NHTSA — Vehicle Speed Control Problems

2008 Lexus ES 350 (Page 1 of 2)

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
14 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
11 / 0
Average Mileage:
28,547 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Lexus ES 350 engine problems

engine problem

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2008 Lexus ES 350 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #31

Oct 102019

ES 350

  • 35,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When driving at 60mph, after removing foot from gas pedal, vehicle will continue to maintain a speed of 40mph. Have to apply brakes to slow car down.

- Stamford, CT, USA

problem #30

Oct 082014

ES 350

  • 189,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. While accelerating from a stop light and attempting to avoid a curb on the left, the contact veered to the right and crashed into the driver side of another vehicle. When the contact attempted to steer to the left, the vehicle independently accelerated and rolled over. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained leg injuries and the rear driver side passenger sustained head injuries. Medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V340000 (air bags). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 189,000.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #29

Mar 282015

ES 350

  • 76,000 miles
While entering my garage, my car suddenly accelerated and smashed into the rear wall destroying a cabinet and refridgerator and went through the wall. I couldn't stop the car as evidenced by brake skid marks on the garage floor. Lexus later inspected the car and claimed they could find no defect. Fortunately my wife and I were only shaken up from the deployment of the airbags. The car was totaled. My home and auto insurance covered part of the damage and Lexus has disavowed any responsibility, but they never inspected the damage to our home or the evidence that I was trying to stop the car almost from the instant it entered the garage. I can provide pictures by email, but I can't seem to retrieve them for this document. T

- Somerset, NJ, USA

problem #28

Jun 102014

ES 350

  • 92,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

We currently have allstate for insurance and they have this item called the drivewise. This device fits in the obd II port under the steering column. This device created multiple communications errors within the computers for the car. After reading up on this, it seems that many people are having this issue in many makes/models. The vehicle shifted funny into another gear on its own. The instrument cluster was not working and would not light up. The radio would not work at all and the sunroof was making a funny noise. The speakers were making a crackling sound and the A/C wasn't working. The heated and cooled seats were not working. After bringing the vehicle into the Lexus dealer they could see that the vehicle was having multiple communications issues between the computer systems. This device is a safety concern and we will not continue using it. Everything is back to normal now that the device has been removed. Had we not been proactive about this, the device could have caused an accident. Potentially harming someone. This is a very serious concern we have and I feel that someone should do more research on the product.

- Eden Prairie, MN, USA

problem #27

Mar 062013

ES 350

  • 23,800 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 mph around a curve, the vehicle erroneously accelerated. The brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle slowed down. The vehicle then resumed normally. The contact mentioned that failure was experienced multiple times. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and stated that they would send an engineer to inspect the vehicle. The approximate failure mileage was 23,800.

- Palm Desert, CA, USA

problem #26

Feb 122014

ES 350

  • 43,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 ES 350 Lexus. While driving 15 mph, and approaching a traffic light, the vehicle suddently accelerated excessively and crashed into another vehicle. There was no damage to the vehicle, nor were there any injuries. The contact's vehicle sustained minor damage. He notified the insurance company when the crash occurred. There was no police report. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 43,000.

- Wynnewood , PA, USA

problem #25

Dec 082011

ES 350 6-cyl Diesel

  • 40,822 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving, I pushed gas pedal down to accelerate quickly. Engine revved to high RPM and car accelerated and RPM stayed high in spite of letting off of gas pedal. Initially I put car in neutral and engine continued at high RPM. I tapped hard on gas pedal and pedal released. This recurred again when I pushed down on pedal. Appeared to be due to Lexus floor mat catching on bottom of gas pedal. I called Lexus dealer and was told this had never been reported. (I had already had the recalled pedal replacement done). I pulled the floor mat back to prevent the edge catching on the pedal. Approximately one month later the problem recurred--presumably because the mat has slowly pushed forward over the last month.

- Tulsa, OK, USA

problem #24

Jan 242011

ES 350

  • 39,489 miles
I had almost finished parking my '08 Lexus ES 350 in a parking place at a business park when it surged forward very fast. I had not touched the accelerator. I brake hard, but the car went up over a cement divider and crashed into the car parked facing me. I had the car one and half years, and this was the first time it happened. I had it towed to the Lexus dealership. An inspector found nothing wrong externally, but the edr showed I had not stepped on the accelerator before the crash, only the brake, and yet it had surged forward. I had taken the car in earlier for the recall, and had removed the mat and had something added to the software. I sold the car back to Lexus immediately as I never wanted to step foot in it again. This is a very dangerous car, and something is wrong with the electronics to cause this.

- Fremont, CA, USA

problem #23

Oct 242010

ES 350 6-cyl

  • 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. The contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. While cruising 60 mph the Lexus suddenly accelerated to over 90 mph. Contact stood on the brake as hard as he could and switched the ignition off, but the car continued revving as high as the motor would go. Finally, the contact was able to get the car into neutral to slow down. However, by then the brakes were red hot. Contact pulled the coil wire to stop the motor from blowing up. After, the contact's terrified wife and children calmed down from the near death experience, the Lexus was towed to a Lexus dealer. The contact called and wrote the dealer for weeks but only received a response after threatening legal action. Toyota of America then sent a representative to erase the onboard computer data proving even Toyota thinks its unintended acceleration is electrical, not mechanical. Updated 01/25/11 updated 04/18/11.

- North Augusta, SC, USA

problem #22

Apr 262010

ES 350

  • miles
Owner of 2008 Lexus ES received recall notice for issue with sudden acceleration. Car was taken to Lexus service dept for repairs. However a month or so later, the car suddenly accelerated getting up to speed of approx 70 mph in a residential area. Brakes did not stop or slow car down. As a result, two parked cars were hit, and damaged residents yards before running head on into a tree in someone's yard. The driver and passenger were injured.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #21

Jul 242010

ES 350

  • 49,167 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. The contact was driving with the cruise control set to 75 mph when the traction, engine and vehicle stability control (vsc) warning lights illuminated. The contact applied the brakes and the vehicle began to decrease in speed however when he removed his foot from the brake pedal, the vehicle began to accelerate back to 75 mph. The cruise control would not deactivate by applying the brakes. The contact depressed the brakes again until the vehicle came to a complete stop however, the vehicle abnormally accelerated to 65 mph when his foot was released from the pedal. The vehicle maintained a speed of 65 mph although the cruise control was no longer activated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was awaiting a diagnosis of the failure. The current and failure mileages were 49,167.

- San Gabriel, CA, USA

problem #20

Jun 242010

ES 350

  • 21,000 miles
I own a 2008 Lexus ES-350 - it had a recall for acceleration problems which they adjusted the gas pedal. About 3 weeks ago I pulled up to the office at my apt complex, had my foot on the brake and car continued to go forward, went over the curb and knocked down the leasing sign. I put the car in reverse still with my foot on the brake and car continued to go backwards, then put car in neutral and finally car stopped. Lexus customer service and my insurance company examined the car and said there was nothing wrong with the car. If that is true why did the car continue to go forward with my foot on the brake.

- Oceanside, CA, USA

problem #19

Apr 262010

ES 350

  • miles
On 4-26-10, while in cincinnati Ohio, I was the passenger in a 2008 Lexus ES350.we were going to kroger. The driver stopped at a stop sign and after leaving the stop sign the car suddenly accelerated all by it's self to a very fast speed. Due to the car's excessive speed, the car left the street and hit 2 other vehicles & a tree. Special note: Since this type car was part of a recall. Prior to the accident the owner / driver of the car had taken the car to the dealership to be "fixed" as indicated in the recall letter.

- Bogart, GA, USA

problem #18

Jun 182009

ES 350

  • 29,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. While driving 60 mph, the vehicle began to decelerate as she depressed the accelerator pedal it responded normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic test, drove the vehicle, and was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileages were 29,000.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #17

Dec 102009

ES 350

  • 14,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. While driving at speeds of 10 mph, the vehicle began to rapidly accelerate without warning. The contact tried to apply the brakes but the vehicle would not decrease in speed. The vehicle crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The front end of the vehicle was damaged. The manufacturer was notified but nothing was done regarding any repairs. The failure and current mileages were just under 14,000.

- Jericho, NY, USA

problem #16

Mar 022010

ES 350

  • 12,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. Upon starting the vehicle, it would shake violently and the engine would roar loudly, the check engine light would also illuminate. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they could not duplicate the failure; however, they did perform an open recall, NHTSA campaign id number: 09V388000: Vehicle speed control: Accelerator pedal. She noticed that even when slightly depressing the accelerator pedal the vehicle would rapidly pick up speed beyond what it should. The current and failure mileages were approximately 12,000.

- Oakland, CA, USA

problem #15

Mar 022010

ES 350

  • 14,642 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. The contact states she just recently had the recall done for the accelerator pedal. The contract states before having her vehicle repaired it had no problems and it was driving fine. The contact states now when she takes her foot off of the brake the vehicle does not seem to stop like it use to. The failure and current was 14,642.

- Cerritos, CA, USA

problem #14

Feb 272010

ES 350

  • 45,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly accelerated out of control at night and she was unable to stop the vehicle when she applied the brakes. The contact was driving approximately 40 mph prior to the failure. The vehicle drove over the curb and collided into a tree and a retaining wall. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The contact called the manufacturer and was told that a representative would come out to inspect the vehicle. The contact noticed small instances of surging but not to the point where she could not stop or control the vehicle. The vehicle was currently at the body shop awaiting inspection. The current and failure mileages were approximately 45,000.

- Fontana, CA, USA

problem #13

Jan 102010

ES 350

  • 16,200 miles
2008 Lexus 350 with acceleration problem not yet discussed by Toyota..sometimes at a full stop or at slow speeds it automatically accelerates.

- St. Charles , MO, USA

problem #12

Oct 232009

ES 350

  • 5,500 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. While driving 10 mph and merging into traffic the vehicle drifted to the right. Within minutes, the vehicle surged forward out of control and as the contact tried to depress the brakes, the vehicle crashed onto the train tracks. The air bags did not deploy. The passenger sustained injuries and was taken to the hospital. The police arrived and a police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The insurance company inspected the vehicle. The contacts insurance also increased as a result of the failure which resulted in a crash. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 5500.

- New Canaan, CT, USA

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