2004 Lexus Es 330

UPON STARTING AND PUTTING CAR IN REVERSE ENGINE EXPERIENCED UNCONTROLLABLE ACCELERATION. CAR IT BACKED ACROSS A THE TRAFFIC LANE IN A PARKING LOT WITH THE BRAKES APPLIED STUCK TWO PARKED CARS AND ENDED UP ON TOP OF A PLANTING AREA AFTER HITTING A TREE PLANTED THERE. POLICE WERE CALLED AND RESPONDED. THE CAR HAS BEEN LOOKED AT BY A MECHANIC BUT COULD NOT FIND A VISIBLE PROBLEM WITH THE ACCELERATOR. *TR

PLEASE NOTE - THIS IS OR MAY BE RELATED TO OTHER ODI I JUST REPORTED AT 10261933. I HAVE A LEXUS 2004 ES330 AND IN ADDITION TO WEIRD BRAKING PROBLEMS, I HAVE ALSO HIT THE BRAKE AND BASICALLY FELT THE CAR CONTINUE LIKE I NEVER HIT THE BRAKE AND I AM ACCELERATING OR HAVE CRUISE CONTROL ON. WHEN THIS HAS OCCURRED, I DID NOT FEEL THE ABS BRAKING SYSTEM ENGAGE OR ANY TYPE OF SLOWING DOWN OCCUR. I END UP HITTING AND RELEASING THE BRAKE QUICKLY TO TRY AND GET THE CAR TO BRAKE AND COME TO A STOP. ON ONE OCCASION I ALSO QUICKLY HIT THE GAS TO SEE IF PERHAPS THAT WOULD CLEAR THE PROBLEM, AND IT DID NOT. I PULLED OVER, CHECKED THAT NO DEBRIS OR FLOOR RUG HAD SOME HOW MADE THE GAS PEDAL STINK, AND THAT IS NOT THE PROBLEM. OTHER THAN THIS PROBLEM, AND THE PROBLEMS REPORTED UNDER ODI 10261933, I HAVE NOT HAD ANY OTHER PROBLEMS W/ ACCELERATING OR STOPPING. I HAVE BROUGHT THE ISSUE TO THE ATTENTION OF LEXUS AND THEY HAVE DENIED ANY RECALLS OR OTHER REPORTED PROBLEMS. I SUSPECT THEY ASSUME I AM A WOMAN - WHO CANNOT DRIVE. AGAIN, I HAVE OWNED FAST HIGH PERFORMANCE PORSHE AND MERCEDES PREVIOUSLY AND NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM BEFORE. I HOPE SOMEONE WILL FIGURE THIS OUT BEFORE I AM INJURED OR PERHAPS SOMEONE ELSE IS. THANKS. PS NO DATE OF INCIDENT, SO I WILL PUT 1/1/09. THIS REFUSAL OF THE CAR TO ENGAGE THE BRAKE ETC HAS OCCURRED ABOUT 5 TIMES. *TR

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING A 2004 ES330, WHEN SHE PRESSED THE BRAKE ON A 15 MPH SPEED, THE CAR INSTEAD SURGE FORWARD WITH A VERY HIGH SPEED AND SHE HEARD A ROAMING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. IN A FEW SECONDS, THE CAR RAN UP A CURB AND SHE MANAGED TO AVOID HITTING THE TREES AND WALL. THE CAR WAS DAMAGED AND SHE IS NOT GOING TO DRIVE THE CAR AGAIN. LEXUS DEALER SIMPLY SAID THEY CAN NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. I DID RESEARCH ON THIS NHTSA DATA AND FOUND A LOTS OF SAME COMPLAINS AGAINST ES330 AND ES350. I AM VERY UPSET BY THE WAY LEXUS HANDLED THE ISSUE. *TR

I REPORTED ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE ON MARCH 2, 2006 AN ACCIDENT THAT OCCURRED WHEN I WAS DRIVING A 2004 LEXUS 330 ON JANUARY 28, 2006 IN TUCSON ARIZONA. I REPORTED THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF MY ACCIDENT TO THE LEXUS CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CENTER (LCSC). I FOLLOWED UP WITH A LETTER INCLUDING MY NHTSA WEBSITE REPORT, OTHER NHTSA REPORTS OF SIMILAR TYPES OF ACCIDENTS WITH LEXUS ES330, POLICE REPORT FOR MY ACCIDENT AND REQUESTED ASSISTANCE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE MALFUNCTION THAT LED TO THE ACCIDENT. A TECHNICIAN FROM TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, USA, INC. CAME TO THE LEXUS DEALER IN TUCSON AND INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM A CLAIMS ADMINISTRATOR-LEGAL DEPARTMENT OF TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, USA, INC. INDICATING THE TECHNICIAN'S REPORT CONCLUDED "IT (MY VEHICLE) WAS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AT THE TIME " OF THE ACCIDENT. THIS LETTER DID NOT INCLUDE AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE ACCIDENT. I WROTE ANOTHER LETTER TO THE CLAIMS ADMINISTRATOR STATING THAT HE HAD NOT ACCURATELY DESCRIBED THE ACCIDENT DETAILS AND I REQUESTED A COPY OF THE TECHNICIAN'S REPORT. I RECEIVED A LETTER ON JUNE 6, 2006 FROM THE CLAIMS ADMINISTRATOR STATING THAT "WHILE I (THE CLAIMS ADMINISTRATOR) HAD THE SCENARIO INCORRECT, THE CIRCUMSTANCES REMAIN THE SAME. THAT OVERSIGHT ON MY (CLAIMS ADMINISTRATOR) PART HAS NO BEARING ON THE TESTING CONDUCTED BY THE LEXUS FIELD TECHNICIAN." THE LETTER ALSO STATED THAT "BE ADVISED THAT IT IS NOT OUR POLICY TO RELEASE OUR INTERNAL REPORTS". I SENT A FOLLOW UP LETTER VIA CERTIFIED MAIL, TO THE CLAIMS ADMINISTRATOR ON JUNE 6, 2006 REQUESTING THAT AN EXCEPTION TO THE POLICY BE MADE IN MY CASE AND ASKING AGAIN TO RECEIVE A COPY OF THE TECHNICIAN'S REPORT. I NEVER RECEIVED A RESPONSE TO MY LETTER. THUS, I AM VERY UNSATISFIED WITH THE CUSTOMER SUPPORT THAT I HAVE RECEIVED FROM THE TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, USA, INC. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE EXITING THE DRIVE WAY THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WAS A CRASH WITH AN ONCOMING VEHICLE BEFORE IT STALLED IN THE YARD ACROSS THE STREET. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WAS PROPERTY DAMAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHO REPAIRED THE DAMAGES TO THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ALERTED.

I WAS DRIVING OUR 2004 LEXUS ES330 ON A CLEAR SUNNY DAY AT APPROXIMATELY 2:30 PM. I STOPPED IN THE LEFT TURN LANE AT A VERY BUSY INTERSECTION IN TUCSON, ARIZONA. THERE WERE THREE CARS IN FRONT OF MY VEHICLE AND I HAD THE CAR IN NEUTRAL. WHEN THE LEFT-HAND TURN-LIGHT SIGNAL CHANGED TO GREEN, I PULLED THE GEAR SHIFT FROM NEUTRAL TO DRIVE. INSTANTLY, THE MOTOR MADE A LOUD REVVING SOUND AND THE CAR LUNGED FORWARD AND HIT THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED THE BRAKE BUT MY CAR CONTINUED TO PUSH ON THE CAR THAT I HAD HIT. I THEN TRIED TO BACK AWAY FROM THE CAR I HAD HIT BY PUTTING THE GEAR SHIFT INTO REVERSE. WHEN I SHIFTED MY CAR INTO REVERSE IT HIT THE CAR BEHIND ME AND I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED THE BRAKES BUT THEY DID NOT WORK. THIS OCCURRED TWICE BEFORE THE ENGINE DIED. THIS WAS A HARROWING EXPERIENCE. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS INJURED. EVEN THOUGH I WAS STOPPED IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, THERE WAS $4,500 DAMAGE TO MY CAR AND $7,500 OF DAMAGE TO THE OTHER CAR. SINCE WE PURCHASED THE CAR IT WAS SERVICED REGULARLY AT THE DEALER WHERE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. UNTIL THIS ACCIDENT I HAD NEVER BEEN THE DRIVER OF A VEHICLE THAT WAS INVOLVED IN A CAR ACCIDENT. NHTSA WEBSITE HAS COMPLAINTS OF VERY SIMILAR PROBLEMS POSTED BY OWNERS OF THE 2004 LEXUS ES330 MODEL. I HAVE REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TO LEXUS CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CENTER. *NM

2004 LEXUS ES 330 HAS SEVERE HESITATION AND SURGING PROBLEMS WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE UNDER TRAFFIC CONDITIONS SUCH AS MERGING ONTO FREEWAY WHERE YOU MIGHT NEED TO SLOW AND THEN ACCELERATE. WE EXPERIENCED DANGEROUS SITUATIONS DUE TO HESITATION AND THEN SUDDEN SURGE. SECOND TRIP TO DEALER AND THEY SAY IT'S A KNOWN PROBLEM AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. I BELIEVE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND A RECALL SHOULD BE ENFORCED. LEXUS SEEMS TO THINK IT IS ONLY AN INCONVENIENCE.