2007 LEXUS ES350 Complaints

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

SITUATION IS THAT ALWAYS STEP ON THE BRAKE HARD TO MAKE QUICK STOP IF NEEDED. SOMETIMES FELT CAR WOULDN'T STOP. SO I HIT THE BRAKE WAY IN ADVANCE. COMPLAINED IT TO DEALER, BUT THEY SAID THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE. *TR

ON JULY 16, 2009, MY WIFE WAS TRAVELING SLOWLY BEHIND A TRUCK WHEN A TRAFFIC LIGHT TURNED RED. SHE TRIED TO STOP AND HAD HER FOOT FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE, BUT THE CAR DIDN'T STOP AND CRASHED INTO THE TRUCK IN FRONT OF HER, CAUSING ABOUT $8,000 DAMAGE TO HER CAR AND NONE TO THE TRUCK. NO ONE WAS INJURED, BUT MY WIFE MISSED A DAY OF WORK. WE SUSPECT THAT THIS WAS REALLY A "STUCK" ACCELERATOR PROBLEM OR, REALLY AN ELECTRONIC PROBLEM WITH THE ACCELERATOR. THIS HAS HAPPENED ONLY ONE TIME. THE LEXUS DEALER AND THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP SAID HER BRAKES WERE FINE. SUBSEQUENTLY, IN FEB 2010, THE LEXUS DEALER CALLED US AND HAD HER BRING IN THE CAR (2007 LEXUS ES350) FOR ACCELERATOR/BRAKE REPAIRS. ALTHOUGH HER CAR HAS NOT OFFICIALLY BEEN RECALLED FOR THE RECENT TOYOTA ACCELERATION PROBLEM, THEY WANTED TO PRE-EMPTY A FUTURE RECALL AND GET HER CAR FIXED. LAST YEAR, HER CAR WAS RECALLED FOR A FLOOR MAT PROBLEM, BUT THEY SAID HER FLOOR MATS HAD BEEN INSTALLED PROPERLY AND NOTHING WAS DONE. *TR

ON 07/2009 WE TOOK OUR 2007 LEXUS ES350 IN FOR SERVICE WITH 20K MILES. IT WAS BEING TAKEN IN FOR A BRAKE PROBLEM, FAULTY VISOR AND VEHICLE TILTED/LEANING. I WAS ADVISED THAT THE BRAKES HAD 1MM LEFT (NEAR BRAKE FAILURE). A LEXUS TECH REPLACED THE BRAKES, VISOR AND CONFIRMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TILTED/LEANING. SINCE THEN THE VEHICLE RETURNED SEVERAL TIMES FOR SERVICE INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING: BRAKES AND TILT/LEANING. THE BRAKES WERE REPLACED AGAIN AND ANOTHER TECH CONFIRMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TILTED/LEANING WITH VISUAL AND PHYSICAL INSPECTION. THE TECH MEASURED FROM THE WHEEL WELL TO THE GROUND. THE DEALER REPLACED THE FRONT SUSPENSION BUT THE RESULTS WERE THE SAME. THE VEHICLE IS STILL TILTED/LEANING AND NOW LEXUS IS REFUSING TO FIX IT AND STATED, THEY HAVE DONE ALL THEY CAN DO TO FIX IT. AFTER I COMPLAINT THAT THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE A CORP FIELD TECH WAS SENT TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. THE FIELD TECH ALSO CONFIRMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TILTED/LEANING AND STATED THAT THEY DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE A REMEDY FOR THIS PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS 25K MILES. DUE TO THE STATEMENT ABOVE IT LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THE THIS IS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT. *TR

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.

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

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

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ENTER FREEWAY, AFTER PASSING THROUGH TOLLBOOTH, VEHICLE LOCKED AT 40 MPH, UNABLE TO ACCELERATE OR BRAKE. *TR

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

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