NHTSA complaint: 2006 LEXUS ES330 — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WHEN APPROACHING 4-WAY STOP, BRAKES FAILED AND CAR ACCELERATED. CHANGED LANES TO MISS 3 CARS IN FRONT. CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE; BRAKES DID NOT WORK. WENT ON SIDEWALK TO MISS ANOTHER CAR. WENT OVER CROSS STREET & ONTO MEDIAN, HIT SIGNS AND SMALL TREES, CAR CONTINUED ACCELERATING, WENT OVER OTHER SIDE OF CROSS STREET, UP ON GRASS, HITTING SIGNS AND SMALL TREES, HIT BRICK WALL HOLDING SHELL STATION SIGN. CAR STOPPED. AIR BAGS DEPLOYED IN MEDIAN. CAR WAS TOTALED, EVEN SUN ROOF BROKEN, ALL TIRES FLAT. DRIVER & PASSENGERS EXPERIENCED CUTS AND SEVERE BRUISES. WITNESS SAID BRAKE LIGHTS WERE ON BUT CAR CONTINUED TO GAIN SPEED. ACCIDENT NOT CAUSED BY FLOOR MAT. MY CAR DID NOT HAVE THEM. THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL ASSOCIATED WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM & COMPUTER THAT CONTROLS THE ENGINE SPEED IN THE LEXUS ES AND IS MODELS. HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED ACCIDENTS WITH THESE CARS. DISAPPOINTED THAT NHTSA SIDES WITH TOYOTA AND ACCEPTS ITS COVERUP THAT IT'S A FLOOR MAT PROBLEM! SOMEONE AT NHTSA NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM BEFORE HUNDREDS OF OTHERS ARE KILLED OR INJURED. TOYOTA HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR AT LEAST THREE YEARS. MY CAR IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE FLOOR MAT RECALL YET IT WENT INTO THE SAME UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION AS HUNDREDS OF OTHER LEXUS CARS HAVE IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO TO GET THE NHTSA TO DO ITS JOB? *TR
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation