NHTSA Complaint #10306191 — 2007 LEXUS ES350

I RECEIVED A LESS THAN REASSURING ASSESSMENT TODAY OF HOW MY '07 LEXUS ES 350 WAS FIXED AT KEYES LEXUS, VAN NUYS, CA, FOLLOWING A RECALL NOTICE. ALTHOUGH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL HAD BEEN TRIMMED, AND SOUND MATERIAL WAS REMOVED FROM THE DRIVER-SIDE FLOOR MAT AREA, THE PRINCIPAL SUDDEN ACCELERATION PROBLEM REMAINED UNSOLVED, ACCORDING TO BILL HORVATH, LEXUS SERVICE REP. BACKGROUND: WHILE TRAVELING WEST ON THE 60 FREEWAY IN MID-DECEMBER MY CAR TOOK OFF LIKE A BAT OUT OF '!@#$% AS I NEARED CHINO AIRPORT, LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 50 MILES FROM HEMET, WHERE I VISIT MY 95-YEAR OLD MOTHER EACH WEEK. THE CAR'S CRUISE CONTROL HAD BEEN ACTIVATED AND IN USE FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES. MY SPEED WAS SET AT 68 MPH WHEN SUDDENLY THE CAR SIMPLY TOOK OFF, ULTIMATELY REACHING NEARLY 100 MPH. AT THE TIME OF ACCELERATION MY RIGHT FOOT WAS NO WHERE NEAR THE GAS PEDAL OR BRAKE. I REMOVED THE ORIGINAL LEXUS CAR MATS LONG AGO. NEVERTHELESS, IT PROVED TO BE AN UNBELIEVABLE EXPERIENCE AND TERRIFYING RIDE. I SHUT OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL DEVICE, HIT THE BRAKE AS HARD AS A COULD, THREW THE AUTO-GEAR SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL AND PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. I WASN'T HURT, BUT TERRIFIED BY THE EXPERIENCE. I WILL NOT LET MY WIFE OR DAUGHTER DRIVE THIS DEFECTIVE CAR--EVER! THE LEXUS TECHNICIANS WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE CRUISE-CONTROL INSTANT ACCELERATION PROBLEM, ACCORDING TO HORVATH. WHEN I PICKED UP THE CAR I TOLD HORVATH THAT I'M ACCEPTING IT UNDER PROTEST AND THAT THE DEALER'S SOLUTION AND FINDINGS TO MY VERY DANGEROUS INCIDENT WERE "INADEQUATE." FOR THE RECORD, THIS REPRESENTS A SINGLE ISOLATED EVENT. I NEVER HAD ANY OTHER ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE. HOWEVER, I NOW FULLY UNDERSTAND HOW EASY IT MIGHT BE TO GET KILLED IN ONE OF THESE SO-CALLED LUXURY CARS. WHAT PISSES ME OFF THE MOST IS THAT TOYOTA HAS KNOW ABOUT THIS SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECT FOR THE LAST NINE YEARS. *TR