NHTSA Complaint #10454193 — 2012 LEXUS RX350

THE CAR, A 2012 LEXUS RX350, WAS PURCHASED NEW FROM A CALIFORNIA LEXUS DEALER ON JANUARY 30, 2012. THE PROBLEM, WHICH MANIFESTS EVERY TWO OR THREE DAYS, IS A DELAY OF SEVERAL SECONDS BETWEEN PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND ACTUAL ACCELERATION OF THE VEHICLE. WHEN ACCELERATION EVENTUALLY OCCURS, IT DOES SO WITH A SURGE OR JOLT. THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED IN A VARIETY OF CIRCUMSTANCES. SEVERAL TIMES I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO ACCELERATE SAFELY FROM A FREEWAY ON-RAMP INTO FASTER-MOVING FREEWAY TRAFFIC. ON AT LEAST TWO OTHER OCCASIONS THE VEHICLE HAS FAILED TO ACCELERATE AS I DROVE UP A HILL. MOST RECENTLY, AS I BEGAN A LEFT TURN FROM A STOPPED POSITION, THE DELAY IN ACCELERATION NEARLY RESULTED IN MY BEING BROADSIDED. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TWICE TO AN AUTHORIZED LEXUS DEALER. ON BOTH OCCASIONS I WAS ADVISED THAT BECAUSE THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM DURING A SHORT DRIVE, THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. I RAISED WITH THE TECHNICIAN THE FACT THAT THERE WERE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ONLINE ABOUT THE VERY SAME PROBLEM. HE SAID THAT THE ISSUE, WHICH APPARENTLY RELATES TO THE POWERTRAIN, HAD BEEN ADDRESSED WITH RESPECT TO EARLIER LEXUS MODELS BUT HAD BEEN "FIXED" FOR SUBSEQUENT MODELS THROUGH REDESIGN OF THE POWERTRAIN. *TR