10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
40,331 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #9

Mar 272024

IS 350

  • miles
I was driving approx. 60 entering on ramp of freeway when car suddenly loses power to accelerator not entire car, i almost was hit by other drivers i couldnt accelerate or anything. I panicked then started pumping accelerator then it finally catches and sped up. I immediately got off freeway. Then next day CEL, Check VSC light and skid light all came on. This car is very dangerous. WHATCAN I DO"?" I refuse to use the freeway until this problem is resolved.

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #8

May 292019

IS 350

  • 123,000 miles
I bought 2008 Lexus IS250 with 123K miles on 05/18/19. I had inspected by a mechanic prior to purchasing it. On one ocassion pror to accident, I backed out of a drive way. When I shifted the automatic transmission from reverse to drive it sudden accelerated for a brief moment, but it was clear in front of me and I remain in control. It only happened to me that one time that week and I thought nothing of it. In the morning of May 29, 2019 the car was parallel parked with a vehicle both in front behind it. My wife slowly back up the car to allow room to pull out of the parking spot. She turn the front wheels towards the curb so that the front of the car would slightly stick out. When she shifted the automatic transmission from reverse to drive, the car suddenly accelerated, jump over the curb and hit the concrete wall of a school. She panicked at the sudden acceleration and does not remember if she step on any pedal during that time. She only knows it accelerated as soon as she shifted to drive and then the car hit the wall. There were no injuries and no other car was involved. We moved the car off the side walk and notified the insurance and the school admin.the insurance declared it a total loss and took ownership of it. A gasoline car accelerate by opening the throttle to allow more air into the engine. The electronic throttle suddenly open due to the physical electronics and/or software controlling it when the transmission Is shift between reverse and drive. Dr. ronald a. belt theory seems plausible. If true you would think just changing the software to get an average of voltage samples would prevent the over compensation of the ECU throttle controller cause by low voltage spikes. Https://www.autosafety.org/dr-ronald-A-belts-sudden-acceleration-papers/

- Oakley, CA, USA

problem #7

Jan 032017

IS 350

  • 104,000 miles
In August 2012 my car's engine light and vsc light came on. I took the car to the dealer and they found multiple misfires. The dealer replaced the gasket and 3 pistons and ring sets under warranty. My car engine has continued to intermittently shudder when moving and when idling at stop lights. Today (1/3/17) I was driving on the highway at normal speed and once again my engine light and vsc light are lit up. I received the 9 year extended warranty for carbon buildup, but it only covers me through 3/8/17. If I have carbon buildup again after that, it will cost me $2,000-$3,000 to fix. The engine failure in these is250S (2006-2013) Is rampant and the car model needs to recalled and replaced.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #6

Jan 122014

IS 350 6-cyl

  • 93,000 miles
I was pulling up to a red stoplight with a car already stopped at the light. While applying pressure to the brakes, I realized the vehicle wasn't braking correctly. I started applying more pressure until I was nearly standing on the brake pedal when the engine starting revving as if I were accelerating. When I realized the car was not going to stop, I tried to put the car in park. Luckily, I only tapped the car in front of me which startled the 3 children in the back seat of that car. When the driver of the other car and I got out of our cars, we could smell the burning rubber. No damage to either car, but leery to drive the vehicle. Had the rear brake pads replaced during last vehicle service in November 2013. Called the dealership this morning and was told no recall or other incidents of this nature.

- Waxhaw, NC, USA

problem #5

Dec 192012

IS 350 6-cyl

  • 19,200 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Lexus IS350. The contact was driving approximately 0 mph and applied the brakes however, the vehicle continued to accelerate and crashed into another vehicle. A police report was not filed of the incident. There were no injuries. The vehicle was taken to a collision center where the front end was repaired. The failure recurred on two separate occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the acceleration malfunction. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 19,200....updated 04-03-13 updated05/09/2013

- Boynton Beach, FL, USA

problem #4

May 012008

IS 350 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 600 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Lexus IS350. While driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. In addition, the contact stated that when braking over wet road conditions, the vehicle would become abnormally hard to stop. The contact was able to secure an appointment with the dealer for diagnosis of the failure and possible repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 600. Updated 5/9/11 the consumer stated the engine idle speed was excessively high. The dealer stated the vehicle was operating as designed. Updated 05/18/11

- Maple Grove , MN, USA

problem #3

Jul 042009

IS 350

  • 14,283 miles
I am driving a car which has accelerated unintentionally three times. I want Lexus to be responsible and find out why my car accelerates randomly and I want them to fix my car. I also want Lexus to admit to this safety flaw. I wish that Lexus would be punished for this serious breach in concern for public safety although that is not my immediate concern. In July of 2009 the car accelerated when the brakes were applied. The car could not be stopped by applying the brakes alone and only stopped when it was put in neutral and hit the car in front of us. Lexus attributed this to the driver's 'big foot'. in December of 2009 while leaving a parking lot, the car leapt across a sidewalk while the brake was depressed, and did not stop until it was put in neutral. Lexus attributed this incident to a moving floor mat. In April of 2010, one week after Lexus installed a 'brake override of accelerator', the car engine accelerated into red rpms. The override took place but car strained against the brake and only stopped when it was put in neutral. Lexus said the car doesn't 'register' this occurrence so to Lexus, apparently nothing happened. When the car accelerated in April after Lexus had installed the computer program to create a brake override of the accelerator, a 'field technician checked out the car thoroughly '. I assumed that the computer fix would also record brake/accelerator action, but that was obviously not built into the modification. The field technician said that all systems in the car were functioning and that he drove it for 16 miles and there were no problems. This acceleration has happened three times in two years and the car has 25,000 miles on it. It is inconceivable to me that given the seriousness of the problem, a 16 mile test drive could be considered adequate.

- Oakland, CA, USA

problem #2

Jun 082009

IS 350

  • 3,894 miles
As I was parking my Lexus in a parking lot, the car suddenly shot forward, moving over the parking cement barrier and crashing into a wall. The car was repaired. After I received the recall notice from Toyota relating to the floor mat issue, I made sure the floor mats were properly attached. This happened only once. I believe that the accident was caused by the floor mat sliding and pushing on the accelerator.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #1

Feb 042009

IS 350

  • 5,000 miles
In early 02/09 I was driving home on interstate 695 N in Maryland. I was traveling about 50 mph, when all of a sudden the car suddenly accelerated to about 95 mph through no effort of my own. I did not engage the accelerator pedal to increase the speed of the vehicle. I immediately engaged the foot brake to decelerate and but the car would not slow. Eventually after several attempts I was able to slow the car with the brake but the engine continued to violently rev. As I released the foot brake, the car once again accelerated without engaging the accelerator pedal. Even after engaging the emergency brake, the unaided acceleration and my attempt to decelerate the car continued. I was finally able to slow the car enough to pull out of traffic and over to the emergency lane and eventually stop the motion of the vehicle. Although I was able to bring the car to a stop, the engine continued to rev violently, the back tires spun out of control and the back of the car started to fish tail. I tried a number of different tactics to stop the car completely including, attempting to manually shift gears, putting the car in neutral etc. Finally, after several minutes I was able to turn off the ignition and bring the car to a complete stop and the ordeal came to an end without damaging the car and more importantly without injury to me or others. I had the car towed to dealership that night and explained the situation to the service organization the following day. The service team conducted multiple diagnostic tests but was unable to determine or explain the cause of the unintended acceleration to my satisfaction. One service rep suggested that the floor mat was the cause but I had checked immediately after the ordeal the night before to ensure that the floor mat had not become lodged under the accelerator pedal. Since the dealership was not able to determine the cause of the problem, I decided that the best course of action was to return the car and lease another car.

- Glenwood, MD, USA