crossed center line and collided head-on into prison van, killing driver of lexus and prisoner in van. lexus driver known to be a very cautious driver and rough calculation of speed of lexus by police investigator causes suspicion of unintended acceleration updated 03/30/10 *bf *tr | |||
| 03/09/2010 | 38500 | 2 | |
| My lexus es 350, 2007 model, accelerated twice when i removed my foot from the gas pedal. it would cut off (decelerate) only if i press the brake pedal. the recall was completed on 2/25/2010. removing foot off the gas pedal does not slow the vehicle infact it accelerated twice. it works in some cases. the speed was 30/40 . *tr | |||
| 02/17/2010 | 34000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. while attempting to pull out of his driveway and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes would not engage. as a result, the vehicle crashed into a foregoing vehicle. there were no injuries; however a police report was filed on scene. the dealer could not duplicate the failure. the current and failure mileages were 34,500. updated 06/17/10. *lj | |||
| 02/23/2010 | 11500 | 1 | |
| Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) on february 23, 2010 at about 3 pm i was parking my 2007 lexus es350 in a parking space at starbucks at belgrade shopping center. when i reached the curb with my foot on the brakes i started to put the car in park and suddenly the car just took off up over the curb. i kept pressing harder and harder on the brakes with my right foot and applied the parking brake with my left foot. the car traveled up over the curb and into the grassy - wooded area beyond the parking lot. the car finally stopped. lexus was notified and towed the vehicle to lexus of richmond, va where the recall repairs were made. we have been afraid to drive the vehicle for fear of injury or death due to a future unexpected sudden acceleration happening again. this is the statement of [xxx] who was driving the vehicle when this event occurred. *tr | |||
| 03/05/2010 | 29750 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2007 lexus es 350. the contact stated while stopped at a stop light her foot came off the brake pedal and the vehicle accelerated and crashed into another vehicle. the vehicle received damage to the front end. no one was injured during the crash and a police report was not filed. the contact called the manufacturer and the manufacturer stated the crash was due to driver error. the contact stated the vehicle has lunged forward more than once while driving. the failure mileage was 29,750. | |||
| 07/13/2009 | 30000 | 1 | |
| I had stopped for gas midpoint in a 10 hour drive. after completing my stop, i accessed interstate 40 e from the entrance ramp at which point there was a sudden independent increase surge in speed by the car and not me. i would liken it to the surge one experiences when the car is on auto control and it is adjusting to go up a steep incline. i remember feeling like the car was possessed-it had a mind of it's own. i did have the clear all weather mats in my car, which was purchased through lexus. since i was on the interstate and there wasn't a lot of traffic i didn't feel panicky. i tried tapping on the brake a couple of times and this didn't slow me down. i remember looking at my console trying to see what gear i was in which was indeed drive and then attempting to look at the accelerator. because i'm short, and my seat is pretty far forward in order for my feet to reach the accelerator i didn't have a clear view of it. as quickly as it started it stopped without any help from me. i pulled over to take a look at the floor mat to see if it had slid and it had not. the all weather mat has been removed and lexus has shortened the accelerator pedal as well as installed the new override software on my car. i have not had any further incidents of unexplainable acceleration since that one incident. *tr | |||
| 03/02/2010 | 36000 | 1 | |
| I drive a lexus 350 2007 that was just put through the recall repair last week. it still accelerates without me pushing the pedal. just suddenly revs up. it's not the pedal like toyota says. the pedal does not move. *tr | |||
| 02/06/2007 | 6600 | 1 | |
| While attempting to enter freeway, after passing through tollbooth, vehicle locked at 40 mph, unable to accelerate or brake. *tr | |||
| 11/24/2006 | 1000 | 1 | |
| We bought our lexus 350 on sep 29, 2006 within 3-5 months we had issues in acceleration pedal. we took to the workshop and stated our complaint on increase is speed the 1st 10 min of driving. the replaced the transmission. but sometimes we still have that issue. but when we take to the dealer they say they couldn't reproduce that. we are now worries about the sticky gas pedal issue. once we even hit a cyclist is the turn when i couldn't control the speed on the turn. we tried to reduce our speed, but it was kind of accelerated to 40, where as it should be in 25. the incident happened in school zone. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2010 | 33000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. the contact was driving 35 mph when she engaged the brake pedal, the vehicle surged and crashed into the back of a vehicle. the air bags caused mild injuries to the driver when they deployed. the police was called and a report was taken. the contacts insurance company paid for the vehicle to be repaired. the vehicle was repaired and it is in the contacts possession but she doesn't feel safe driving it. the contact did receive a recall notice in october concerning the floor mats. the contact informed the dealer that she did not have any floor mats in her vehicle and he stated that her vehicle was not on the recall list. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 33,000. the current mileage was 33,010. updated 3/30/2010 updated 05/04/10. *lj | |||
| 02/14/2010 | |||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. the contact stated that he was upset because he never received a letter about the recall. the contact received a recall notice two years ago and the repair was made; however, he was never notified what component they repaired. they only advised him to bring the vehicle into the dealer. the contact did not have any prior problems with his vehicle and was notified on yesterday to bring his vehicle into an authorized dealer again to be repaired. the contact asked again what needed to be fixed and the dealer replied that his vehicle was a part of the recall. after multiple questions, the dealer then said he was going to fix the accelerator. the contact feels that was very unprofessional and scheduled an appointment. he feels that he should have received something from the manufacturer in writing. the contact did not have an incident so there were no failures. the failure and current mileages were 15,794. | |||
| 03/01/2009 | 20000 | 1 | |
| While sitting at a red light with my foot on the brake, the engine speed increased from idle without touching the accelerator pedal. i slammed my foot down on the accelerator a few times thinking it was lodged. it depressed and returned to position without sticking. after approx. five or more seconds the engine speed returned to idle on its own. i shut off the vehicle and restarted it. the problem hasn't occurred since - knock on wood. the speed increase was not minor as one would expect from the air conditioning turning on - the engine speed was several thousand rpm's but did not red-line. *tr | |||
| 01/06/2010 | 43000 | 1 | |
| I bought a 2007 lexus e350 last october. it was purchased from lujack lexus in davenport as a certified vehicle warrantied to 100,000 miles. the car had only 35000 miles on it at time of purchase. some time in november, my husband and i were sitting at a red light. we were the first car at the light and when it changed to green we took off at a normal speed. however, my car decided it wanted to go faster then the speed limit. i pumped the accelerator to get it to slow down and that worked the first time. i just brushed that off as a fluke not knowing toyota vehicles were having this problem. the second time it happened, was during the first week of january when my granddaughter was off school. i was going approx 10 mph down an alley where i park my car at work. the alley was icy. i was braking to turn a corner to park my car and the car just took off on me. i had my foot on the brake but the tires were going 80 mph and i was heading for a brick wall. my daughter thought quick enough to throw my car in neutral and i pushed the off button on my car. my car raced down the alley for about 100 yds before i was able to stop it. i called the lexus dealer and they said to take my floor mats out. i said i did not have them in because i received the recall. besides i didn't even have my foot on the accelerator when this occurred. they said they would call me back. they called within an hour (on a friday) and asked me to bring it in first thing monday. they tried to tell me it was the accelerator getting stuck on the mats. i said it was a computer problem not a mechanical. they said it couldn't be but that they could put a computer chip in that would shut the gas off enough if it started to accelerate like that again. i insisted that they do something or i wanted my money back on the car. he tried to talk me out of it but i told him well when i end up dead on the road from this issue, is that when you are going to take care of this problem? it seems to be fixed now. *tr | |||
| 11/07/2008 | 12000 | 1 | |
| While backing my 2007 lexus es 350 up my driveway, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated and crashed into the corner of my garage. although driving carefully and slowly, the vehicle jolted back as if the fuel injection system had kicked in. no one was injured, and i did not file an insurance claim for resulting damage to the car or the garage. *tr | |||
| 12/09/2009 | 28183 | 1 | |
| The vehicle was involved in an accident caused by sudden acceleration. the driver was stopped for a red light. when the light turned green, the driver release the brake and then the vehicle accelerated on its own and collided with the vehicle ahead. the accident was reported to the lexus as a product liability case, caused by a sudden or unintended acceleration. the vehicle was inspected at the magnussen lexus dealerships, fremont, california by lexus technicians on january 26, 2010. on february 10, 2010 the lexus claims administrator sent us a letter stating that the vehicle revealed no evidence of any vehicle defects. i reject this assertion by lexus and hereby requesting that nhtsa investigate this matter. *tr | |||
| 10/27/2009 | 14000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. as the contact was driving 5 mph into her driveway, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning causing the contact to crash into the garage door. the vehicle was taken to the dealership where the contact was informed that there were no problems with the vehicle. there were no prior warnings. the current and failure mileages were 14000. | |||
| 09/18/2009 | 8500 | 1 | |
| I have a 2007 lexus es 350. last september as i was entering a freeway and speeding up in order to join the cars driving at about 60 mph, my accelerator stuck when i took my foot off and i continued with the engine revved up as i braked with both feet. i continued to brake with one foot and reach down with my other foot and got it under the accelerator and was able to lift it back up. i did not have the heavy duty carpet that is on recall. the dealer checked it out and said they could find nothing wrong. i have the receipt verifying this. it was a terrifying experience! *tr | |||
| 12/19/2009 | 80000 | 1 | |
| Collision accelerator stuck, stepped on and held brakes but car sped up. *tr | |||
| 12/16/2009 | 40500 | 1 | |
| I received a less than reassuring assessment today of how my '07 lexus es 350 was fixed at keyes lexus, van nuys, ca, following a recall notice. although the accelerator pedal had been trimmed, and sound material was removed from the driver-side floor mat area, the principal sudden acceleration problem remained unsolved, according to bill horvath, lexus service rep. background: while traveling west on the 60 freeway in mid-december my car took off like a bat out of | |||
| 11/13/2009 | 37000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. whenever the contact attempted to slow down or accelerate from after stopping, the vehicle stalled and failed to accelerate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they replaced the park-neutral switch; however, the contact is still experiencing the same failure. the current and failure mileages were 37000. | |||
| 02/01/2010 | 46400 | 1 | |
| Reference: my 2007 lexus es 350 on the recall for floor mats and pedal of the accelerator. incident happened 2/1/10 12 pm est place: ashland, oh 44805 bill harris gm dealership i pulled into the parking lot of the gm dealership and all of a sudden my lexus es350 (2007)accelerated so high that i thought it would go through the plate glass window of the dealership. i stood on the brakes and got the car into neutral. it rocked back and forth after i put it into neutral with people watching this happen. they thought that i was going through the plate glass window into the showroom. the witnesses at bill harris dealership, and other people saw me and the mess i was in with the lexus. the car was towed to germain lexus of easton in columbus, oh by lexus ,per supervisor of service specialists. she told me to rent a vehicle and pay for it myself up to 50.00 per day. it will be 2 weeks until i get my money back for the rental,if i furnished a proof of rental and send it to fax to her attention. i talked with customer service rep in service at the lexus dealership in columbus. she told me to get in line since there are a lot of people with the same problem with the mats. i did not have the mats in the car. my husband, an automotive engineer, took the mats out of the car when we got the letter from lexus about the mats and the pedal on our lexus in which they would send us another letter when the time came for the fix in april 2010!!!! how could it be the mats or the pedal since there were not any mats in the car. i did not have my foot on the pedal since i was coasting to the parking spot when the engine went crazy. *tr | |||
| 01/30/2010 | 2 | ||
| 2007 lexus es350. complained twice to dealer about unexpected acceleration. dealer initially said there was nothing wrong. second time they indicated it was a computer glitch and flashed the system. this has not taken care of the problem. was told to keep complaining, so that lexus would eventually find a fix. problem remains....when you approach a red light and begin to stop, then the light changes to green...when you go to accelerate, the transmission jumps and accelerates unexpectedly. i haven't had an accident, but am afraid that i'll hit another car. this is not a one time occurrence. *tr | |||
| 12/02/2007 | 1000 | 1 | |
| When i let up on the gas and then step on the gas pedal to continue the car lurches. this happens on a random basis and i have reported this to lexus several times since i have owned the car but they tell me if it does not do it while they are test driving there is nothing they can do. they say everything checks out ok and there are no error codes showing on the computer. i have told them it is either the transmission or whatever controls the gas pedal and they don't seem to be concerned. in my opinion there is definitely something wrong somewhere. *tr | |||
| 12/15/2009 | 98000 | 1 | |
| My 2007 lexus es350 sometimes accelerates on its own while cruise control is engaged. no significant explanation is available. i am typically driving in cruise. i have not touched anything, tried to accelerate or anything. for lack of a better explanation, it is as if it is possessed, it just happens. this occurs occasionally, a couple of months can go by between instances. in my case it has been about 2 months since the last time it has happened. on the occasions it has happened i allow i do not allow it to go more than 10 mph above the set speed before i disengage the cruise control. disengaging the cruise control seems to resolve the problem. *tr | |||
| 12/12/2006 | 1000 | 1 | |
| I am pleased to see something is finally being done about the lexus es 350 2007 acceleration problem. i filed a complaint in dec 2006, as i was spared from a fatal crash due to the acceleration problem. the recall that came out the following spring was only for lexus mats and i did not have a lexus mat but had another store bought mat. the 2007 recall program did not properly address the issue. i discussed with this agency and sent letters to toyato in japan and to the lexus headquarters in ca. i kept copies of all correspondence sent in 2006 so they knew about the problem. i even sent copies of complaints posted on this website, as the lexus dealership denied any reportable incidence. i am so disappointed that people died after my attempt to get someone to listen. i am still fearful of our car, but can't sell it for a fair price so we have continued to drive it with much concern for not only our family but others on the road. these cars should have been taken off the road in 2006. i still have nightmares about the car accelerating and probably will for a lifetime. i feel your agency should have been more aggresive in 2006 when this first started. toyota/lexus has failed those who have died or been injured and any additional potential injuries or losses that may occur before april 2010 when the new software and pedals become available will be their fault as well. *tr | |||
| 07/09/2008 | 14 | 1 | |
| Unintended acceleration on my 2007 es350 lexus. damage to my entire right side of car, wheels. happened on 7/09/08, no winter mats in car. it was towed to the dealer, where they kept it for 5 months,& refused to talk to me, because it was a legal matter. they found no problem. tw* | |||
| 06/09/2009 | 28000 | 1 | |
| June 9, 2009 my 2007 es 350 lexus took off with me reaching a frightening speed of 95 miles an hr when i reached the mat under my right knee and yanked the carpet and at last freed the gas and brake pedal. i know the where both involved as i hit the brakes to no avail as the speed became frightening and keeping it on the road was a miracle. i think it is unacceptable that i did not receive any recall notice for almost 4 most after this incident. *tr | |||
| 07/21/2009 | 1 | ||
| My 2007 lexus es 350 accelerated on its own while driving on an il highway. earlier that day one or two warning lights appeared and i called the lexus service dept. a few questions were asked by the reception operator and i was told the car was safe to drive. on my return home, the acceleration happened. my brakes did not slow the car down. i put the car in neutral while pressing the brakes and was able to get out of the traffic lane onto the shoulder. the car finally came to a stop and i turned off the engine, called aaa, and was towed to the nearest lexus dealer. at the service dept i was told it was my floor mat and the mat was replaced. this did not seem a likely explanation because the gas pedal had simply locked and accelerated on its own. my brakes were checked and it was determined i needed new rear brakes which was not a surprise since it seemed like i was 'killing' them in my attempt to control and slow down the car. the mats were to have been exchanged earlier when the car was taken in for service appt but somehow that was neglected by a different lexus dealer. *tr | |||
| 09/08/2008 | 10209 | 1 | |
| Entered parking lot at foothill center, pulled up to curb, suddenly was catapulted very fast over curb, up small dirt grade, into a perimeter electric fence. the dirt under the car and downed fence kept the car from going into a deep ravine. hit off button, stepped on brake. car was pulled back into parking lot. *tr | |||
| 10/31/2009 | 35308 | 1 | 06/25/2009 |
| Tl* the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. after shifting the vehicle into park, the engine had begun to rev. the vehicle was taken to the dealership for inspection. since the technician could not duplicate the failure, they could not provide a remedy. the current and failure mileages were 35308. updated 11/23/09 *bf updated 11/24/09 | |||
| 10/28/2009 | 30000 | 1 | |
| Faulty accelerator on 2007 es 350. vehicle sped up with foot off the accelerator. only one occurrence. was able to use break to slow down vehicle. accelerator finally stopped. immediately checked floor mats which were secured and hooked. *tr | |||
| 10/27/2009 | 45000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. the floor-mats shifted under the accelerated pedal; which caused the vehicle to accelerate from 45 to 55 mph. the dealer was notified, and a technician stated that if they could duplicate the failure, they could not provide a remedy. the failure mileage was 45,000 . | |||
| 05/22/2009 | 20000 | 1 | |
| While driving on i10 in ca, my mother accelerated to pass a truck and when she eased up on the accelerator nothing happened. in fact, she started to accelerate. she tried to brake and put the emergency brake on and she kept going in excess of 90 mph. she drove through a rest area but was unable to stop. finally she hit the gas pedal again and that did it - she finally had control and slowed way down. she did so much damage to the engine while trying to get it to stop that cathedral city lexus replaced the whole engine. she was told the problem was caused by her all weather floor mat. she was not aware of any recall on floor mats nor had tustin lexus, who always services her car, ever said anything to her and the mats have been in the car since she purchased it. *tr | |||
| 08/27/2009 | 21000 | 1 | |
| Our 2007 lexus es 350 abruptly and wildly accelerated while my wife was driving on the freeway. she stood on the brakes and depressed the parking brake while moving into the slow lane and took the next exit ramp. the car finally slowed somewhat before rear ending a stopped car. fortunately, no one was hurt. the car was towed to the lexus dealer. their diagnostic computer system did not call out any problems. they immediately blamed the floor mats. however, the floor mats were two inches away from the gas pedal. they then tried to brush me off by asking me where i wanted the car towed to get body work performed. i refused and escalated to lexus usa. they are now trying to determine if they can find a problem. this reminds me of the audi acceleration problem and warrants an complete and full investigation. the internet is full of unintentional acceleration problems with the 2007 lexus es 350. i keep thinking that the 2007 model is the first of the new es body styles and there is something terribly wrong. *tr | |||
| 07/25/2009 | 39000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. the contact stated that the vehicle accelerates without warning. she stated that the engine made a squealing noise when she pressed the push to start button. she depressed the brake pedal, placed the vehicle into reverse, and the vehicle sped up and would not stop. she depressed the brake pedal with all of her strength, but the vehicle would not stop. it finally came to a stop when it struck the side of a garage. the contact was bruised and startled. a police report was filed. the speed was unknown. the failure mileage was 39,000. | |||
| 02/03/2009 | 18390 | 1 | |
| Petition for additional investigation into the unwanted and unintended acceleration of model year 2007 lexus es350. *nj the manufacturer stated the unwanted acceleration was a result of the floor mats interfering with the throttle pedal. the consumer experienced unwanted acceleration and does not believe the problem is with the floor mats. see also 10261660 *dsy. | |||
| 02/03/2009 | 18390 | 1 | |
| Driving home from work, i experienced a sudden uncontrollable surge in acceleration causing my speed to increase from about 60 mph to 80+ mph. immediately i began to brake hard as i was rapidly approaching traffic just ahead of me. fortunately the inside left lane was unoccupied and i was able to make an immediate lane change. initially i depressed the brake pedal as hard as i could using both feet but only managed to slow the vehicle to 40-45 mph. with my speed reduced, i alternated between pumping the accelerator pedal and pulling up on it from the underside with my right foot as it became clear that the throttle was stuck in an open position. the vehicle continued to speed back up to over 65 mph with less pressure on the brake pedal. with traffic just ahead of me, i moved over to the left shoulder next to the center barrier and continued to try to release the open throttle. there were clouds of smoke around the vehicle and the smell of burning materials from the overheating brakes. after finally getting the vehicle slowed down to about 25-30 mph, i shifted into | |||
| 02/18/2009 | 39600 | 1 | |
| There is a safety recall out for the 2007 lexus es 350 in respect to all weather floor mats potentially causing a jammed accelerator (nhtsa action # ea07010). the recall was initiated in sept. 2007. the last report filed by lexus with your office indicated that there were over 32,000 owners out of 55,000 that they were unable to contact. my vehicle was taken in for servicing at the local lexus dealer by the previous owner in aug. 2008 and the defective mat was in place. when i purchased this vehicle in january of this year, i immediately called this same dealer to have my name indicated as the owner of record. i specifically asked if i had to do anything else for recall notification etc. and was told no. last week my wife experienced the jammed accelerator due to the faulty mat and was extremely fortunate that she was able to bring a runaway vehicle doing 80 or 90 mph to a stop without an accident. i called the lexus dealer immediately after the incident and was told about the mat problem but not about a recall. i found out about the recall from your website. i also went to the national website for lexus and found that i was not registered as the owner and so i registered. i later called the local lexus dealer to see about the recall and the person said you are listed in the national list, i am surprised some one took the time. (in reality that someone was me , not anyone at the dealership) my problem with the mat has been taken care of by the local dealer after i asked about the recall, but this isn't much help to all the others out there driving around with these faulty mats. according to your website, one person has died and several have been injured....... so far. *tr | |||
| 08/31/2008 | 5 | 1 | |
| On sunday august 31st, i left a departmental picnic at a colleague's house around 8:30 at night to go home to kent ohio. i left early because i wanted to get home before it gets to dark. i entered the i 76 ramp at the lake milton/newton falls entry. after driving perhaps around 35-40 mph hour on the ramp i started to accelerate to enter the highway. suddenly i felt the car accelerated by itself, i put my foot on the brake making the assumption that i may have stepped on the gas pedal to much. however, the car continued to accelerating reaching 80-85 mph. i was getting closer to cars in front of me. the car accelerated very fast and i put my foot on the brake to slow the car down. the speed continued to be excessive in spite of me trying to break the speed. i thought at first that the brakes did not work, but noticed immediately that this was not the case. i was still moving 80-85 mph. trying to avoid cars in front of me. i put my breakdown light on to warn other drivers. i managed to drive over to the shoulder, trying to avoid hitting anything. i put my foot down on the brake and kept it on the brake to slow the car down. i was able to get the speed down to 40mph with my foot continuously on the brake. i tried to let my foot go but the car immediately speeded up again. i managed to put my car into neutral and than in park, the car slowly came to a hold. the brakes smelled and smoked. it was getting rapidly dark and i was scared and in a state of shock, but also relieved to be alive. at that time a state trooper stopped and i told him what happen. he called a towing truck and put red flares up to keep me safe on the highway in the dark. he pointed out to me that i was on mile marker 5.3 on i 76. i had to wait about 30 minutes until the tow truck arrived. the driver told me that my brakes were still very hot. *tr | |||
| 04/14/2008 | 22350 | 1 | |
| While backing out of garage, the throttle became stuck under the floor mate. the vehicle traveled at a high rate of speed across a busy street and end up on a 5ft. snow bank. other than a sore neck and back the next morning, medical treatment was not necessary. the car had to be removed from the snow bank by a tow truck. there was $1,500 damage to the rear of the car and we were very fortunate that nobody was on the road at the time. i have sent registered letters to lexus twice and they have failed to respond. cause of throttle under carpet was that carpet had been placed on wrong side but clips were engaged. operators manual only mentions that floor clips be engaged, they were. to correct the problem, floor mate should not be interchangeable and floor clips should be located such that they cannot be attached to either side. i want lexus to acknowledge that this is a dangerous problem and people can get seriously hurt or killed. their lack of response to my letters is irresponsible and unacceptable. *tr | |||
| 04/14/2008 | 22250 | 1 | |
| While backing out of our garage, the throttle became stuck in the floor mat. the vehicle traveled across the street and was stopped by a 5 foot snow bank. there was no injuries but the car sustandard over $1,500 damage. *tr | |||
| 06/28/2008 | 16857 | 1 | |
| I was getting on hwy 101 ramp on a saturday morning around 10:45 am where traffic was moderate, suddenly felt the car began accelerating by itself so i eased up on the accelerator. car continued to accelerate uncontrollably on its own. i then stepped hard on the brake but the car didn't slow down. saw the cruise control light was on by itself, turned it off but the car was still accelerating. meanwhile, the vehicle accelerated to 105 mph .miraculously managed to move over to the shoulder without hitting any cars but the vehicle was still moving at 100+ mph. finally my husband had to force the gear box to park and i applied the emergency parking brake before the vehicle finally started to slow down and eventually stopped near exit #389. it was a 3.5 miles journey at over 100 mph with many close calls of serious accidents .vehicle was towed to lexus dealership. dealer later informed us that the sudden acceleration was caused by the all weather floor mat and their explanation on why the brake did not work was when the gas throttle was open, the horsepower of the car was so great that the brake wasn't able to stop it. we were not convinced and demand to have lexus corporation send a master technician or have an independent and qualified technician for a full and complete diagnosis. request was refused by the dealership service department manager. based on their computer diagnosis, there was no error code came up and therefore we have to trust them that the program has been resolved by the replacement of the floor mat our research found this problem has happened in a lot of different models of vehicles of toyota and lexus. suspicion is that there is some other bigger safety issues behind and toyota is using the floor mat issue as an excuse to cover up more serious safety problem. *tr | |||
| 05/25/2008 | 13000 | 1 | |
| Reported: 27-may-2008 (incidence memorial day weekend 25 may 2008) problem: runaway acceleration: evidence of malfunctioning cruise control car was nearing end of 200 mile trip. cruise control had been engaged on and off for last hour. driver stopped at entrance onto old-designed fast-moving highway rte4) with old-fashioned short access and no breakdown lanes. cruise control green light on, but system supposedly disengaged. car began to exhibit strong engine noise and runaway acceleration. driver shut off cruise control, passenger observed the light go off and then back on several times. driver firmly stepped on brakes. the brakes smoked and smelled of burning. when car slowed down, driver pulled to small indentation at side and pressed ignition button for several seconds. car stopped with jolt. driver started car in park. engine made same loud blow-out sound. re-shut down car. driver restarted car to move to exit about 50 yds ahead. car began run-away acceleration again, driver repeated steps pushing hard on brakes (smell and smoke) and shutting car off by pressing ignition button. off-duty police (chief of force) smelled brakes and said loud engine noise made car a hazard; tow driver would also testify to loud engine noise when car turned on again to be placed on his truck. because spill of ice-coffee during incident, mats were inspected by both driver and passenger before car was towed. both noted that mats were intact and in their proper place. driver noted clips were in place. (the car was in compliance with lexus recall of mats having been serviced two months prior to incident.) improper mats are still lexus | |||
| 06/10/2008 | 69655 | 1 | |
| On june 10, 2008 about 11:00pm, i was on my way from indianapolis, in to columbus, oh. i was using cruise control and went to reduce my cruise speed with the switch on the steering column. my 2007 es350 immediately began to accelerate under full power. i switched my cruise control off, but it would not disengage. my speed was increasing still. i hit my brakes as hard as possible, but they would barely keep the car at it | |||
| 05/25/2008 | 13300 | 1 | |
| It wasn?t the mats!!!! runaway acceleration in our lexus es 350. date of incident was 05/25/08, memorial day weekend. my husband was driving and i was in the passenger seat. we both surmised that the cruise control had apparently taken over the engine and caused the acceleration. (my cruise control had always been a fluke, one week prior i had experienced and dismissed a brief episode with my cruise control) only good brakes and my husband?s skill saved us from a horrific outcome. i reported the incident on this site 3/27/08. the vehicle was towed to englewood (nj) lexus. yesterday, the service manager there gave contradictory evidence that it was the mats. since a large ice-coffee spilled during the incident, my husband and i examined the mats to mop up the spill before the car was towed away and saw that the mats were in their correct position. in no way were they stuffed under the brakes and lodged on the accelerator as he stated at first. it is unconscionable to me that an extensive examination of the cruise control mechanism has not performed. inskip lexus (ri), where we bought the car, has agreed to have car towed and will examine problem. i am terrified to drive the car again unless the problem is resolved. the problem of runaway acceleration has been reported in numerous cases on this site and other consumer sites about toyota/lexus. many owners do not agree with diagnosis of mats being the culprit. ???question: is toyota/lexus the new audi???? *tr [see also 10228954 & 10230929]*smch | |||
| 05/25/2008 | 13000 | 1 | 03/01/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. while driving 10 mph, the vehicle accelerated without warning. the contact had to use the brakes to help stop the vehicle long enough so that the vehicle could be turned off. the contact stated that a week before the failure the cruise control made a sound as if the engine accelerated too hard when activated. as of may 27, 2008, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. the current and failure mileages were 13,000. the vin was unavailable. updated 06/25/08 *bf the consumer stated the cruise control malfunctioning may have been the cause of the sudden acceleration. updated06/25/08 see also 10230929 & 10229189*dsy | |||
| 05/02/2008 | 9552 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact had a company leased 2007 lexus es350. while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle suddenly began to accelerate on its own. the contact crashed into the preceding vehicle. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for a diagnosis and an investigation. the contact sustained injuries to her knees. minnesota highway patrol filed report number uss04311. the failure mileage was 9,552. updated 05/29/08. *lj updated 05/29/08 | |||
| 05/03/2008 | 16000 | 1 | |
| While driving my 2007 lexus 350 es on saturday, may 3, i experienced unintended acceleration. my vehicle unexpectedly accelerated and i was unable to successfully brake or shut off the car with the push button ignition. while struggling to gain control of the vehicle (and avoid hitting other vehicles), i was finally able to stop the car using the emergency brake, putting the car in park and holding the push button ignition for several seconds. a great deal of smoke resulted... i immediately contacted woodfield lexus, my local lexus dealer. i was told to bring the car to the dealer asap for review. i did so, and my vehicle is currently with the dealer to perform necessary testing. when i arrived at the dealer, the service manager noticed that my floormats were secured, but upside down -- the result of a recent oil change (2 days prior) -- where the woodfield lexus service technician turned my floormats over -- then forgot to properly secure them in the correct position. i notified woodfield lexus of another acceleration issue in 2007, however i was told that the jumping acceleration is a know glitch with my make/model/year. my vehicle is unsafe to drive. *tr | |||
| 03/29/2008 | 12000 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact was given a 2008 lexus es350 as a loaner while her vehicle was being repaired. while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle began to abruptly accelerate to 60 mph. she attempted to slow the vehicle down and the vehicle would not stop or decelerate. the vehicle struck a large piece of cement and caused the oil pan to detach. oil began to pour from the vehicle. the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. the current mileage is 12,000. updated 05/05/08 *bf the consumer was injured. updated | |||
| 12/20/2007 | 14000 | 1 | 07/24/2006 |
| Uncontrollable vehicle acceleration while pulling into parking space at approx 1 mph. vehicle was unable to be stopped with full brake application. vehicle struck building, bounced backward, struck another vehicle and ended up backward on top of a snow bank. extensive damage to vehicle front, side ,rear and undercarriage. due to snow conditions, vehicle control problems compounded. prior to repair, vehicle was inspected by lexus legal representative. vehicle was repaired by lexus dealer. lexus corporation issued 2 letters stating that they found nothing wrong with vehicle. operator error was not cited as cause. lexus corporation will not release details of vehicle inspection citing proprietary right. *tr | |||
| 02/22/2008 | 1000 | 5 | 05/13/2006 |
| We purchased a new lexus es 350 18 month ago. they sent us a recall on the floor mats about how they would cause vehicle to take off. well we do not have the mats that they are talking about and as of friday our vehicle will just take off on it own. its at the dealer again for the at lease 5th time and they can not fix it. my wife does not feel safe because of this. we have contacted lexus and they have not gotten back to us yet. can you help us with what we should do in this matter. we are afraid for our safety. please note each time its at the dealer its there for a week and they say that its fixed. they have put in new transmission, computer etc. last time they even had someone from lexus work on the computer. so thats were we are. we are hoping that lexus calls us monday to tell what they are going to do. maybe they will give us a new car that works right. with any luck we will not have to drive this one again. please let us know if we should get a lawyer or can you help us. thanks for your time.phil derby *tr | |||
| 08/01/2007 | 2 | 07/10/2007 | |
| Acceleration of vehicle on two separate occasions on interstate nearly causing death or injury. could not stop vehicle. by the grace of god only my car sustained damage. the terror experienced should never have happened the first time, let alone twice! first time august 2007, claimed it was the floor mats. i felt the lurch after that and thought maybe i was just being paranoid. until it happened the second time. it happened nine days ago. the dealer has had my car since the incident. i have yet to hear from them. i will not take the car back. *tr updated 11/13/09 | |||
| 10/26/2007 | 4763 | 1 | 10/11/2006 |
| While pulling into a parking slot in a parking lot with cars on both sides and in front of my vehicle, my vehicle increased acceleration and raced forward uncontrollably. the brake was pushed to the floor board of the vehicle and had no effect on slowing down the car. the large truck in the slot in front of me was the only thing that stopped the vehicle. $87,43 damage was done to my vehicle. none to the truck that stopped my vehicle. lexus reviewed the electronic data recorder and released a statement that the vehicle operated within specifications. lexus allowed no one to touch the vehicle until it was inspected by there technician. nothing was done to correct or prevent a future repeat of the life threatening acceleration surge experienced with this vehicle. we have requested from the lexus legal department that the data recovered by the lexus technician be provided to us so that we can assess for ourselves what went wrong with the vehicle. *tr | |||
| 05/30/2007 | 13500 | 4 | 05/25/2007 |
| 2007 lexus es350-1-adult passenger sat in the front seat and i notice that the airbag off indicator light was on. 2- i have experienced a dangerous sudden surge of acceleration when braking, even with all weather mat properly secured. i believe the surge may be a software and/or sensor flaw. 3- when the engine is first started (cold-after sitting), the mechanical engine noise is very pronounced as if proper lubrication is not occurring. *tr | |||
| 08/18/2007 | 1100 | 1 | 08/04/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. while driving 60 mph, the contact attempted to apply the brakes, but the speed only decreased to 20 mph. she placed the vehicle in park while it was still in motion, which caused the vehicle to smoke and jerk instantly. the failure caused her to run three red lights and dodge other vehicles on the road. she called lexus and they stated that the floormats may have been installed improperly and caused the vehicle to surge forward. the vehicle is currently at the dealer being inspected and the contact is awaiting a follow-up phone call. the failure and current mileages were 1,100. | |||
| 07/03/2007 | 1 | 12/14/2006 | |
| I purchased 2007 lexus es 350 in december of 2006. sometime in last month, when i was driving the vehicle on a highway, its brake stopped working all of a sudden, and started accelerating by itself. i looked at my foot wondering if my foot was on gas pedal, instead of brake pedal, but it was on brake pedal. i was in a total panic, but managed to drove the car away to the shoulder of the highway by putting the car in park mode. i thought i was dead at that moment. i am trying to sue the lexus. i honestly believe that car will kill someone. before starting a legal proceeding, my attorney sent a letter to lexus headquarter, and was told that the vehicle had no problem, and that the cause was the floor mat. but, it was not. as i said earlier, i looked at my foot when the vehicle did not stop, and after i stopped the car, i carefully looked at both gas pedal and brake again. i am not blind. have you seen any other complaints for similar problems? please let me know. it will be really helpful for me to win the case. i am not trying to make money by suing lexus, but trying to have lexus recall all of its es 350 since it will kill someone. *jb | |||
| 01/05/2007 | 1 | 11/20/2006 | |
| We bought a 2007 lexus es 350 in november. at ~1,000 miles on the odometer i had one episode of unwanted acceleration. i was merging onto the highway. i was trying to keep a constant speed but the car accelerated in the blink of an eye. i do not remember the specifics. i think i was going about 30 and the car zoomed to 60. i put my foot on the brake and the car slowed down. i do not remember the exact dates so i am estimating for the entry below. i have also had some problems with stopping. i would slow to stop and put my foot on the brake but the car would continue to lurch forward. there again i just kept pushing hard on the brakes. this did not occur at a rapid rate of speed. since i had the rubber floor mats reinstalled i have not noticed it. i dropped the car off at the dealership in may of 2007. i explained that i had heard there had been some problems with the black rubber mats and i requested they install them properly. i had tried to install them myself but was unable to remove the carpet mats that came with the car so the mats had been sitting on top of the carpet mats. the dealership checked out the car and said it was okay. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2007 | 13000 | 1 | 04/13/2007 |
| Here is the description i gave my local lexus dealer along with the photographs of the witness marks of the impact to the door. lexus is evaluating the car. i have asked for a factory assisted replacement car of a different model. they have not responded yet: dave, attached is the extract from the nhtsa on this problem with the es350 model along with the measurements on the garage door and photos of the car. there is the description: i was watching my wife slowly (3-5 mph) approach our garage door when the car suddenly lurched forward and crashed into our garage door at 10-15 mph. my wife said her foot was hovering over the brake after transitioning from the throttle as the car was coasting toward the door. she jammed on the brake but couldn't get it stopped fast enough to keep from hitting the door. i'm a licensed professional mechanical engineer and own a drive a ferrari f355 spider for fun so i am very familiar with how a car suspension and body angle responds to acceleration and braking. it looked to me like the car launched but was immediately forced into a nose down attitude as my wife was desperately trying to stop. unlike like the audi problem of a few years ago had she mistakenly hit the throttle she would have never been able to hit the door in a nose down attitude and there wouldn't have been time to take her foot off the gas and onto the brake - as a result - it had to be an uncommanded acceleration. the car launched in a way that would be consistent of at least 2500 rpm minimum. i made some very careful witness mark measurements on the broken garage door and the impact point for the license plate screw is 3/8 of an inch lower than its normal free standing height on the car indicating she must have had her foot on the brake by the time of the impact thus ruling out the audi scenario. make no mistake this is not the floor mat problem and we restarted the car to confirm the cruise control was off. *tr | |||
| 05/18/2007 | 10700 | 1 | 06/01/2006 |
| My daughter and friends were driving in my 2007 lexus es 350 on a 2 lane hwy. as they approached a speed zone the driver noticed the cruise control light was on without being engaged. she turned it off, it came on again. she tapped the brakes to turn it off and the car lurched fwd. she tried to slow the car but when she braked the car accelerated. she continued to brake but the car kept speeding up. she shifted the car into neutral but the car sped up. she tried the emergency brake, pushing the start/stop button, but the car would not turn off. she kept repeating these actions but the car continued out of control. the driver was standing on the brake with both feet trying to stay on the road as it approached speeds of 90mph with no brakes. as they approached a 4 way stop the front passenger seat desperately threw the car into park at 90mph. the car lurched and skidded approx 150 ft to the side of the road. when i arrived at the scene i called our salesman to inform him of the incident and our car would be towed in. he asked me how many floor mats i had in the car, and i told him only the two they sold me, the carpeted one and the all-weather rubber mat. he told me they had just issued a recall on the rubber mat as it was sliding fwd and jamming accelerators. i checked and our mat was jamming the accelerator. after my car was examined by lexus field tech's they determined the car had acted as designed and the expenses for a replaced transmission and new brake system would be mine- not covered by warranty. i disputed this and they offered to repair the car at no charge. if floor mats were contributory to this potentially fatal incident they were not the only dangerous element. the cruise control issues, inability to stop the car in an emergency situation by pressing the stop button, and the throttle seemingly overriding the other systems in a sudden acceleration pattern are all very strong concerns i have. *tr | |||
| 09/21/2006 | 400 | 1 | 09/04/2006 |
| Car gained speed, could not brake the car, with foot on brake pedal it went even faster, hit other vehicles and smashed through a garage door, stopping only when it ran into a tree. car was repaired at a cost of over $33,000. the vehicle had 400 miles on the odometer. *ak | |||
| 04/04/2007 | 17000 | 2 | |
| The vehicle owner claims that the vehicle suddenly accelerated and that she applied the brakes but the vehicle did not slow down. she also tried the emergency brake but that did not slow the vehicle either. she then hit another vehicle and that stopped her vehicle. the vehicle then started on fire after the collision.*tr | |||
| 12/21/2006 | 3000 | 1 | 09/01/2006 |
| Unexplained acceleration / timing cover seal to the engine block my 2007 es350 accelerated out of control reaching the speed of 95 miles per hour. the only way i was able to slow the car down was to put the car in neutral. and then it began to slow down. i took into to my local dealer and they where not able to diagnose the problem. in april of 2207 i notices my es350 had a small oil link when the dealer inspected the vehicle thy found that the timing cover to the engine block was poorly sealed and would need to be repaired. i was told there was a service bulletin out on the seals and my car would need to be in the shop about a week to repair. *tr | |||
| 01/25/2007 | 2563 | 1 | 11/11/2006 |
| While driving my new lexus es350 on the interstate in january 2007, the car suddenly accelerated out of control. as i applied the brake initially with one foot and then both feet. i also pushed the ignition button and tried everything i could think of to slow the vehicle-nothing seemed to help. the engine continued to power the car forward. eventually the car ran off the road into a snow bank. lexus and the dealer (lexus of portland maine) claimed they could find no problem with the car. we are hopeful for some type of resolution either from lexus or the dealer. we would be interested in hearing from others who have experienced similar problems with a lexus. *jb | |||
| 03/22/2007 | 1 | 05/31/2006 | |
| On 3/22/07 at approximately 6:30 p.m. i was exiting the parking lot of island 16 cinema. as i was driving to the stop sign that merges with i495 east bound service road my 2007 lexus es 350 suddenly accelerated on its own. i immediately stepped with both feet on the brakes. the car's engine continued to race. i then put the car into neutral in attempt to stop the engine from racing. this also did not work. i was now stopped on the side of the entrance ramp with the engine still racing in neutral and my feet on the brakes. i then put the car into park and the engine stopped racing after a few seconds. i immediately called lexus of smithtown and i had the car towed to the dealership as i was afraid to drive the car. on thursday 3/29/07 i was informed by bob martinez the manager of smithtown lexus that the car was inspected by rick holden a lexus field rep who ran two system checks on the brakes and acceleration and stated that the vehicle was operating o. k. mr. martinez then stated that i could call the lexus headquarters to lodge a complaint which i did. i spoke with eric ordemann who stated that someone would contact me in two days.*jb | |||
| 02/06/2007 | 700 | 1 | 12/20/2006 |
| Driver was injured when driving her new (six weeks old) lexus es350 with approximately 700 miles on the odometer. due to a defect with the automobile, the car, while proceeding on a roadway, suddenly and unexpectedly accelerated. the car would not stop even though the driver had fully applying the brakes. the driver, jamming on the brakes, was able to slow the car. the driver, unable to turn off the engine by pushing the ignition button and unable to stop the movement of the car by the application of the brakes, intentionally crashed the car into a parked automobile to stop. after the car finally stopped, driver was unable to turn off the engine even after moving the stick into the park position. *jb | |||
| 11/23/2006 | 2638 | 1 | 08/08/2006 |
| I had a life threatening experience in my 2007 lexus es350 on thanksgiving day 2006. i was driving with 3 other family members to payson, az from fountain hills, az. payson is in the mountains at higher elevation. i like to use the cruise control when i am driving any distances. while in heavy traffic going up a mountain grade, the car started accelerating by itself. the first thing i did was hit the brake, when that did not disengage the cruise or acceleration, i stomped on the brakes with both feet. the vehicle was now accelerating at over 100 mph in heavy traffic, then i finally put the car in low which did finally disengage the cruise and accelerator. this was a very scary event. the following day i immediately took the car in with this complaint to scottsdale lexus service department. i had no doubts that they would immediately take care of this life threatening problem. to make a very long and time consuming story short, i was told to drive the car until it happened again and that they had never heard of this problem before. perhaps the next time i want be able to miss all of the cars that were in my way and could just go over the edge of the mountain. i have spoken to a lot of lexus people with no results and finally decided to drop it until i had time to try and deal with the situation. i did not get a new lexus so i could be consumed with my time wasted with innumerable phone call and repetition of stories. i put $6000 down on my new lexus lease that is for 3 years and now have a vehicle that i do not feel safe to drive. i certainly would never set the cruise control again. *jb | |||
| 01/25/2007 | 2658 | 1 | 11/03/2006 |
| While driving the car on the falmouth connector with the toll booth in sight, i lifted my foot from the accelerator to decelerate and suddenly the accelerator just took off. i immediately applied the brake but the car continued to try to accelerate, i then applied both feet to the brake as i tried desperately to stop the car while the front wheels were spinning and burning rubber. i tried to shut down the ignition with the pushbutton on the gear shifter and also desperately tried to move the gear shifter from drive but could not. neither the ignition button nor the gear shifter would respond. the car continued to try to accelerate but i was able to steer the car into the snow banking off the road and it finally stalled in a black cloud of rubber and smoke. the dealer did an inspection of the car and could find nothing wrong and denied knowing of any problems. i have been traumatized by this event and continue with medical attention in recovery. *nm | |||
| 10/12/2006 | 2500 | 1 | 06/10/2006 |
| While merging onto i-40 interstate in my 3 month old 2007 es 350, i accelerated to 65 mph, but the car continued to accelerate on its own. the cruise light came on by itself. i disengaged the cruise, applied the brake with both feet, and shifted into lower gears, including neutral. i applied the emergency brake & shifted into reverse, as the car was now approaching 100 mph. i traveled almost 6 miles at 110+ mph with the gearshift in reverse before the brakes took hold. toyota motor co. denies this can happen, but this car needs to be recalled. i will never drive this car again and am thankful to be alive everyday. *jb updated 05/24/10 *bf | |||
| 01/18/2007 | 3250 | 1 | 07/30/2006 |
| While driving my 2007 lexus es 350 on a very busy p'way the vehicle accelerated on its own. the car just took off. i applied the brakes once, then again and again i had my foot on the brake pedal all the way to the floor and the car did not slow down. it was a horror. i had no control of the speed and ultimately caused a six car collision. people including myself were hurt and hospitalized. the purpose of my purchasing this vehicle was due to the 5 star rating and safety. after researching i found too many other complaints of this nature. the vehicle is much to dangerous and should h be recalled. very disappointed an its a miracle i'm alive. *nm | |||
| 11/04/2006 | 2 | 08/24/2006 | |
| 2007 lexus es350. excessive rpms during start up cause the car to sharply accelerate when put into reverse. rpm stays at 1700+ for up to a minute after engine start. when putting the transmission into reverse at this high rpm, causes the car to lurch backwards as if the accelerator pedal had been floored. has caused car to hit a pole and a tree on 2 separate occasions. dealership says this is normal. lexus customer satisfaction has not returned calls.*jb | |||
| 09/02/2006 | 4100 | 1 | |
| Consumer request for investigation on the 2007 es350 speed control. *ts the consumer stated the vehicle suddenly accelerated, after attempting to apply the brakes. the unwanted acceleration caused the vehicle to crash into the highway guard rail and consequently the vehicle rolled over. the consumer suffered serious back, neck and pelvic injuries. *jb update (february 21, 2007): ms. hodges said that she was traveling on i-75 for 15 minutes and the cruise control was not turned on. she was merging onto route 59 and applied the brakes. however, the vehicle not only not slowed down but actually accelerated to what she believe was 75-80 mph. to avoid crashing the vehicles ahead, she moved from the right lane to the left lane and hit the guard rail. the vehicle rolled over and totaled. she was cited by the police but the citation was later dismissed. toyota sent her a letter saying that their investigation found nothing was wrong with the vehicle. see also 10174732 *dsy. | |||
| 08/02/2006 | 1000 | 3 | 05/01/2006 |
| Dt*: the vehicle stated while traveling 65 mph on dry road conditions, the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably to 70 mph. the cruise control was activated when this occurred. the vehicle was placed in neutral, and the brake pedal was depressed, which slowed down the vehicle. on another occasion while traveling 20 mph, sudden acceleration recurred, the vehicle was shifted into park and the ignition was turned off. the dealer was contacted, who determined that the floormat could have depressed the accelerator pedal. on 12/05/06, the problem recurred while traveling 30 mph. the brakes were depressed, which did not stop the vehicle. the automatic transmission was shifted into park, which completely shut the vehicle off. smoke was noticed coming from the engine compartment. on 12/06/06, the manufacturer was contacted, who provided no assistance. | |||
| 09/02/2006 | 4369 | 1 | 05/31/2006 |
| While traveling north bound at approximately 55 mph on interstate i-75 / m-59 with in oakland county / state of michigan my automobile suddenly accelerated, after attempting to apply the automobile brakes, to approximately 85 mph. this sudden unwanted acceleration caused the vehicle to crash into the highway guard rail and go into a roll over. as a result of the sudden acceleration and roll over the vehicle was damage beyond repair and i was injured with serious back, neck and pelvic injuries. *jb see also 10176450 *dsy | |||
| 11/21/2006 | 1 | 11/01/2006 | |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 20 mph, the vehicle accelerated without warning. the vehicle was shifted into neutral and back to drive before it would slow down. the dealer was alerted. the vehicle was a 2007 lexus es350. *ak | |||
| 05/02/2006 | 80 | 1 | 04/27/2006 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 30 mph, the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably. the vehicle would not slow with both feet depressed on the brake pedal and in neutral. the vehicle stopped once in park. the vehicle was towed to the dealership, but they are unable to determine the problem. the manufacturer has sent technicians to look into the problem. the vehicle is a 2007 lexus es350. *ak | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - ACCELERATOR PEDAL | |||
| 11/09/2008 | 1 | ||
| Letter from senator durbin on behalf of constituent re a problem with toyota and his 2007 lexus es350 4 dr sdn sudden acceleration (dot/i#2010-1239) the consumer stated the vehicle failed to decelerate as he attempted to apply the brakes. the brake pedal went to the floor and the electronic system of the vehicle didn't register any warning lights. | |||
| 11/08/2008 | 25146 | 1 | 12/19/2006 |
| 2nd request re fax fwd on behalf of (nj) who was involved in an auto accident on 11/18/08 in her 2007 toyota lexus that suddenly accelerated, would like her toyota incident recorded. *kb when the consumer pulled into her driveway and approached the open garage door, the vehicle suddenly accelerated at a high rate of speed. she stepped on the brake, but was unable to stop the vehicle. the vehicle struck the side of the garage door opening and sent bricks flying and continued until it rammed the rear wall of the garage with great force. on the other side of the garage, was a small hall bathroom. the force of the impact of the crash knocked tile from the stall shower off the wall and bent part of the shower door frame. there was also damage to the garage walls as well as to the door entering the house from the garage. the vehicle was repaired and the consumer has since traded the vehicle. *jb | |||
| 11/18/2008 | 25146 | 1 | 12/16/2006 |
| Fax fwd on behalf of (nj) who was involved in an auto accident in on 11/18/08 in her 2007 lexus es350 that suddenly accelerated, would like her toyota incident recorded *tgw when the consumer pulled into her driveway and approached the open garage door, the vehicle suddenly accelerated at a high rate of speed. she stepped on the brake, but was unable to stop the vehicle. the vehicle struck the side of the garage door opening and sent bricks flying and continued until it rammed the rear wall of the garage with great force. on the other side of the garage, was a small hall bathroom. the force of the impact of the crash knocked tile from the stall shower off the wall and bent part of the shower door frame. there was also damage to the garage walls as well as to the door entering the house from the garage. the vehicle was repaired and the consumer has since traded the vehicle. *jb | |||
| 04/27/2010 | 45174 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. the contact stated that the vehicle had previously been serviced for the recall remedy associated with nhtsa campaign id number 09v388000 (vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal). after the recall repair was performed, the contact was driving 40 mph when the vehicle accelerated. the contact then shifted the vehicle into neutral gear and applied the brakes. he was able to move the vehicle from the road and turn the engine off. when restarting, the vehicle exhibited unusually high engine rpms and began idling. the engine was shut off a second time and resumed normal operation when it was restarted. the vehicle was not taken to an authorized dealer for further inspection of the failure. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 45,174 and the current mileage was 45,189. | |||
| 04/21/2010 | 80000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. the contact stated that the vehicle had been repaired previously according to recall 09v388000 (vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal) but while driving, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. the vehicle had not been inspected at the time of the complaint. the current and failure mileages were approximately 80,000. | |||
| 03/11/2010 | 67063 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. on march 11, 2010, while driving from one parking lot to another, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle suddenly accelerated like a rocket. the vehicle crashed into a light post and knocked it from its foundation, which then landed on the vehicle. the contact was transported to the hospital with injuries. a police report was filed. the vehicle was inspected by nhtsa on march 31, 2010. the vehicle was totaled. the contact stated that the vehicle was previously taken into the dealership for recall 09v388000 (vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal) and the repairs were believed to have been performed. the current and failure mileages were 67,063. | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 2 | ||
| 2007 lexus es350 with unintended acceleration. *kb the consumer stated over the last year, he experienced two incidents of uncontrolled acceleration. both incidents occurred only briefly and under similar driving conditions. in each case, the consumer accelerated rapidly to pass a slower moving vehicle. in each case, after he removed his foot from the accelerator pedal, the engine remained in a high rpm and high acceleration condition for a brief period of about 1-2 seconds prior to decelerating. in neither case, was the floor mat an issue. the consumer stated he received a recall letter in the mail, regarding the sudden acceleration problem. *jb | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| Consumer has adhered to all the recall precautions pertaining to the es model lexus and the problems still persist. the consumer stated he still experienced minor sudden acceleration problems. *jb | |||
| 06/03/2008 | 21000 | 1 | |
| 2007 lexus es350. suspected unintended acceleration causing fatal crash. *tgw the decedent was driving, when apparently his vehicle crossed the center line and crashed head-on into a van. a passenger in the van was also killed. (attorney on behalf of decedent) | |||
| 10/01/2009 | 50000 | 2 | |
| Ltr fwd re sudden acceleration incident involving his 2007 lexus es350. *tgw the consumer stated when he attempted to pass an 18-wheeler truck, the vehicle suddenly accelerated out of control. another truck was in front of him and the truck the consumer attempted to pass was on his right. a steep cliff was on the left and when he applied the brakes there was no response. he turned off the cruise control and there was still no response. the consumer tired tapping the accelerator and fortunately that worked and the vehicle returned to normal operation. later that day, after leaving the gas station, the accelerator became stuck again. *jb | |||
| 10/01/2009 | 50000 | 1 | |
| 2007 lexus es350 sudden accelerated*cw the consumer stated while driving south on the interstate, he pulled out to pass an 18-wheeler truck, when suddenly the vehicle accelerated out of control. another truck was in front of him and the one that he was attempting to pass was on the right. a steel cliff was on the left and as the consumer applied the brake, there was no response. he turned off the cruise control and there was still no response. he tried tapping the accelerator and fortunately that worked and the vehicle returned to normal and under control. | |||
| 08/09/2009 | 3 | ||
| 2007 lexus es350 unintended acceleration. *nj the consumer was backing out of the garage, when the accelerator became stuck. he applied the brakes numerous times, but the vehicle would not stop. consequently, the consumer hit a bush and a tree. the consumer then put the vehicle in drive and again, it accelerated out of control and went straight into the garage and stopped after it hit a chest. the consumer experienced unwanted acceleration for the second time one november 14, 2009 when the vehicle accelerated out of control and crashed into his house. the vehicle was inspected by the dealer and they stated nothing was wrong. the same day, after the consumer left the dealer, he once again experienced unwanted acceleration causing more damage to the vehicle. *jb | |||
| 05/04/2008 | 15000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. while driving 40 mph she engaged the accelerator pedal and noticed that the pedal was stuck which caused the vehicle to accelerate uncontrollably. the brakes briefly failed to stop the vehicle. the dealer stated that the failure was caused by the floor mats. there were no prior warnings. the current mileage was 28,000 and the failure mileage was 15,000. | |||
| 08/05/2009 | 12000 | 1 | |
| I was driving a 07 lexus 350 when the gas pedal got stuck under the floor mat. i am sorry that i did not report this prior to the deadly crash in san diego. i first thought that i possibly did not put the mat back correctly after vacuuming the car. i remember securing the tabs when i replaced the mat. i was merging onto interstate 480w at the time. fortunately there was not a lot of traffic. i was talking on the cell phone at the time to my husband on the way to work. i realized that i was going faster and faster and started to panic. i yelled the car is out of control i am going faster i cant stop, ryan ,ryan oh my god. i threw the phone down and i could hear him yelling put it in neutral so i did. the car was revving so fast that it would not stop. i got off to the side and was rolling slowly. i pushed the button but it would not shut off. i then thought to jam it into park however reverse comes first ! the car then shot backwards and i put it into neutral again. finally i started reaching down to see what was wrong and pulled on the mat. the tabs made it difficult to remove. once the mat was folded back the peddle let loose. i was horrified and sat on the side of the road for at least ten minutes. i was late for work and upset all day. i thought that it was my fault. the car company needs to make the public aware of this! *tr invoice received. updated 11/13/09 | |||
| 01/20/2009 | 30000 | 1 | 12/01/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. while driving 50 mph, the vehicle's speed suddenly increased to 70 mph. the contact quickly pulled over to inspect the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the computer did not show any failures. the failure would have to recur in order for a repair to be performed. the failure mileage was 30,000. updated 03/23/09.*lj updated 03/23/09. *jb the consumer stated she could see how the floor map could catch the edge of the pedal, but doesn't believe that was the case for her. updated 11/17/09 | |||
| 03/10/2008 | 7900 | 1 | 09/13/2007 |
| While coming out of a parking lot,accelerator petal got stuck,car accelerated from 0-70 in seconds and could not slow the vehicle down, lexus recently serviced car for mat recall and did not install clips on all weather floor mat, my insurance is investigating both accelerator throttle and also the reason wy mat did not have clips installed after lexus stated they corrected the mat recall,i am also hiring a independent auto forensic specialist,i could of killed myself and others too,t his so called mysterious acceleration must be corrected. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2007 | 2 | 07/10/2007 | |
| Acceleration of vehicle on two separate occasions on interstate nearly causing death or injury. could not stop vehicle. by the grace of god only my car sustained damage. the terror experienced should never have happened the first time, let alone twice! first time august 2007, claimed it was the floor mats. i felt the lurch after that and thought maybe i was just being paranoid. until it happened the second time. it happened nine days ago. the dealer has had my car since the incident. i have yet to hear from them. i will not take the car back. *tr updated 11/13/09 | |||
| 09/11/2007 | 10000 | 3 | 08/06/2007 |
| On two prior occasions the vehicle accelerated from speeds between 20-30 mph, to speeds up to 50-60 mph. on 9/11/07, the vehicle accelerated at speeds up to 80-90 mph. we are aware of the lexus notification of floor mat interference, so we removed the mats after the first two times, but the last and most frightening, occurrence happened without the mat in the vehicle. the car had to be forced into park in order to slow it down to a halt. my wife was driving the vehicle at the time and she states she almost had several multiple car accidents while trying to stop the vehicle. i had the vehicle towed to the dealer and they said it's the floor mat, before even driving the car. we won't drive the car again until someone other than lexus determines what the problem is. *tr | |||
| 07/17/2007 | 1582 | 1 | 05/03/2007 |
| Driving on a primary surface street, i stopped at a red light. i was the first car in the lane. when the light turned green i accelerated to change lanes, the car picked up speed and the brakes could not stop it. the car growled and jerked for a couple of blocks until i forced the gear out of drive. it finally stopped before the next intersection. i did not lose control of the car and did not hit anyone. the car was at the lexus repairs dept. for 5 days. i was told that i could not keep the two floor mats. they removed the factory installed carpeted mat, placed it in the trunk and left the thin, clear, protective plastic floor mat from lexus. i never had all-weather floor mats. i do not know if there is any damage to the transmission, engine or brakes. prior to the incident and since i have occasionally found it accelerating but it stops by braking. i have not attempted a high accelerating test. when i took the car to the repairs dept. i ask if they knew of other similar instances and was told no. i only had 1,582 miles at the time and i thought i was the only one with the problem. on august 16, 2007 there was an article in the newspaper referring to your investigation and now request that my incident be included. *tr the consumer provided pictures of the floor mats, accelerator pedal and a repair invoice. updated 09/10/07 *tr | |||
| 10/26/2006 | 1000 | 1 | 10/05/2006 |
| While accelerating to merge onto an interstate, the lexus es350 purchased earlier in the month continued to accelerate. i had to brake with my left foot while pumping the accelerator with my right foot to free the stuck accelerator. when i arrived home, the only thing i could think of was that the accelerator became stuck on the floor mat. i had the all-weather floor mat on top of the carpet mat. i slid the all weather car mat as far back as possible. this problem has not recurred. despite having the car back to the dealer at least 3 times since this incident, no one at the dealership did anything to correctly install the all-weather mats nor did anyone at the dealership ask me if i ever experienced such a problem. *tr | |||
| 05/20/2007 | 2 | 05/20/2006 | |
| On may 20, 2007 when i was driving in a high traffic private parkway the vehicle suddenly accelerated and hit three other cars. the road had a very gentle up slope and a small curve. the engine was roaring very loud as i tried very hard to brake, but the brake was not effective. i hit three cars: right, front and front right. one of the by stander told me that her parents had a similar experience with the same model car less than a week before that on a highway. also, the front car passenger reported that she heard an unusual loud engine noise from my car in the police report. later, the insurance company's assessor informed me that there was a memorandum from the manufacturer to insurance companies about the all weather floor mat for this model could cause sudden acceleration on the throttle. i reported the accident to the customer service specialist from the manufacturer on may 21, 2007. they have sent a field technician to inspect the car on june 7 , 2007, and he concluded there was no mechanical problem with the car. the specialist told me to submit any car rental expense claim through the insurance company ,and any further action will have to deal directly with their legal department. i also talked with two service staffers from 2 different dealerships, and they informed me that they were aware of the floor mat problem about the same model of my car. since then i have found 18 similar complaints about the same model car in the national highway traffic safety administration web site. i want the manufacturer to reimburse all my car rental expenses and to replace my car because i have no confidence about the car warranty, and i should not be bearing the depreciation cost for a crashed car. the manufacturer should recall all the cars that have the floor mat package.*ak | |||
| 05/28/2007 | 1 | 12/09/2006 | |
| Vehicle accelerated rapidly and would not stop, even after repeated attemps to brak creating an extremely dangerous situation while driving on interstate. i eventually was able to put the car into neutral, and the engine raced violently, and turn off the ignition. after calling lexus roadside assistance, while waiting for the assistance to arrive, i noticed that the accelerator pedal had been wedged in the rubber floor mat. i have not yet determined if the incident damaged the engine or brakes. *ak | |||
| 03/23/2007 | 5650 | 2 | 08/26/2006 |
| The gas paddle on my lexus es350 was locked and not released after i depressed the gas paddle to its full stroke and removed my foot during driving and on park. this was a serious safety fault that caused the car to continue accelerating even after removing foot from the gas paddle. *ak | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL - CRUISE CONTROL | |||
| 01/18/2007 | 3000 | 10 | 10/11/2006 |
| Tl* - the contact owns a 2007 lexus es350. the contact is the original owner of the vehicle and immediately observed the cruise control was not operating properly. the contact noticed while driving at 55 miles per hour the vehicle's cruise control caused the vehicle to accelerate. the contact first noticed that the cruise control wasn't functioning properly at the time of purchase on october 11, 2006. update (february 21, 2007): mr. towers said that when the cruise control is on, the vehicle frequently accelerate beyond its set speed and keep going. once he got a speed ticket because of it. since, he was alert to the malfunction and able to disengage the cruise control usually after the vehicle exceeded the set speed by 10 to 15 mph. the malfunction seem to occur when other cars are around. at first, he though other cars were slowing down, but later realize that it was his car speeding up. he bought the car from an internet dealer and wasn't sure it had the intelligent cruise control. after complaining to toyota, they bought the vehicle back. | |||