2007 LEXUS ES350 Complaints

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

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

I PURCHASED A LEXUS ES350 ON 2-16-07. ON 3-7-07, I EXPERIENCED A GEAR SHIFT FAILURE RESULTING IN A NEAR REAR END SITUATION. I FEEL THIS PROBLEM IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND HAS BEEN A ONGOING PROBLEM THAT LEXUS HAS NOT CORRECTED. MY CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR OF THE TRANSMISSION. I DO NOT TRUST THAT IT WILL BE RELIABLE .*JB

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

MY CAR DEVELOPED THE FLARE/SLIP (1000 RMP GAP) COLD START FIRST SHIFT FROM 2/3 GEAR. IT HAPPENED 2-3 TIMES OUT OF 7 DAYS I SENT THE CAR TO DEALER, THEY KEEP TELLING ME THAT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE OR VERIFY THE PROBLEM, I VIDEO TAPE THE PROBLEM SHOW IT TO THE DEALER HOWEVER THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM FIRST IN ORDER TO START TO REPAIR. AFTER I PICK UP THE CAR BACK FROM THE DEALER FOR THE FIRST TIME THE FLARE/SLIP (1000 RMP GAP) HAPPENED AGAIN, IT HAPPENED 3-4 TIMES OUT OF 7 DAYS, I SENT THE CAR BACK TO DEALER TO CHECK THE PROBLEM. AGAIN THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE OR VERIFY THE PROBLEM. *JB

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

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

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 UPDATED IVOQ 09/02/10*JB

I BOUGHT A LEXUS ES 350, 2007, ON JAN. 12, 2007, AND DROVE IT AT NIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME ON FEB. 2, 2007. THE CAR HAS HID HEADLIGHTS WITH AFS. WE WERE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE WITH NO OTHER LIGHTS AROUND AND WE DROVE IT IN THE CITY THE NEXT NIGHT. THE HEADLIGHTS ARE UNACCEPTABLE BECAUSE WE CAN BARELY SEE WITH THEM AT NIGHT. IT'S WORSE OBVIOUSLY OUTSIDE CITIES, BUT ALSO DIFFICULT EVEN WHERE THERE ARE STREET LIGHTS. WE CAN SEE CLEARLY A FEW FEET IN FRONT OF THE CAR, BUT THEN THERE IS A LINE BETWEEN DARK AND LIGHT. ABOVE THE LINE IS WHAT CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS A BLACK WALL. THIS MAKES YOU OUT DRIVE YOUR HEADLIGHTS CONSTANTLY, LIKE DRIVING BLIND. THE HEADLIGHTS APPEARED TO BE SO LOW THAT YOU COULD BARELY SEE THE BOTTOM THIRD OF THE CAR IN FRONT OF YOU. VERY DANGEROUS AND SCARY. WE TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER, WHO SAID HE TURNED THE AFS OFF AND IT WOULD BE OK. IT WASN'T OK. IT WAS EXACTLY THE SAME WITH THE AFS OFF OR ON, SO THE NEXT DAY WE WENT BACK TO THE DEALER AND ASKED IF HE COULD ADJUST THE HEADLIGHTS. HE SAID THE COMPANY DID NOT ALLOW THEM TO ADJUST THE HEADLIGHTS. I HAVE CALLED THE LEXUS 1-800 CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER TODAY AND HOPE THEY WILL SOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT I'VE SINCE HEARD OTHER PEOPLE COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM IN THIS CAR. I CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY TO HAVE MADE IT HOME SAFELY BOTH NIGHTS THAT I HAVE DRIVEN THIS CAR. IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. *JB

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