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2004 LEXUS RX330 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

crash · 484212 · 2004-07-12

Vehicle

Make
LEXUS
Model
RX330
Year
2004
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Corporation
Component
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Miles at failure
20,000

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
No
Crash
Yes
Police report
Yes
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

THE AUTOMOBILE HAS A LATENT DEFECT AND IS INHERENTLY DANGEROUS. IN NOVEMBER 2003, I ATTEMPTED TO BACK UP IN A CROWDED PARKING LOT, AND WHILE IN REVERSE, I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR - THERE WAS A LAG AND THE VEHICLE THEN ACCELERATED BACKWARD VERY RAPIDLY, STRIKING ANOTHER VEHICLE. I ASSUMED THE FAULT WAS MY OWN (SINCE IN MOVING MY FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR TO THE BRAKE, MY FOOT WAS CAUGHT UNDER THE BRAKE BECAUSE THE PEDALS ARE CLOSE TOGETHER, BUT THAT IS ANOTHER ITEM) AND AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED (APPROXIMATELY $7,000 WORTH OF DAMAGE) I RESUMED DRIVING THE VEHICLE. ON JUNE 29, 2004, AGAIN I WAS ATTEMPTING TO BACK UP AND AGAIN THE VEHICLE WAS IN REVERSE AND AGAIN WHEN I PRESSED ON THE ACCELERATOR, THERE WAS A LAG AND THEN AGAIN THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED RAPIDLY BACKWARDS, STRIKING A BUILDING. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THE DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE IS OVER $10,000, AND I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE COST OF THE DAMAGE TO THE BUILDING IS. INTERESTINGLY, AS WELL, IN NEITHER CASE DID THE AIRBAGS DEPLOY. THE SECOND INCIDENT RECEIVED SOME LOCAL PRESS COVERAGE, AND ON JULY 8, 2004 I RECEIVED A CALL FROM A VISITOR TO MASSACHUSETTS FROM FLORIDA WHO HAD HEARD ABOUT THE SECOND INCIDENT AND WHO REPORTED THAT ON JULY 1, 2004 THAT DRIVER WHILE IN A PARKING LOT HAD ALSO HAD SUDDEN RAPID ACCELERATION AND HAD STRUCK A BUILDING, DAMAGING THE DRIVER'S LEXUS RX 330. THAT DRIVER ALSO STATED THAT SHE HAD HEARD OF A THIRD INCIDENT IN MASSACHUSETTS OF A LEXUS RX 330 STRIKING A BUILDING FOLLOWING SUDDEN ACCELERA

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
10080875
Machine
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