2002 Lexus Is 300

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 RE: PROBLEMS WITH RAPID ACCELERATION AND THAT I WAS NOT PICKING THE CAR UP UNTIL LEXUS REPLACED THE THROTTLE. *JB

MY 2002, LEXUS IS300 HAD A CASE OF SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION THAT LED TO A CRASH CAUSING OVER $10,000 WORTH OF DAMAGES TO BOTH MY CAR AND THE OTHER PERSONS CAR. I HAVE SEEN OTHER REPORTS OF OTHER PEOPLE WONDERING IF THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE IS SUSPECT IN THESE CASES, HOWEVER I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT THE REAL PROBLEM IS ONLY PARTLY TO BLAME ON THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE. IN MY OPINION, THE PROBLEM IS THE LIKELIHOOD OF THE PEDAL GETTING STUCK UNDER FLOOR MATS IS TOO HIGH, COMBINED WITH THE RELATIVELY "LIGHT" SPRING FORCE ON THE GAS PEDAL BECAUSE IT IS A THROTTLE-BY-WIRE SYSTEM WHICH LEADS TO THE FLOOR MAT EASILY HOLDING THE PEDAL DOWN TO FULL THROTTLE CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. I SAY THAT THIS IS "NEGLIGENT PEDAL DESIGN ON THE PART OF THE CAR MANUFACTURER". I ALSO BELIEVE THAT THEY KNEW THIS WAS AN ISSUE BECAUSE THEY MAKE REFERENCE TO THIS IN THE OWNERS MANUAL ON: PG.76 WHERE THERE IS A CAUTION THAT STATES "MAKE SURE THE FLOOR MAT IS PROPERLY PLACED ON THE FLOOR CARPET. IF THE FLOOR MAT SLIPS AND INTERFERES WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE PEDALS DURING DRIVING, IT MAY CAUSE IN ACCIDENT." NO MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO USE THAT CAUTION AS A DISCLAIMER TO GET AWAY WITH NEGLIGENT PEDAL DESIGN. THEY, FULLY WELL KNOWING THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, SHOULD HAVE RECALLED THOSE CAR MODELS WITH A PEDAL DESIGN THAT HAS A HIGH RISK OF GETTING JAMMED AND REDESIGNED THE PEDAL SO THAT IT CANNOT GET STUCK BY A FLOOR MAT. IN ALL THE CARS THAT I'VE OWNED IN THE PAST, IF A MAT SLIPS IT JUST PREVENTS YOU FROM APPLYING FULL GAS PEDAL, NOT THE OPPOSITE OF APPLYING FULL PEDAL. I STRONGLY MOVE THAT TOYOTA COMPANY RECALLS ALL THESE CARS WITH THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM AND FIX IT PROPERLY BEFORE SOMEONE GET FATALLY INJURED OR CRIPPLED FOR LIFE. *NM THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THERE WERE 2 CODES THAT INDICATED THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE ABS. UPDATED

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 LEXUS IS300. THE CONTACT STATES THE VEHICLE STALLS AND WILL NOT ACCELERATE, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL COME ON EITHER ON THE HIGHWAY OR ON OFF ROADS. THE VEHICLE WILL STALL AT DECELERATING OR ACCELERATING. THE ONLY WARNING PRIOR TO THIS FAILURE IS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON. THIS OCCURS AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE ENGINE WILL RESTART USUALLY IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FAILURE. IT HAPPENED ABOUT 100-150 TIMES. THE CAR HAS BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT 10 TIMES WITHIN THE LAST YEAR. THE DEALERSHIP HAS ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE, BUT HAS BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL. THE TRANSMISSION IS AUTOMATIC. *AK

THE INTIAL PROBLEM IS THAT THERE IS A POPPING NOISE THAT IS COMING FROM THE BRAKES. THE DEALER SAYS THAT THIS IS NORMAL, AND IS DUE TO BRAKE SHIFTING. A DAY LATER THE BRAKES STARTED TO SQUEAL. THE ROTORS AND PADS WERE RESERFACED TWICE, AND THE PROBLEM NOW COMES AND GOES. I FEEL THERE IS A MAJOR ISSUE WITH THE BRAKE SYSTEM IN THE LEXUS IS 300, AND THE NOISE IS NOT NORMAL. OUT OF THE 5 CARS I HAVE OWNED I NEVER HEARD THIS IN ANY OF THEM. *AK

I OWN A 5-SPEED MANUAL 2002 LEXUS IS300. CURRENTLY, MY CAR HAS 40,000 MILES. EVERYTHING IN THE VEHICLE IS STOCK, NO MODIFIED PARTS AND ACCESORIES. I DRIVE THIS CAR NORMAL LIKE ANY OTHER MANUAL TRANSMISSION CARS. I REV MATCH WHEN I DOWNSHIFT, NEVER RIDE THE CLUTCH ETC...I HAVE BEEN DRIVING MANUAL CARS FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS. A FEW DAYS AGO, I NOTICED THAT THE TRANSMISSION CLUTCHED BEGAN TO SLIP AS I WAS ACCELERATING ON-RAMP ONTO FREEWAY. THE CAR IS DRIVABLE BUT I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ACCELERATING AND PASSING OR ELSE, THE CLUTCH SLIPS AND CAR WON'T ACCELERATE. BECAUSE OF THIS PREMATURE CLUTCH FAILURE, I CAN'T DRIVE THE CAR AS IT WAS INTENDED TO BE. I DRIVE IT REALLY SLOW. PAINFULLY SLOW. I CAN'T BELIEVE LEXUS (TOYOTA) WON'T WARRANTY THIS ITEM. MOST MANUAL TRANSMISSION CARS' CLUTCHES HAVE A LIFETIME OF AT LEAST 100,000 MILES. AS AN ENGINEER, I SEE THIS AS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. BECAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT, I WILL NEVER EVER PERSUADE POTENTIAL LEXUS BUYERS IN BUYING LEXUS VEHICLES.