NHTSA Complaint #10305284 — 2007 LEXUS ES350

I BOUGHT A LEXUS ES 350 2007 MODEL (MANUFACTURED BY TOYOTA) IN NOVEMBER 2006 AND FROM THE VERY BEGINNING I HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING TO THE DEALERSHIPS ABOUT HOW THE ABS BRAKES ARE VERY SLOW TO RESPOND TO APPLICATION AND HOW THEY DON'T ENGAGE AS HARD AS THEY SHOULD. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS THE DEALERSHIP TESTED THESE AND REPORTED BACK THAT THEY ARE IN CONFORMITY WITH "TOYOTA STANDARDS" FOR ES 350 EVEN THOUGH THE OTHER LEXUS MODELS LIKE RX OR IS HAVE MUCH MORE RESPONSIVE BRAKES (I KNOW THIS BECAUSE THE DEALERSHIP GIVES US LOANER CARS DURING SERVICING). THE DEALER ALSO CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS ONLY THE ES 350 MODEL BRAKES THAT WERE SO UNRESPONSIVE. THIS TIME, WHEN I WAS GIVEN A 2010 ES 350 LOANER, I FELT THAT THE BRAKES ON THAT WERE MUCH MUCH BETTER AND WHEN I INQUIRED FROM THE DEALER HE TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE OF THE MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS THAT TOYOTA HAD RECEIVED ON THE ES 350 2007-2009 MODELS, THEY HAVE CHANGED THE BRAKES ON THE ES 2010 MODEL TO MAKE THEM MORE RESPONSIVE. WHEN I INQUIRED ABOUT REPAIRING OR REPLACING THE BRAKES ON 2007-2009 MODELS TO MAKE THE SIMILAR TO THE NEW 2010 MODEL BRAKES, HE SAID THAT TOYOTA WAS NOT DOING THAT, AGAIN BECAUSE THEY STILL ARE APPROPRIATE BY "TOYOTA STANDARDS". ON MANY OCCASIONS WHEN I HAVE HAD TO APPLY BRAKES IN AN EMERGENCY, I HAVE FELT VERY UNSAFE AND WANTED BETTER BRAKES BUT WAS RECONCILED DUE TO THE PROMISE OF THE "TOYOTA STANDARD". BUT GIVEN THE PROBLEMS NOW FOUND IN THE ABS BRAKES OF PRIUS AND OTHER CAR MODELS, I REQUEST YOU TO PLEASE ASK TOYOTA TO MAKE THE 2007-2009 MODEL ES CAR BRAKES COMPLIANT WITH THE NEW BRAKES THEY PUT IN THE 2010 ONWARDS ES MODELS TO AVOID ACCIDENTS DUE TO UNRESPONSIVE BRAKES. *TR