2002 LEXUS ES300 Complaints

SUDDEN ACCELERATION FROM A STOP IN A LINE OF TRAFFIC RESULTED IN COLLISION WITH VEHICLE IN FRONT. VEHICLE WAS 2002 LEXUS ES 300. SEVERAL PRIOR SUDDEN ACCELERATION EVENTS HAD PREVIOUSLY OCCURRED. CONTACT WITH LEXUS DEALER RESULTED IN NO ASSISTANCE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 LEXUS ES300. THE CONTACT STATED AS HE BACKED OUT OF A PARKING SPACE THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A PARKED VEHICLE. NO ONE WAS INJURED. A POLICE REPORT IS AVAILABLE IF NEEDED. THE BACK END OF THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED IN THE CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN TO CONTACT'S HOME AND LATER TO A BODY SHOP FOR REPAIR. THE TOYOTA MANUFACTURER WAS CALLED AND NOW THE CONTACT WAS WAITING FOR A REPRESENTATIVE TO RETURN HIS CALL. THE CONTACT STATED PRIOR TO THE CRASH HE HAD THE ACCELERATION PROBLEM, HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LEXUS DEALER THEY CHECKED THE VEHICLE BUT FOUND NO FAILURE WITH THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,200.

I PRESENT THIS AS INFORMATION TO COMPLEMENT THE PRESENT ISSUES WITH TOYOTA MOTOR COMPANY AND ITS INSTITUTIONAL FAILURE TO RESPOND TO SAFETY RELATED INCIDENTS. I OWNED A 2002 LEXUS ES300. THE MECHANICAL/COMPUTER PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR INVOLVED THE FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION TO DOWNSHIFT EFFECTIVELY WHEN MERGING INTO TRAFFIC AT 40-50 MPH. THIS ISSUE WAS FIRST OBSERVED WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO MERGE INTO THE FREEWAY IN FRONT OF A FAST MOVING TRUCK. THE TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTED BUT DID NOT ENGAGE IN 3RD GEAR, BUT SIMPLY DISENGAGED THE ENGINE FROM THE WHEELS; THE ENGINE RPMS INCREASED, THE TACHOMETER WENT TO THE RED LINE AND THE COMPUTER SHUT OFF FUEL TO THE ENGINE. THUS THE CAR DECELERATED IN FRONT OF THE TRUCK. THIS WAS EASILY REPLICATED, AND MANY SIMILAR STORIES FILLED THE AUTO CHAT ROOMS AT THAT TIME. LEXUS RESPONSE AT THE DEALER LEVEL: " YOU USE THE WRONG FUEL; YOU HAVE DRIVEN INCORRECTLY AND PROGRAMMED THE COMPUTER TO RESPOND THIS WAY; THIS IS THE ONLY CAR BEHAVING LIKE THIS" THE SHOP FOREMAN DROVE WITH ME, OBSERVED THE PROBLEM AND WROTE AN INCIDENT REPORT TO TOYOTA. I DEMONSTRATED THE EFFECT ON A NEW LEXUS WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER, WHO STILL WAS NOT ABLE TO ADMIT THAT A SERIOUS PROBLEM EXISTED. LEXUS RESPONSE AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL: "NO PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN REPORTED ON A PROBLEM YOU DESCRIBE." FINALLY A SERVICE REP SHOWED ME A PRINT OUT FROM NATIONAL LEXUS SERVICE, "TELL THE CUSTOMERS THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS BEHAVING THE WAY THAT IT WAS DESIGNED! " OF COURSE, IT WAS INCORRECTLY DESIGNED AND IT BEHAVED THAT WAY. AFTER TWO YEARS, A PARTIAL COMPUTER UPGRADE WAS SENT TO THE DEALERS AND INSTALLED. MINE WAS THE SECOND CAR WITH THE FIX, THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP OWNER WAS THE FIRST. MY POINT IS THAT THE TOYOTA/LEXUS CORPORATE RESPONSE TO SAFETY ISSUES AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL HAS BEEN TO STONEWALL AND DENY THE EXISTENCE OF PROBLEMS EVEN WHEN THEY COULD PRODUCE POTENTIAL CATASTROPHIC RESULTS. THIS HISTORICAL POLICY OF DENIAL EXISTED LONG BEFORE THE PRESENT ISSUES GAINED NOTORIETY. *TR

I EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM AFTER MY 90,000 SCHEDULED MAJOR MAINTENANCE. ON 11/22/09, I RETURNED TO MY CAR AND FOUND THE WINDOWS AND SUN ROOF WERE OPENED. I HAD NOT ENGAGED THE REMOTE TO DO THIS. I GOT IN THE CAR AND CLOSED THE WINDOWS AND SUN ROOF. I DROVE APPROX ONE AND A HALF MILES. I SLOWED THE CAR TO PREPARE TO PARK. I TURNED INTO THE PARKING SPACE AND NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS NOT STOPPING. I PRESSED ON THE BRAKE AND THE CAR SUDDENLY SURGED FORWARD CROSSING OVER A CURB AND STRIKING A PARKED CAR. WHILE AT THE BODY SHOP A LEXUS TECHNITION WENT IN TO CHECK THE CAR AND SAID HE FOUND EVERYTHING TO BE WITHIN SPECIFICATIONS. PREVIOUSLY REPORTED BY PHONE BUT THE ACCOUNT WAS NOT COMPLETE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 2002 LEXUS E300 ON RTE95 IN PROVIDENCE R.I. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE LANE TRAVELING AT THE SPEED OF THE TRAFFIC--65MPH. SUDDENLY T CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND WITHOUT WARNING WHEN I STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDAL THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. I WAS IN THE MIDST OF HEAVY TRAFFIC LOSING SPEED RAPIDLY. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE EDGE OF THE ROAD . THE CHIP WHICH FEEDS GAS TO THE ENGINE FAILED. *TR

ON 11/20/09, I WAS PARKED IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE IN MY 2002 LEXUS ES300. WHEN I PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE, IT BOOMED FORTH, AND THE BRAKE DIDN'T WORK. I TRIED TO GET AROUND THE CAR THAT WAS PARKED IN FRONT OF ME BUT THE SPEED WAS SUCH THAT I HIT IT. THERE WAS DAMAGE TO MY CAR AND THE CAR I HIT. THE DRIVER WAS IN THE CAR AND HAS SINCE CLAIMED SHE WAS INJURED. I HAD ANOTHER INSTANCE OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION 2 YEARS PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT BUT WAS ABLE TO STOP. I URGE YOU TO PUSH TOYOTA TO ADMIT THAT THERE ARE CASES OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION IN MODELS THAT PRE-DATE THE ONES THEY ARE RECALLING AND TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. *CN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 LEXUS ES300. THE CONTACT STATED AS SHE CAME TO A STOP WITH HER FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, THERE WAS A BUMP IN THE ROAD AND THE VEHICLE LURCHED AND ACCELERATED FORWARD. THE CONTACT STATED AS THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED IT HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THERE WAS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO BOTH VEHICLES. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS REPAIRED AND CHECKED BY A MECHANIC WHO STATED THERE WAS NO PROBLEM AND EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE MECHANIC ALSO DID A COMPUTER CHECK SHOWING NO CODE PROBLEM. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 92,388. UPDATED 03/04/10. THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOYOTA STATING UPON EXAMINATION OF THE VEHICLE, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE AFTER MARKET FLOOR MAT THAT WAS ON TOP OF THE FACTORY FLOOR MAT WAS PREVENTING THE ACCELERATOR FROM REACHING THE FLOOR. AND IT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED TO STACK FLOOR MATS ON THE DRIVERS SIDE BECAUSE OF INTERFERENCE WITH THE BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDALS. UPDATED 04/06/10.*JB

I HAVE A 2002 LEXUS ES300. IT STOPPED WHILE DRIVING RECENTLY. THERE WAS NO INDICATION. THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING BUT THE CAR WAS NOT MOVING. AFTER OPENING THE HOOD I FOUND THE SMALL PIPE CONNECTING THE AIR INTAKE TO THE ENGINE HAD COME OFF. I WAS LUCKY AS THE DRIVER BEHIND ME SLOWED DOWN AND STOPPED. HOWEVER IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ON A HIGHWAY, I POSSIBLE WOULD NOT BE WRITING THIS COMPLAINT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 LEXUS ES300. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH OUT OF A PARKING SPACE PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL FOLLOWED BY AN UNINTENDED INCREASE IN SPEED. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SLOW DOWN AND CRASHED INTO THE RESIDENCE HOME AND A TREE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE POLICE WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND IT WAS TOWED TO AN AUTO COLLISION FACILITY. THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 LEXUS ES300. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 5 MPH AND EXITING ONTO A RAMP IN LIGHT RAIN, THE CONTACT LOSS CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE LEFT RAILING. THE CONTACT DID NOT SUSTAIN ANY INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL SERVICE SHOP. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE TO THE VEHICLE TO DATE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE UNDER 38,500. UPDATED 03/04/10. *LJ