Our 2007 Lexus ES 350 abruptly and wildly accelerated while my wife was driving on the freeway. She stood on the brakes and depressed the parking brake while moving into the slow lane and took the next exit ramp. The car finally slowed somewhat before rear ending a stopped car. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The car was towed to the Lexus dealer. Their diagnostic computer system did not "call out" any problems. They immediately blamed the floor mats. However, the floor mats were two inches away from the gas pedal. They then tried to brush me off by asking me where I wanted the car towed to get body work performed. I refused and escalated to Lexus usa. They are now trying to determine if they can find a problem. This reminds me of the Audi acceleration problem and warrants an complete and full investigation. The internet is full of unintentional acceleration problems with the 2007 Lexus ES 350. I keep thinking that the 2007 model is the first of the new ES body styles and there is something terribly wrong.

- Lake Oswego, OR, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Lexus ES350. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerates without warning. She stated that the engine made a squealing noise when she pressed the push to start button. She depressed the brake pedal, placed the vehicle into reverse, and the vehicle sped up and would not stop. She depressed the brake pedal with all of her strength, but the vehicle would not stop. It finally came to a stop when it struck the side of a garage. The contact was bruised and startled. A police report was filed. The speed was unknown. The failure mileage was 39,000.

- North Haven, CT, USA

Petition for additional investigation into the unwanted and unintended acceleration of model year 2007 Lexus ES350. The manufacturer stated the unwanted acceleration was a result of the floor mats interfering with the throttle pedal. The consumer experienced unwanted acceleration and does not believe the problem is with the floor mats. See also 10261660.

- Plymouth, MN, USA

Driving home from work, I experienced a sudden uncontrollable surge in acceleration causing my speed to increase from about 60 mph to 80+ mph. Immediately I began to brake hard as I was rapidly approaching traffic just ahead of me. Fortunately the inside left lane was unoccupied and I was able to make an immediate lane change. Initially I depressed the brake pedal as hard as I could using both feet but only managed to slow the vehicle to 40-45 mph. With my speed reduced, I alternated between pumping the accelerator pedal and pulling up on it from the underside with my right foot as it became clear that the throttle was stuck in an open position. The vehicle continued to speed back up to over 65 mph with less pressure on the brake pedal. With traffic just ahead of me, I moved over to the left shoulder next to the center barrier and continued to try to release the open throttle. There were clouds of smoke around the vehicle and the smell of burning materials from the overheating brakes. After finally getting the vehicle slowed down to about 25-30 mph, I shifted into 'neutral' and depressed the start/stop push button a number of times hoping to stop the engine but nothing happened. Instead the rpms moved up into the redline range on the tachometer. I quickly shifted back into 'drive'; the vehicle jolted and rapidly accelerated to 60+ mph. As the brakes were fading quickly, I was certain that I would need to shift back into 'neutral' and let the engine blow up to stop the vehicle. Suddenly the acceleration surge stopped and I was able to bring the vehicle to a stop ' about 1 to 2 miles from where it had started. I quickly shifted into 'park' and depressed the start/stop push button to turn off the engine. The vehicle seemed to 'shutter' as I did so. Upon restarting the car, I drove cautiously to Lexus of wayzata a short distance away fully prepared to shift into 'neutral' if the acceleration repeated. The car remains there over 5 weeks later.

- Plymouth, MN, USA

There is a safety recall out for the 2007 Lexus ES 350 in respect to all weather floor mats potentially causing a jammed accelerator (NHTSA action # EA07010). The recall was initiated in Sept. 2007. The last report filed by Lexus with your office indicated that there were over 32,000 owners out of 55,000 that they were unable to contact. My vehicle was taken in for servicing at the local Lexus dealer by the previous owner in Aug. 2008 and the defective mat was in place. When I purchased this vehicle in January of this year, I immediately called this same dealer to have my name indicated as the owner of record. I specifically asked if I had to do anything else for recall notification etc. And was told no. Last week my wife experienced the jammed accelerator due to the faulty mat and was extremely fortunate that she was able to bring a runaway vehicle doing 80 or 90 mph to a stop without an accident. I called the Lexus dealer immediately after the incident and was told about the mat problem but not about a recall. I found out about the recall from your website. I also went to the national website for Lexus and found that I was not registered as the owner and so I registered. I later called the local Lexus dealer to see about the recall and the person said" you are listed in the national list, I am surprised some one took the time". (in reality that someone was me, not anyone at the dealership) my problem with the mat has been taken care of by the local dealer after I asked about the recall, but this isn't much help to all the others out there driving around with these faulty mats. According to your website, one person has died and several have been injured....... so far.

- Latham, NY, USA

On Sunday August 31st, I left a departmental picnic at a colleague's house around 8:30 at night to go home to kent Ohio. I left early because I wanted to get home before it gets to dark. I entered the I 76 ramp at the lake milton/newton falls entry. After driving perhaps around 35-40 mph hour on the ramp I started to accelerate to enter the highway. Suddenly I felt the car accelerated by itself, I put my foot on the brake making the assumption that I may have stepped on the gas pedal to much. However, the car continued to accelerating reaching 80-85 mph. I was getting closer to cars in front of me. The car accelerated very fast and I put my foot on the brake to slow the car down. The speed continued to be excessive in spite of me trying to break the speed. I thought at first that the brakes did not work, but noticed immediately that this was not the case. I was still moving 80-85 mph. Trying to avoid cars in front of me. I put my breakdown light on to warn other drivers. I managed to drive over to the shoulder, trying to avoid hitting anything. I put my foot down on the brake and kept it on the brake to slow the car down. I was able to get the speed down to 40mph with my foot continuously on the brake. I tried to let my foot go but the car immediately speeded up again. I managed to put my car into neutral and than in park, the car slowly came to a hold. The brakes smelled and smoked. It was getting rapidly dark and I was scared and in a state of shock, but also relieved to be alive. At that time a state trooper stopped and I told him what happen. He called a towing truck and put red flares up to keep me safe on the highway in the dark. He pointed out to me that I was on mile marker 5.3 on I 76. I had to wait about 30 minutes until the tow truck arrived. The driver told me that my brakes were still very hot.

- Kent, OH, USA

While backing out of garage, the throttle became stuck under the floor mate. The vehicle traveled at a high rate of speed across a busy street and end up on a 5ft. Snow bank. Other than a sore neck and back the next morning, medical treatment was not necessary. The car had to be removed from the snow bank by a tow truck. There was $1,500 damage to the rear of the car and we were very fortunate that nobody was on the road at the time. I have sent registered letters to Lexus twice and they have failed to respond. Cause of throttle under carpet was that carpet had been placed on wrong side but clips were engaged. Operators manual only mentions that floor clips be engaged, they were. To correct the problem, floor mate should not be interchangeable and floor clips should be located such that they cannot be attached to either side. I want Lexus to acknowledge that this is a dangerous problem and people can get seriously hurt or killed. Their lack of response to my letters is irresponsible and unacceptable.

- Portage Lake, ME, USA

While backing out of our garage, the throttle became stuck in the floor mat. The vehicle traveled across the street and was stopped by a 5 foot snow bank. There was no injuries but the car sustandard over $1,500 damage.

- Portage Lake, ME, USA

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.

- Los Altos, CA, USA

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

- Sutton, Ma 01590, MA, USA

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 6'4', 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.

- Fishers, IN, USA

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

- Sutton, MA, USA

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

- Boston, MA, USA

The contact had a company leased 2007 Lexus ES350. While driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle suddenly began to accelerate on its own. The contact crashed into the preceding vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for a diagnosis and an investigation. The contact sustained injuries to her knees. Minnesota highway patrol filed report number uss04311. The failure mileage was 9,552. Updated 05/29/08. Updated 05/29/08

- Minnetonka, MN, USA

While driving my 2007 Lexus 350 ES on Saturday, May 3, I experienced unintended acceleration. My vehicle unexpectedly accelerated and I was unable to successfully brake or shut off the car with the push button ignition. While struggling to gain control of the vehicle (and avoid hitting other vehicles), I was finally able to stop the car using the emergency brake, putting the car in park and holding the push button ignition for several seconds. A great deal of smoke resulted... I immediately contacted woodfield Lexus, my local Lexus dealer. I was told to bring the car to the dealer asap for review. I did so, and my vehicle is currently with the dealer to perform necessary testing. When I arrived at the dealer, the service manager noticed that my floormats were secured, but upside down -- the result of a recent oil change (2 days prior) -- where the woodfield Lexus service technician turned my floormats over -- then forgot to properly secure them in the correct position. I notified woodfield Lexus of another acceleration issue in 2007, however I was told that the "jumping" acceleration is a know glitch with my make/model/year. My vehicle is unsafe to drive.

- Carpentersville, IL, USA

The contact was given a 2008 Lexus ES350 as a loaner while her vehicle was being repaired. While depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle began to abruptly accelerate to 60 mph. She attempted to slow the vehicle down and the vehicle would not stop or decelerate. The vehicle struck a large piece of cement and caused the oil pan to detach. Oil began to pour from the vehicle. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The current mileage is 12,000. Updated 05/05/08 the consumer was injured. Updated

- Lake Mills, IA, USA

Uncontrollable vehicle acceleration while pulling into parking space at approx 1 mph. Vehicle was unable to be stopped with full brake application. Vehicle struck building, bounced backward, struck another vehicle and ended up backward on top of a snow bank. Extensive damage to vehicle front, side, rear and undercarriage. Due to snow conditions, vehicle control problems compounded. Prior to repair, vehicle was inspected by Lexus "legal representative. Vehicle was repaired by Lexus dealer. Lexus corporation issued 2 letters stating that they found nothing wrong with vehicle. Operator error was not cited as cause. Lexus corporation will not release details of vehicle inspection citing proprietary right.

- Peabody, MA, USA

We purchased a new Lexus ES 350 18 month ago. They sent us a recall on the floor mats about how they would cause vehicle to take off. Well we do not have the mats that they are talking about and as of Friday our vehicle will just take off on it own. Its at the dealer again for the at lease 5th time and they can not fix it. My wife does not feel safe because of this. We have contacted Lexus and they have not gotten back to us yet. Can you help us with what we should do in this matter. We are afraid for our safety. Please note each time its at the dealer its there for a week and they say that its fixed. They have put in new transmission, computer etc. Last time they even had someone from Lexus work on the computer. So thats were we are. We are hoping that Lexus calls us Monday to tell what they are going to do. Maybe they will give us a new car that works right. With any luck we will not have to drive this one again. Please let us know if we should get a lawyer or can you help us. Thanks for your time.phil derby

- Kennesaw, GA, USA

Acceleration of vehicle on two separate occasions on interstate nearly causing death or injury. Could not stop vehicle. By the grace of god only my car sustained damage. The terror experienced should never have happened the first time, let alone twice! first time August 2007, claimed it was the floor mats. I felt the "lurch" after that and thought maybe I was just being paranoid. Until it happened the second time. It happened nine days ago. The dealer has had my car since the incident. I have yet to hear from them. I will not take the car back. Updated 11/13/09

- Louisville, KY, USA

While pulling into a parking slot in a parking lot with cars on both sides and in front of my vehicle, my vehicle increased acceleration and raced forward uncontrollably. The brake was pushed to the floor board of the vehicle and had no effect on slowing down the car. The large truck in the slot in front of me was the only thing that stopped the vehicle. $87,43 damage was done to my vehicle. None to the truck that stopped my vehicle. Lexus reviewed the electronic data recorder and released a statement that the vehicle operated within specifications. Lexus allowed no one to touch the vehicle until it was inspected by there technician. Nothing was done to correct or prevent a future repeat of the life threatening acceleration surge experienced with this vehicle. We have requested from the Lexus legal department that the data recovered by the Lexus technician be provided to us so that we can assess for ourselves what went wrong with the vehicle.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA