2003 Lexus GX470 problems

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

VEHICLE WAS IN LOW RANGE GOING IN REVERSE WITH A TRAILER VERY SLOW WHEN OUT OF NOWHERE IT ENGAGED FASTER AND WOULDN'T STOP ACCELERATING FOR 15 FEET OF THIS AND IT STOPPED MY FOOT WAS NOT ON THE GAS SO THERE WAS NO REASON WHY IT SHOULD HAVE ENGAGED IN THE MANNER THAT IT DID IN FACT I HAD BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKE TRYING TO STOP IT IT FELT LIKE I HIT SOMETHING WHEN IT STOPPED BUT I DIDN'T HIT ANYTHING. THIS ALL OCCURRED WHILE I WAS BACKING A BOAT INTO MY DRIVEWAY WHICH IS LEVEL GROUND

NHTSA complaint #11190387 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

WE TOOK IT TO A DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER TO HAVE BRAKES AND ROTORS REPLACED. IT WAS REPORTED TO US BY THE SHOP THAT WHEN THEY RAISED THE TRUCK, IT MADE NOISES AND THEY FELT IT WAS UNSAFE TO CONTINUE. THEY REPORTED TO US THAT THE FRAME WAS RUSTED OR ROTTED, ESPECIALLY NEAR THE RIGHT REAREND, AND THAT IT WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, THAT THE WHERL OR THE BACK END COULD COLLAPSE. LAST NIGHT, I DID EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ONLINE AND IT APPEARS THIS IS A LONG-STANDING ISSUE WITH TOYOTA FRAMES ON THEIR TRUCKS, WITH MANUFACTURING DEFECTS IN STEEL PRODUCTION AND SUBSEQUENT CHEMICAL TREATMENT ERRORS BEFORE TRUCK ASSEMBLY. EVIDENTLY THERE HAVE BEEN MASSIVE RECALLS OF TACOMA TRUCKS WHICH HAVE THE SAME FRAMES MADE BY A COMPANY IN OHIO CALLED DANA. WE ARE WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM TOYOTA TODAY WHO ASSIGNED US A CASE MANAGER YESTERDAY WHILE WE WERE AT THE DEALERSHIP REPAIR SHOP. MANY OF THESE TRUCKS NEEDED A FRAME SWAP. THE EXTENT OF THE FRAME RUST AND ROT IS UNBELIEVABLE FOR THE AGE OF THE VEHICLE

NHTSA complaint #11174420 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

FRAME IS ROTTING FROM INSIDE OUT, EXCESSIVE CORROSION ON AN OTHERWISE SPOTLESS VEHICLE. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT WAS COMMON TO THE EARLY/MID 2000'S TOYOTA TUNDRA, TACOMA, AND 4RUNNER, THE LATTER OF WHICH SHARES FRAME COMPONENTS. TOYOTA, FOR WHATEVER REASON, COVERED THE TUNDRA AND TACOMA THROUGH RECALLS, BUT SO FAR HAS NOT DONE A RECALL ON THE 4RUNNER OR GX470.

NHTSA complaint #11171320 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SUSPENSION

FRAME IS ROTTING FROM INSIDE OUT, EXCESSIVE CORROSION ON AN OTHERWISE SPOTLESS VEHICLE. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT WAS COMMON TO THE EARLY/MID 2000'S TOYOTA TUNDRA, TACOMA, AND 4RUNNER, THE LATTER OF WHICH SHARES FRAME COMPONENTS. TOYOTA, FOR WHATEVER REASON, COVERED THE TUNDRA AND TACOMA THROUGH RECALLS, BUT SO FAR HAS NOT DONE A RECALL ON THE 4RUNNER OR GX470.

NHTSA complaint #11171320 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

FRAME IS ROTTING FROM INSIDE OUT, EXCESSIVE CORROSION ON AN OTHERWISE SPOTLESS VEHICLE. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE THAT WAS COMMON TO THE EARLY/MID 2000'S TOYOTA TUNDRA, TACOMA, AND 4RUNNER, THE LATTER OF WHICH SHARES FRAME COMPONENTS. TOYOTA, FOR WHATEVER REASON, COVERED THE TUNDRA AND TACOMA THROUGH RECALLS, BUT SO FAR HAS NOT DONE A RECALL ON THE 4RUNNER OR GX470.

NHTSA complaint #11171320 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SUSPENSION

REAR SUSPENSION ARM BROKE A WAY FROM A FRAME SECTION THAT APPEARS ROTTED. NO OTHER RUST ON VEHICLE. THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ON SMOOTH ROAD AND MADE VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. SCARED TO THINK IF THIS HAPPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEED. AGAIN..THIS IS A CLEAN..NO RUST VEHICLE

NHTSA complaint #11122730 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE:BODY

REAR SUSPENSION ARM BROKE A WAY FROM A FRAME SECTION THAT APPEARS ROTTED. NO OTHER RUST ON VEHICLE. THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ON SMOOTH ROAD AND MADE VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. SCARED TO THINK IF THIS HAPPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEED. AGAIN..THIS IS A CLEAN..NO RUST VEHICLE

NHTSA complaint #11122730 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 LEXUS GX470. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. ALSO, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD WHEN IT WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT ACTIVATED THE HAZARD LIGHTS AND ENGAGED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE DEALER (POHANKA HONDA OF FREDERICKSBURG, 60 S GATEWAY DR., FREDERICKSBURG, VA 22406, (540) 735-9100) WAS CALLED AND STATED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD BE THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER. THE DEALER (POHANKA LEXUS CHANTILLY, 13909 LEE JACKSON MEMORIAL HWY, CHANTILLY, VA 20151, (703) 968-9100) WAS ALSO CONTACTED, BUT HAD NOT DIAGNOSED THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 183,400.

NHTSA complaint #11118478 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

THE HEADLIGHT LENS COVERS SLOWLY BECAME FOGGED OVER TIME CAUSING GRADUALLY DECREASING LIGHT OUTPUT. THE MANUFACTURER WANTS TO CHARGE TO POLISH OUT THE FOGGED LENS BUT THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN IF THE MANUFACTURER DID DUE DILIGENCE IN ENGINEERING AND DESIGN DEVELOPMENT MATERIALS SELECTION. THIS SAFETY FLAW SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY SINCE THE MANUFACTURER IS PROVIDING MATERIALS INFERIOR TO PAST PROVEN STABLE MATERIALS (GLASS AND OTHER AVAILABLE PLASTICS THAT DON'T DEGRADE HAVE BEEN AVAILABLE FOR WELL OVER 70 YEARS). SERVICE CENTERS DO NOT OFFER INSPECTIONS TO MEASURE WHEN THE LIGHT OUTPUT DROPS BELOW FEDERAL SAFETY SPECIFICATIONS AND GLASS LENSES OF THE PAST NEVER SUFFERED THIS PROBLEM. MATERIALS THAT DON'T DEGRADE HAVE BEEN IN USE FOR MANY YEARS AND MANUFACTURERS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO ADOPT LOWER PERFORMING MATERIALS FOR SAFETY CRITICAL SYSTEM COMPONENTS. INCOMPETENT MATERIALS ENGINEERING SHOULD BE PUNISHED BY REQUIRING THE MANUFACTURER TO REPLACE THESE LENSES AT NO CHARGE REGARDLESS OF THE AGE OF THE VEHICLE. IT IS NOT CLEAR WHEN THE LIGHT OUTPUT WAS OR WILL BE BELOW THE FEDERAL STANDARDS FOR VEHICLE SAFETY WHICH IS PART OF THE PROBLEM ! THIS IS WHY THE DATE OF OCCURRENCE IS UNCERTAIN AND TODAYS DATE IS USED.

NHTSA complaint #10993877 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I HAVE BEEN WAITING OVER 3 YEARS TO GET THE CRACKED / MELTING DASHBOARD REPAIRED UNDER THE RECALL I RECEIVED OVER 3 YEARS AGO. I SPOKE TO THE LOCAL LEXUS DEALER AND THEY SAID I WAS STILL # 49 IN LINE TO GET THIS DONE. REALLY ? AFTER 3 YEARS. HOW PATIENT DOES ONE NEED TO BE ? I BELIEVE A CIVIL SUIT IS IN ORDER HERE. WITH THE TIME AND TRIPS TO THE DEALER FOR THIS AND IT'S STILL NOT HANDLED - SOMEONE WITH SOME AUTHORITY NEEDS TO PRESS THIS ISSUE WITH LEXUS.

NHTSA complaint #10896577 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

IT IS POSSIBLE TO SIMULTANEOUSLY DEPRESS THE GAS PEDAL WHEN BRAKING, THIS CAUSES SUDDEN UNCONTROLLABLE ACCELERATION I REPORTED THE INCIDENT TOO TOYOTA AND REQUESTED UPGRADED ECU SOFTWARE THAT DISABLES THE GAS PEDAL WHILE BRAKING TOYOTA REFUSED TO PROVIDE A SIMPLE SOFTWARE FIX MY WIFE IS A WITNESS.

NHTSA complaint #10649010 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

IT IS POSSIBLE TO SIMULTANEOUSLY DEPRESS THE GAS PEDAL WHEN BRAKING, THIS CAUSES SUDDEN UNCONTROLLABLE ACCELERATION I REPORTED THE INCIDENT TOO TOYOTA AND REQUESTED UPGRADED ECU SOFTWARE THAT DISABLES THE GAS PEDAL WHILE BRAKING TOYOTA REFUSED TO PROVIDE A SIMPLE SOFTWARE FIX MY WIFE IS A WITNESS.

NHTSA complaint #10649010 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A GX470 LEXUS. THIS VEHICLE ALONG WITH OTHER VEHICLES IS GARAGE KEPT. I DON'T DRIVE SOME OF MY VEHICLES A LOT AS WITH MY GX470 BECAUSE OF THE GAS MILEAGE AND DIFFICULTY IN PARKING VERSES MY C-CLASS MERCEDES BENZ AND OTHER CARS. BUT IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR I NOTICED SEVERE CRACKING IN MY FRONT DASH WHILE TAKING A LONG TRIP. THE CRACKING IS SO SEVERE THAT IT GOES ACROSS THE FRONT DASH WHERE THE PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS ARE LOCATED. THE CRACKING HAS ALSO CAUSED THE SPEAKERS SOUND TO BE DISTORTED. I CONTACTED LEXUS, BUT AT THE TIME I DID NOT KNOW THAT THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF LEXUSES GX470S THAT HAVE THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULD SUGGEST IS THAT THOSE LEXUS OWNERS LIKE MYSELF THAT IS GOING TO FILE A LAWSUIT SHOULD GET TOGETHER. MY EMAIL ADDRESS IS: [XXX] I ALSO THINK THAT A WAY TO GET THE ADDITION OF LEXUS AND POTENTIAL LEXUS BUYERS THAT HAVE NO IDEA THAT THIS PROBLEM THAT KIA OWNERS DON'T HAVE TO FACE IS THE PLAN A PROTEST OF LEXUS DEALERSHIPS NATIONWIDE. SATURDAY IS A BIG DAY IN THE CAR BUSINESS; BELIEVE ME I USE TO WORK IN THE INDUSTRY. TO HAVE EVEN JUST THREE TO FOUR PROTESTORS WITH SIGNS WARNING POTENTIAL LEXUS CUSTOMERS OF WHAT LEXUS OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING AND THE FACT THAT LEXUS IS REFUSING TO MAKE THIS RIGHT WILL GET LEXUS ATTENTION. THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM BASED ON THE CONSUMER BUT LEXUS AND WHATEVER COMPANY THAT THEY CONTRACTED WITH TO PRODUCE THESE DASH. I AM PERSONALLY GOING TO SUE LEXUS. I WOULD BE WILLING TO SHARE MY PLEADINGS WITH ANYONE ELSE, BUT I CANNOT GIVE LEGAL ADVISE OF ANY KIND BECAUSE I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY. PLEADINGS ARE PUBLIC RECORD. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA complaint #10626506 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE

THE DASHBOARD IS CRACKED AND MELTED.

NHTSA complaint #10617465 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE

HAIRLINE CRACKS IN DASHBOARD. GARAGE KEPT.

NHTSA complaint #10558606 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

WHEN I WAS DRIVING MY LEXUS GX470 (2003) WITH MY FAMILY ON A LOCAL STREET AT AROUND 35 MPH, MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED BY ITSELF. THE BRAKES ENGAGE BY ITSELF AND THE VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL ACTIVATED WITH BEEPS. FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS BEHIND ME. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE LOCAL MECHANIC, HE CHECKED THE BRAKES, CALIPERS..ETC, HE SAID EVERYTHING IS FINE BUT HE COULDN?T FIND ANY REASON WHY IT HAPPENED, HE ASKED ME TO CONTACT LEXUS DEALER. I CALLED THE LEXUS DEALER SERVICE CENTER, I EXPLAINED THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, HE TOLD ME TO CHECK THE BRAKE CALIPERS, I TOLD HIM THE MECHANIC ALREADY CHECKED IT. ANYWAY, EVEN THE LEXUS DEALER COULDN'T EXPLAIN WHY IT HAPPENED.

NHTSA complaint #10553868 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

WHEN I WAS DRIVING MY LEXUS GX470 (2003) WITH MY FAMILY ON A LOCAL STREET AT AROUND 35 MPH, MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED BY ITSELF. THE BRAKES ENGAGE BY ITSELF AND THE VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL ACTIVATED WITH BEEPS. FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS BEHIND ME. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE LOCAL MECHANIC, HE CHECKED THE BRAKES, CALIPERS..ETC, HE SAID EVERYTHING IS FINE BUT HE COULDN?T FIND ANY REASON WHY IT HAPPENED, HE ASKED ME TO CONTACT LEXUS DEALER. I CALLED THE LEXUS DEALER SERVICE CENTER, I EXPLAINED THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, HE TOLD ME TO CHECK THE BRAKE CALIPERS, I TOLD HIM THE MECHANIC ALREADY CHECKED IT. ANYWAY, EVEN THE LEXUS DEALER COULDN'T EXPLAIN WHY IT HAPPENED.

NHTSA complaint #10553868 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STRUCTURE

SEVERAL CRACKS (SOME HAIRLINE AND OTHERS WIDER) HAVE APPEARED ALL OVER THE DASHBOARD, NEAR VENTS, ABOVE INSTRUMENT CONSOLE AND IN FRONT OF THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG COVER. INITIALLY, I THOUGHT THIS WAS AN ISOLATED OCCURRENCE BUT IN RESEARCHING THIS TOPIC ONLINE I REALIZED THIS IS PERVASIVE ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL AND IT'S OVERSEAS COUSIN PRADO. THIS IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT TOYOTA AND LEXUS MUST CORRECT. I BELIEVE THE CRACKS OVER THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG COVER POSE A SAFETY RISK WITH POTENTIAL INTERFERENCE WITH THE OPERATION OF THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT. TO BE SURE THIS WASN'T AN ISOLATED OCCURRENCE, I HAVE VISUALLY INSPECTED 5 OTHER GX 470S IN TAMPA AREA (RANDOMLY) OVER THE LAST MONTH AND EACH ONE OF THEM HAD THE SAME CRACKS ON THEIR DASHBOARDS. HERE ARE LINKS TO OWNER FORUM SITES I SURVEYED TO GET A SENSE OF THIS PROBLEM WORLDWIDE ... HTTP://US.LEXUSOWNERSCLUB.COM/FORUMS/TOPIC/54056-03-GX470-DASHBOARD-CRACKS/ HTTP://WWW.CLUBLEXUS.COM/FORUMS/GX-FIRST-GENERATION/427349-CRACKED-DASHBOARD.HTML HTTP://US.LEXUSOWNERSCLUB.COM/FORUMS/TOPIC/61250-GX470-CRACKED-DASH/ HTTP://WWW.PRADOPOINT.COM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?12073-CRACKED-DASHBOARD/PAGE15 NHTSA MUST ASK LEXUS TO SURVEY GX 470 OWNERS ON THIS ISSUE TO CONFIRM THE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM. IF THE INCIDENT RATES ARE AS HIGH AS I BELIEVE THEY ARE, THIS SHOULD BE A BASIS FOR A RECALL AND LEXUS SHOULD BE FORCED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA complaint #10507227 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

IN 2007 OR 2008 THE ACCELERATOR ON MY LEXUS GX 470 STUCK IN THE WIDE OPEN POSITION. I HAD FLOORED THE ACCELERATOR TO PASS A TRUCK AND WHEN TAKING MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR THE CAR WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN. I WAS ABLE TO APPLY THE BRAKES WITH MUCH EFFORT AND TURN OF THE IGNITION. THE FLOOR MAT WAS NOT PART OF THE PROBLEM. I THEN RESTARTED THE CAR AND IT DROVE NORMAL. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE LEXUS DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW, WHICH IS LEXUS OF MISHAWAKA, INDIANA. THEY INSPECTED THE CAR AND SAID THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG AND THAT IT WAS PROBABLY THE FLOOR MAT. IT WAS NOT THE FLOOR MAT. I TRADED THE CAR IN AT LEXUS OF MISHAWAKA IN NOVEMBER OF 2008. I NO LONGER OWN THE CAR.

NHTSA complaint #10313516 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

I OWN A 2003 LEXUS GX470. ON FRIDAY JANUARY 8TH AS I WAITED FOR TRAFFIC TO CLEAR BEFORE TURNING RIGHT TO ENTER A BLVD, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO RACE WHILE MY RIGHT FOOT FORCED DOWN THE BRAKE PEDAL TO PREVENT THE CAR FROM "LAUNCHING" INTO THE CROSS TRAFFIC. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHUDDER AND SHAKE AND MY DAD YELLED "YOU'RE SPINNING YOUR TIRES!" I YELLED "MY FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE, WHAT SHOULD I DO?" WE TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. LATER, WHILE MY DAD OBSERVED FROM THE OPEN DRIVER'S-SIDE DOOR, I ROUGHLY TRUMPED ON THE GAS PEDAL 2 OR 3 TIMES BECAUSE WE WERE VAGUELY AWARE OF A TOYOTA "ACCELERATOR STICKING" PROBLEM. I THEN STARTED THE CAR AND DROVE IT SEVERAL MILES - WHILE TOTALLY TERRIFIED. IMMEDIATELY I ARRANGED TO HAVE THE CAR TRANSPORTED TO MY DEALER'S FACILITIES. AND, AFTER THREE DAYS OF "TESTING," NO PROBLEM WAS FOUND AND I DROVE HOME, SHAKING. SO, JUDGING FROM RECENT MEDIA REPORTS, WHAT WAS NEW OR DIFFERENT ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE? 1) NO MATS WERE EVER USED IN THE DRIVER'S COMPARTMENT DURING THE FIVE YEARS I HAVE OWNED THE CAR. 2) THE ENGINE WAS "AT IDLE" AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BEFORE THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SUDDENLY RACE. 3) I AM NOT A "TWO-FOOT" DRIVER...NEVER, EVER. 4) MY DAD CHECKED (YES, HE IS A MECHANICAL ENGINEER) TO SEE IF THE GAS PEDAL WAS IN ITS CORRECT IDLE POSITION AFTER SHUT-OFF: THE PETAL POSITION WAS NORMAL, NORMAL BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER BEING "TRUMPED" ON. 5) MY CAR WAS NOT MOVING, JUST WAITING, AT IDLE, WITH NO OPERATOR INTERVENTION PRIOR OR DURING ENGINE REV-UP. IN A NUT-SHELL, MY NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN PROVOKED BY A MECHANICAL PROBLEM WITH THE ACCELERATOR PETAL. THIS FAILURE HAS NOT HAPPENED AGAIN... NO REPAIR WAS MADE... MY DEALER CLAIMED THAT NOTHING LIKE THIS HAS HAPPENED ON A LEXUS THAT THEY KNEW ABOUT...BUT CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY TODAY SHOWS THAT OTHER LEXUS OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ENGINE ACCELERATION WITH NO PEDAL INVOLVEMENT.

NHTSA complaint #10313443 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I OWN A 2003 LEXUS GX470. ON FRIDAY JANUARY 8TH AS I WAITED FOR TRAFFIC TO CLEAR BEFORE TURNING RIGHT TO ENTER A BLVD, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO RACE WHILE MY RIGHT FOOT FORCED DOWN THE BRAKE PEDAL TO PREVENT THE CAR FROM "LAUNCHING" INTO THE CROSS TRAFFIC. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHUDDER AND SHAKE AND MY DAD YELLED "YOU'RE SPINNING YOUR TIRES!" I YELLED "MY FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE, WHAT SHOULD I DO?" WE TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. LATER, WHILE MY DAD OBSERVED FROM THE OPEN DRIVER'S-SIDE DOOR, I ROUGHLY TRUMPED ON THE GAS PEDAL 2 OR 3 TIMES BECAUSE WE WERE VAGUELY AWARE OF A TOYOTA "ACCELERATOR STICKING" PROBLEM. I THEN STARTED THE CAR AND DROVE IT SEVERAL MILES - WHILE TOTALLY TERRIFIED. IMMEDIATELY I ARRANGED TO HAVE THE CAR TRANSPORTED TO MY DEALER'S FACILITIES. AND, AFTER THREE DAYS OF "TESTING," NO PROBLEM WAS FOUND AND I DROVE HOME, SHAKING. SO, JUDGING FROM RECENT MEDIA REPORTS, WHAT WAS NEW OR DIFFERENT ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE? 1) NO MATS WERE EVER USED IN THE DRIVER'S COMPARTMENT DURING THE FIVE YEARS I HAVE OWNED THE CAR. 2) THE ENGINE WAS "AT IDLE" AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BEFORE THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SUDDENLY RACE. 3) I AM NOT A "TWO-FOOT" DRIVER...NEVER, EVER. 4) MY DAD CHECKED (YES, HE IS A MECHANICAL ENGINEER) TO SEE IF THE GAS PEDAL WAS IN ITS CORRECT IDLE POSITION AFTER SHUT-OFF: THE PETAL POSITION WAS NORMAL, NORMAL BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER BEING "TRUMPED" ON. 5) MY CAR WAS NOT MOVING, JUST WAITING, AT IDLE, WITH NO OPERATOR INTERVENTION PRIOR OR DURING ENGINE REV-UP. IN A NUT-SHELL, MY NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN PROVOKED BY A MECHANICAL PROBLEM WITH THE ACCELERATOR PETAL. THIS FAILURE HAS NOT HAPPENED AGAIN... NO REPAIR WAS MADE... MY DEALER CLAIMED THAT NOTHING LIKE THIS HAS HAPPENED ON A LEXUS THAT THEY KNEW ABOUT...BUT CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY TODAY SHOWS THAT OTHER LEXUS OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ENGINE ACCELERATION WITH NO PEDAL INVOLVEMENT.

NHTSA complaint #10313443 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

I WAS TRAVELING WEST ON A TWO LANE PAVED ROAD (SUTTON ROAD) NEAR SUTTON SCHOOL. WEATHER WAS SNOWING AND ROAD CONDITIONS SLIPPERY WHEN MY ACCERERATOR FAILED TO RETURN TO IDLE POSITION. I APPLIED BRAKES AS I WAS APPROACHING A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME TRAVELING IN THE SAME DIRECTION. THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL FAILED TO MAINTAIN STRAIGHT DIRECTION AS PER DESIGN INTENT AND MANUALS. FRONT BEGAN SLIDING TO LEFT AND REAR OF VEHICLE BEGAN SLIDING TO RIGHT. I NCREASED BRAKE PRESSURE AND STEERED INTO TH SKID , TO THE RIGHT. I WAS ABLE TO MISS THE CONTACT WITH ANY OTHER VEHICLES AND OR DAMAGE ANY PROPERTY , BUT DID END UP SLIDING INTO A DITCH OFF OF THE ROAD. WITH THE IMPACT RESULTING IN THE DEATH OF MY SERVICE DOG . AS I AM HANDICAPPED. NO DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE , BUT NO I AM VIRTUALLY IMMOBILE WITH THE LOSS IF MY DEAR SERVICE DOG.

NHTSA complaint #10307396 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.