Cruise Control problems of the 2007 Lexus ES350

I received a less than reassuring assessment today of how my '07 Lexus ES 350 was fixed at keyes Lexus, van nuys, CA, following a recall notice. Although the accelerator pedal had been trimmed, and sound material was removed from the driver-side floor mat area, the principal sudden acceleration problem remained unsolved, according to bill horvath, Lexus service rep. Background: while traveling west on the 60 freeway in mid-December my car took off like a bat out of !@#$% as I neared chino airport, located approximately 50 miles from hemet, where I visit my 95-year old mother each week. The car's cruise control had been activated and in use for about five minutes. My speed was set at 68 mph when suddenly the car simply took off, ultimately reaching nearly 100 mph. At the time of acceleration my right foot was no where near the gas pedal or brake. I removed the original Lexus car mats long ago. Nevertheless, it proved to be an unbelievable experience and terrifying ride. I shut off the cruise control device, hit the brake as hard as a could, threw the auto-gear shift into neutral and pulled off to the side of the freeway. I wasn't hurt, but terrified by the experience. I will not let my wife or daughter drive this defective car--ever! the Lexus technicians were unable to duplicate the cruise-control instant acceleration problem, according to horvath. When I picked up the car I told horvath that I'm accepting it under protest and that the dealer's solution and findings to my very dangerous incident were "inadequate. " for the record, this represents a single isolated event. I never had any other issues with this vehicle. However, I now fully understand how easy it might be to get killed in one of these so-called luxury cars. What pisses me off the most is that Toyota has know about this serious safety defect for the last nine years.

My 2007 Lexus Es350 sometimes accelerates on its own while cruise control is engaged. No significant explanation is available. I am typically driving in cruise. I have not touched anything, tried to accelerate or anything. For lack of a better explanation, it is as if it is possessed, it just happens. This occurs occasionally, a couple of months can go by between instances. In my case it has been about 2 months since the last time it has happened. On the occasions it has happened I allow I do not allow it to go more than 10 mph above the set speed before I disengage the cruise control. Disengaging the cruise control seems to resolve the problem.

Ltr fwd re sudden acceleration incident involving his 2007 Lexus Es350. The consumer stated when he attempted to pass an 18-wheeler truck, the vehicle suddenly accelerated out of control. Another truck was in front of him and the truck the consumer attempted to pass was on his right. A steep cliff was on the left and when he applied the brakes there was no response. He turned off the cruise control and there was still no response. The consumer tired tapping the accelerator and fortunately that worked and the vehicle returned to normal operation. Later that day, after leaving the gas station, the accelerator became stuck again.

2007 Lexus Es350 sudden accelerated the consumer stated while driving south on the interstate, he pulled out to pass an 18-wheeler truck, when suddenly the vehicle accelerated out of control. Another truck was in front of him and the one that he was attempting to pass was on the right. A steel cliff was on the left and as the consumer applied the brake, there was no response. He turned off the cruise control and there was still no response. He tried tapping the accelerator and fortunately that worked and the vehicle returned to normal and under control.

I was getting on hwy 101 ramp on a Saturday morning around 10:45 am where traffic was moderate, suddenly felt the car began accelerating by itself so I eased up on the accelerator. Car continued to accelerate uncontrollably on its own. I then stepped hard on the brake but the car didn't slow down. Saw the cruise control light was on by itself, turned it off but the car was still accelerating. Meanwhile, the vehicle accelerated to 105 mph . Miraculously managed to move over to the shoulder without hitting any cars but the vehicle was still moving at 100+ mph. Finally my husband had to force the gear box to park and I applied the emergency parking brake before the vehicle finally started to slow down and eventually stopped near exit #389. It was a 3. 5 miles journey at over 100 mph with many close calls of serious accidents . Vehicle was towed to Lexus dealership. Dealer later informed us that the sudden acceleration was caused by the all weather floor mat and their explanation on why the brake did not work was when the gas throttle was open, the horsepower of the car was so great that the brake wasn't able to stop it. We were not convinced and demand to have Lexus corporation send a master technician or have an independent and qualified technician for a full and complete diagnosis. Request was refused by the dealership service department manager. Based on their computer diagnosis, there was no error code came up and therefore we have to trust them that the program has been resolved by the replacement of the floor mat our research found this problem has happened in a lot of different models of vehicles of Toyota and Lexus. Suspicion is that there is some other bigger safety issues behind and Toyota is using the floor mat issue as an excuse to cover up more serious safety problem.

On June 10, 2008 about 11:00pm, I was on my way from indianapolis, in to columbus, OH. I was using cruise control and went to reduce my cruise speed with the switch on the steering column. My 2007 Es350 immediately began to accelerate under full power. I switched my cruise control off, but it would not disengage. My speed was increasing still. I hit my brakes as hard as possible, but they would barely keep the car at its speed above 80 as I was dodging traffic on I-70 eastbound. After 2 miles of trying to gain control of the car, full brakes and much less brake pad for the experience, I was able to get the car to stop and the cruise control did finally disengage once the vehicle was stopped but not before. All mats were locked in place with clips. No vehicle errors to report. This is a deadly situation. I am 64, 250 lbs and it took everything I had to stop the car. Had this been in a more congested area, the results could have been far worse.

Reported: 27-may-2008 (incidence memorial day weekend 25 may 2008) problem: runaway acceleration: evidence of malfunctioning cruise control car was nearing end of 200 mile trip. Cruise control had been engaged on and off for last hour. Driver stopped at entrance onto old-designed fast-moving highway rte4) with old-fashioned short access and no breakdown lanes. Cruise control green light on, but system supposedly disengaged. Car began to exhibit strong engine noise and runaway acceleration. Driver shut off cruise control, passenger observed the light go off and then back on several times. Driver firmly stepped on brakes. The brakes smoked and smelled of burning. When car slowed down, driver pulled to small indentation at side and pressed ignition button for several seconds. Car stopped with jolt. Driver started car in park. Engine made same loud blow-out sound. Re-shut down car. Driver restarted car to move to exit about 50 yds ahead. Car began run-away acceleration again, driver repeated steps pushing hard on brakes (smell and smoke) and shutting car off by pressing ignition button. Off-duty police (chief of force) smelled brakes and said loud engine noise made car a hazard; tow driver would also testify to loud engine noise when car turned on again to be placed on his truck. Because spill of ice-coffee during incident, mats were inspected by both driver and passenger before car was towed. Both noted that mats were intact and in their proper place. Driver noted clips were in place. (the car was in compliance with Lexus recall of mats having been serviced two months prior to incident. ) improper mats are still Lexus stated cause; however, driver and passenger say this is not case. Cruise control malfunctioning seems likely cause of runaway-acceleration. While our dealer is responsive, national Lexus has been most neglectful;agent does not return calls; and this is almost three weeks after incident. See also 10228954 &10229189.

It wasn?t the mats!!!! runaway acceleration in our Lexus ES 350. Date of incident was 05/25/08, memorial day weekend. My husband was driving and I was in the passenger seat. We both surmised that the cruise control had apparently taken over the engine and caused the acceleration. (my cruise control had always been a fluke, one week prior I had experienced and dismissed a brief episode with my cruise control) only good brakes and my husband?s skill saved us from a horrific outcome. I reported the incident on this site 3/27/08. The vehicle was towed to englewood (NJ) Lexus. Yesterday, the service manager there gave contradictory evidence that it was the mats. Since a large ice-coffee spilled during the incident, my husband and I examined the mats to mop up the spill before the car was towed away and saw that the mats were in their correct position. In no way were they stuffed under the brakes and lodged on the accelerator as he stated at first. It is unconscionable to me that an extensive examination of the cruise control mechanism has not performed. Inskip Lexus (ri), where we bought the car, has agreed to have car towed and will examine problem. I am terrified to drive the car again unless the problem is resolved. The problem of runaway acceleration has been reported in numerous cases on this site and other consumer sites about Toyota/Lexus. Many owners do not agree with diagnosis of mats being the culprit. ???question: is Toyota/Lexus the new Audi???? [see also 10228954 & 10230929]*smch.

The contact owns a 2007 Lexus Es350. While driving 10 mph, the vehicle accelerated without warning. The contact had to use the brakes to help stop the vehicle long enough so that the vehicle could be turned off. The contact stated that a week before the failure the cruise control made a sound as if the engine accelerated too hard when activated. As of may 27, 2008, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 13,000. The VIN was unavailable. Updated 06/25/08 the consumer stated the cruise control malfunctioning may have been the cause of the sudden acceleration. Updated06/25/08 see also 10230929 & 10229189.

Here is the description I gave my local Lexus dealer along with the photographs of the witness marks of the impact to the door. Lexus is evaluating the car. I have asked for a factory assisted replacement car of a different model. They have not responded yet: dave, attached is the extract from the NHTSA on this problem with the Es350 model along with the measurements on the garage door and photos of the car. There is the description: I was watching my wife slowly (3-5 mph) approach our garage door when the car suddenly lurched forward and crashed into our garage door at 10-15 mph. My wife said her foot was hovering over the brake after transitioning from the throttle as the car was coasting toward the door. She jammed on the brake but couldn't get it stopped fast enough to keep from hitting the door. I'm a licensed professional mechanical engineer and own a drive a Ferrari f355 spider for fun so I am very familiar with how a car suspension and body angle responds to acceleration and braking. It looked to me like the car launched but was immediately forced into a nose down attitude as my wife was desperately trying to stop. Unlike like the Audi problem of a few years ago had she mistakenly hit the throttle she would have never been able to hit the door in a nose down attitude and there wouldn't have been time to take her foot off the gas and onto the brake - as a result - it had to be an uncommanded acceleration. The car launched in a way that would be consistent of at least 2500 rpm minimum. I made some very careful witness mark measurements on the broken garage door and the impact point for the license plate screw is 3/8 of an inch lower than its normal free standing height on the car indicating she must have had her foot on the brake by the time of the impact thus ruling out the Audi scenario. Make no mistake this is not the floor mat problem and we restarted the car to confirm the cruise control was off.

My daughter and friends were driving in my 2007 Lexus ES 350 on a 2 lane hwy. As they approached a speed zone the driver noticed the cruise control light was on without being engaged. She turned it off, it came on again. She tapped the brakes to turn it off and the car lurched fwd. She tried to slow the car but when she braked the car accelerated. She continued to brake but the car kept speeding up. She shifted the car into neutral but the car sped up. She tried the emergency brake, pushing the start/stop button, but the car would not turn off. She kept repeating these actions but the car continued out of control. The driver was standing on the brake with both feet trying to stay on the road as it approached speeds of 90mph with no brakes. As they approached a 4 way stop the front passenger seat desperately threw the car into park at 90mph. The car lurched and skidded approx 150 ft to the side of the road. When I arrived at the scene I called our salesman to inform him of the incident and our car would be towed in. He asked me how many floor mats I had in the car, and I told him only the two they sold me, the carpeted one and the all-weather rubber mat. He told me they had just issued a recall on the rubber mat as it was sliding fwd and jamming accelerators. I checked and our mat was jamming the accelerator. After my car was examined by Lexus field tech's they determined the car had acted as designed and the expenses for a replaced transmission and new brake system would be mine- not covered by warranty. I disputed this and they offered to repair the car at no charge. If floor mats were contributory to this potentially fatal incident they were not the only dangerous element. The cruise control issues, inability to stop the car in an emergency situation by pressing the stop button, and the throttle seemingly overriding the other systems in a "sudden acceleration" pattern are all very strong concerns I have.

- the contact owns a 2007 Lexus Es350. The contact is the original owner of the vehicle and immediately observed the cruise control was not operating properly. The contact noticed while driving at 55 miles per hour the vehicle's cruise control caused the vehicle to accelerate. The contact first noticed that the cruise control wasn't functioning properly at the time of purchase on October 11, 2006. Update (February 21, 2007): mr. Towers said that when the cruise control is on, the vehicle frequently accelerate beyond its set speed and keep going. Once he got a speed ticket because of it. Since, he was alert to the malfunction and able to disengage the cruise control usually after the vehicle exceeded the set speed by 10 to 15 mph. The malfunction seem to occur when other cars are around. At first, he though other cars were slowing down, but later realize that it was his car speeding up. He bought the car from an internet dealer and wasn't sure it had the "intelligent" cruise control. After complaining to Toyota, they bought the vehicle back.

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.

Consumer request for investigation on the 2007 Es350 speed control. The consumer stated the vehicle suddenly accelerated, after attempting to apply the brakes. The unwanted acceleration caused the vehicle to crash into the highway guard rail and consequently the vehicle rolled over. The consumer suffered serious back, neck and pelvic injuries. Update (February 21, 2007): ms. Hodges said that she was traveling on I-75 for 15 minutes and the cruise control was not turned on. She was merging onto route 59 and applied the brakes. However, the vehicle not only not slowed down but actually accelerated to what she believe was 75-80 mph. To avoid crashing the vehicles ahead, she moved from the right lane to the left lane and hit the guard rail. The vehicle rolled over and totaled. She was cited by the police but the citation was later dismissed. Toyota sent her a letter saying that their investigation found nothing was wrong with the vehicle. See also 10174732 .

: the vehicle stated while traveling 65 mph on dry road conditions, the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably to 70 mph. The cruise control was activated when this occurred. The vehicle was placed in neutral, and the brake pedal was depressed, which slowed down the vehicle. On another occasion while traveling 20 mph, sudden acceleration recurred, the vehicle was shifted into park and the ignition was turned off. The dealer was contacted, who determined that the floormat could have depressed the accelerator pedal. On 12/05/06, the problem recurred while traveling 30 mph. The brakes were depressed, which did not stop the vehicle. The automatic transmission was shifted into park, which completely shut the vehicle off. Smoke was noticed coming from the engine compartment. On 12/06/06, the manufacturer was contacted, who provided no assistance.