NHTSA Complaint #10953970 — 2008 LEXUS ES350

SOME SNOW & ICE ON I82, FROM SUNNYSIDE, WA, (MP 69) TO WEST RICHLAND (MP 96). ENTERING FREEWAY, CAR WOULD ONLY GO 40MPH, ENGINE SURGING LIKE TRANSMISSION STUCK IN 3RD GEAR. TRAFFIC VERY LIGHT. STOPPED AT WEIGH SCALE TO CHECK WHEEL WELLS FOR ICE AS THOUGHT THIS MIGHT BE THE REASON CAR ACTING STRANGE. WELLS COMPLETELY CLEAR. GET BACK ON I82, FIRST UNDERPASS HAS PATCHES OF ICE THAT I CAN SEE. WHEN I GO OVER THE ICE, THE CAR BRAKES HARD BY ITSELF AND THE REAR OF THE CAR SWINGS OUT TO THE LEFT & STARTS TO GO BROADSIDE. I KEEP THE CAR UNDER CONTROL. AS TRAFFIC INCREASES, I PUT MY FLASHERS ON & STAY IN THE RIGHT LANE BECAUSE I CANNOT GET THE CAR TO GO FASTER THAN 40MPH. THE NEXT UNDERPASS, I GET AGAIN HARD BRAKING BY THE CAR AND BROADSIDE SWING INTO THE LEFT LANE. I KNOW IT IS AN ISSUE WITH THE CAR BECAUSE I DID NOT BRAKE. NEXT UNDERPASS I HAVE TO SLOW TO 30MPH TO MAKE SURE THE CAR COMING UP BESIDE ME IS CLEAR BECAUSE I KNOW I WILL SWING TO THE LEFT. I AM NOT ACCELERATING OR BRAKING AND YES, AGAIN AT 30MPH IT BRAKES AND I GO BROADSIDE TO THE LEFT. THIS IS A TERRIFYING TRIP, THERE ARE 4 OR 5 UNDERPASSES & EACH TIME IT'S THE SAME BROADSIDE MOVEMENT WITH AUTO BRAKING BY THE CAR. I EXIT AT MP 69. GOING EASTBOUND ON KENNEDY RD WHERE THERE IS COMPACT SNOW AND ICE, IT WILL NOT GO FASTER THAN 25MPH AND IS SQUIRRELY, BACK END MINOR SWINGING BACK AND FORTH AS AUTO BRAKING IS HAPPENING. NEXT MORNING, TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP, RAN DIAGNOSTICS, COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. HAVE 84,500 MILES ON CAR, BOUGHT IT IN OCT 2015, HAD WATER PUMP REPLACED AT SAME DEALERSHIP IN JANUARY 2017. I DROVE THIS CAR LAST YEAR IN SNOW AND ICE AND NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS BUT NOW I WILL NOT DRIVE THIS CAR AGAIN & WE ARE ACTIVELY LOOKING FOR ANOTHER VEHICLE. IF MY 17 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER HAD BEEN DRIVING, SHE WOULD HAVE ROLLED THE CAR. IT IS ONLY BECAUSE OF EXPERIENCE I KNEW TO GENTLY CONTROL THE CAR.