I drove my mother in her 2005 Lexus ES330 from orlando to jensen beach, fl for a weekend visit with her sister. The car was purchased in the summer of 2005. The car was driven locally and this was the first time it had been driven on a highway at high speeds. I drove the car on I-95 for 2 hours until I reached our exit. I pressed on the brakes to slow the car down and nothing happened. I continued braking and was getting alarmed that the car did not slow immediately. I maintained pressure on the brake and finally the car slowed before we reached the stop light at the end of the ramp. My mother, as a passenger, was not aware there was a problem. On the return trip while I was driving it happened again. After 2 hours of driving, I exited onto the local roads and braked as I approached a red light. The car did not slow down. I pressed hard on the brake pedal and the car in front had stopped. I screamed to my mother "the car is not stopping!" she screamed out that we were going to hit the car in front. I continued to press on the brakes and the front end made a loud mechanical sound like a metallic clunk and the car stopped. When I got to my mom's house I called the dealership and told them the brakes failed twice. They told me to have her bring it in for inspection. My mom was 87 at the time and I said she is not driving this vehicle anywhere. The dealership picked up the car and said they found nothing wrong with the brakes.the next week she got a phone call from Toyota California to inquire into the incident. The company said the dealer found a lot of oil on the left wheel as if I had hit a pothole. My mother could not react as she had not been the one driving the car.I can tell you there was no pothole! I have driven it twice again on the highway using the same route. It never happened again but I never feel safe in that car. I think Toyota knew something was wrong with the vehicle but did nothing. This car was not part of the recall but it should be examined again.

- Apopka, FL, USA