NHTSA Complaint #10323433 — 2007 LEXUS ES350

ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31 AT APPROXIMATELY 5:30 P.M., I DRIVING MY IN-LAWS 2007 LEXUS ES 350 NORTH ON MAIN ROAD, WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO ACCELERATE. THE GAS PEDAL MOVED AWAY FROM MY FOOT AND THE VEHICLE STARTED ACCELERATING AT FULL POWER. I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED THE BRAKES, BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO GAIN SPEED. I ATTEMPTED TO CUT THE CAR OFF BY HITTING THE START BUTTON(IT HAS NO KEY). AGAIN, NOTHING HAPPENED. I WAS TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 55 TO 60 MPH BEFORE THE ACCELERATION AND APPROXIMATELY 80-85 AFTER THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RACE. THE BREAKS DID LITTLE TO REDUCE THE OVERALL SPEED; HOWEVER, PUSHING THE BRAKE PEDAL SEEMED TO REDUCE THE RATE OF ACCELERATION. I TRIED PUTTING THE VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL BUT THAT DID NOT STOP THE ACCELERATION. I HAD BOTH FEET ON THE BREAK AND WAS PUSHING AS HARD AS I COULD, BUT IT STILL COULD NOT REDUCE THE SPEED. AT SOME POINT, I TURNED ON THE HAZARD LIGHTS. I KEPT TRYING TO GET THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND TO HIT THE ON/OFF BUTTON BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NONRESPONSIVE. I WAS QUICKLY APPROACHING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME AND HAD DECIDED TO HIT IT RATHER THAN RUN OFF THE ROAD. JUST AS SUDDENLY AS IT STARTED, THE CAR JUST CUT OFF AND I COASTED TO THE NEXT SIDE STREET WHICH WAS OLD POND ROAD. IT SEEMED LIKE I WAS WITHOUT BRAKES FOR APPROXIMATELY 2-3 MILES.