NHTSA Complaint #10190446 — 2007 LEXUS ES350

I WAS DRIVING AT 9:30AM TO WORK ALONG WITH MY WIFE ON I-696 NEAR DETROIT IN THE LEFT LANE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE, BUT AS I APPROACHED A CAR IN FRONT OF ME I TOOK MY FOOT OF THE ACCELERATOR AND PLACED IT ON THE BRAKE AND VEHICLE WAS CONTINUING TO ACCELERATE. HAD TO PUT FULL FORCE ON THE BRAKE. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO KEEP THE CAR FROM FURTHER INCREASING ITS SPEED. ONCE I REALIZED THE PROBLEM I SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL , AND WHILE THE CAR SLOWED , I COULD HEAR THAT THE ENGINE WAS REVVING AT A HIGH RATE. AFTER A MINUTE, I MOVED THE CAR BACK INTO DRIVE AND THE UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATED STARTED AGAIN, AND I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE ONCE AGAIN. A FEW MOMENTS LATER THIS UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION CEASED AND THE CAR REGAINED ITS NORMAL CONTROL CHARACTERISTICS. AFTER SLOWLY COMPLETING THE DRIVE TO WORK I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AT MEADE LEXUS, SOUTHFIELD AND SPOKE TO A SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE TO REPORT THIS VERY DANGEROUS INCIDENT. AFTER DESCRIBING THE PROBLEM THE SERVICE MAN IMMEDIATELY ASKED WHICH FLOOR MATS I WAS USING ON THE CAR. I REPORTED THAT I HAD BEEN SUPPLIED WITH BLACK RUBBER MATS BY LEXUS,. WHEN WE RECEIVED THE CAR IN JULY 2006, AND AS SUGGESTED BY THE SALESMAN HAD BEGUN TO USE THOSE WHEN THE WEATHER TURNED FOUL IN THE FALL. I WAS ASKED IF I HAD REMOVED THE CARPET MAT WHEN I PUT IN THE BLACK RUBBER MAT AND I SAID THAT THE CARPET MAT HAD BEEN FIRMLY ATTACHED TO THE CAR, AND THAT I WAS NEVER TOLD THAT I NEEDED TO REMOVE THAT MAT BEFORE INSTALLING THE RUBBER MAT. THIS QUESTION SUGGESTED THAT THIS WAS A WELL RECOGNIZED PROBLEM . WHEN I QUERIED THE SERVICE MAN, WAS TOLD THAT THIS WAS INDEED A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM. I WAS CHAGRINED THAT I HAD NEVER RECEIVED ANY INSTRUCTION TO AVOID PUTTING DOWN BOTH MATS. I TOLD THEM THAT LEXUS HAD A CLEAR OBLIGATION TO INFORM THEIR CUSTOMERS. *AK THE CONSUMER STATED TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND INFORMED BY DEALER THERE WAS AN INTERNAL RECALL ON FLOOR MATS. UPDATE 05/15/07*TR