Car Accelerates On Its Own Problems of Lexus IS300

Was slowly pulling into parking space when car suddenly accelerated full throttle. Car was carried over parking bumper into bushes beyond, with damages to body and undercarriage over six thousand dollars.

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I was sitting in my 2003 Lexus is 300 4 door it was a rainy and unusually cool day so I rolled the windows down and with the car idling I listened to some music and contemplated where to eat dinner it being around 5. 30 pm. Suddenly the throttle opened up and the car shot off like a rocket over the curbing through some bushes and into a pond maybe 15 feet away the car was moving so fast that as it was sinking it moved out about 20 feet. It was completely submerged and I was lucky to unbuckle the seat belt and climb out the open window and swim to shore the only injury a sprained ankle. The car was a total loss. Amazingly I was given a ticket for wreckless driving that was dismissed as there were no witnesses the police and the insurance company insisted that cars don't surge like that on their own we know better I was treated like a criminal instead of sympathized with for almost drowning. It was not the mat or a sticky accelerator but I feel an electrical problem due to moisture that made the throttle open up the thing was also that the car was in park! of course no lawyers would touch it I didn't get hurt bad and they said there was never any successful litigation against the manufacturers for sudden acceleration irregardless of cause. I just feel I need to tell my story and hope that it helps I have the VIN # and all that if needed to track the factory made and maybe this will help substantiate a claim by someone who was hurt or help the family of someone hurt or killed. These companies care about profits not people and this culture much change. The other sad part was the police who assumed I did this on purpose I am not insane only an insane person would drive a car into a lake with them inside. That's the boynton beach police for you. . . Nice huh also I lost my job as a salesman as this took 3 months for me to get paid and I had no transportation! do you think Toyota will pay me for that?.

On 8/28/06, at approximately 8:50 am I was driving to work on a two lane, level, straight paved county road. I was driving my 2002 Lexus is 300 that had just reached 26,000 miles. (this car has received all regularly scheduled maintenance services from Lexus of reno and has not had any problems whatsoever. I am the original owner of this vehicle) the road was clear and dry. I was traveling at approximately 45 mph when I accelerated to pass another vehicle. As I passed, my car kept on accelerating even as I let up on the accelerator. I attempted to apply the brakes. The engine acceleration was so powerful, the car did not respond well to my attempt to brake, so I took my foot off the brake. The speed on the dashboard was 60 mph and accelerating. I applied the brakes again with all the strength I had and was able to pull the car safely off the road. The engine was racing even when stopped. I moved the shift into park. Even in park the engine was racing. I turned the engine off. My husband was following me and stopped. He drove it 1. 5 miles our office without incident. I then called the reno, nv Lexus dealership where I purchased the car. The head of the service department called me back and suggested I have the car towed to the dealership. I asked him if he was aware of any other rapid acceleration problems with these vehicles and he said no. He said the 4 year warranty was up in 7/06 and I would have to pay for any repairs. That afternoon I had the car towed to the reno Lexus dealership. On the evening of 8/28/06 I searched the internet and found that the NHTSA had investigated 2002-2003 Lexus ES 300 models for faulty throttles that may have caused rapid acceleration. So far Lexus has not acknowledged a problem. I shared with the rep what I had found on the internet problems with rapid acceleration and that I was not picking the car up until Lexus replaced the throttle.

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