I was driving at 9:30am cst on 7/27/16 when my car experience unintentional acceleration for about 1.5 miles. My car refused to slow down, even while I had the brakes applied. I have had my car sent to lexus headquarters to be investigated.
2004 Lexus ES330 acceleration problems
53 complaints (30% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 25,790. 22 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 53
- of this car's complaints
- 30%
- typical mileage
- 25,790
- crashes
- 22
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Accelerator pedal14
- Cruise control2
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Lexus ES330 acceleration problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2004 Lexus ES330 acceleration
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Vehicle speed control
In a letter dated july 8, 2005, and after experiencing two incidents (and one crash) where he alleges his model year (my) 2002 camry accelerated without driver input, mr. Jordan ziprin petitioned the federal safety agency?s (the federal safety agency) office of defects investigation (odi) to commence a proceeding to determine the existence of a defect within the etc system in my 2002 to 2005 toyota and lexus vehicles, or to reopen a prior investigation preliminary evaluation (pe) 04-021.in a letter dated august 18, 2005, mr. Ziprin amended his petition to include allegations of interrelated brake and acceleration problems that allegedly result in inappropriate and uncontrollable vehicle accelerations.the 1172 vehicle owner questionnaire reports cited by the petitioner involve 4 lexus and 15 toyota models defining a population of 7 million vehicles.the reports typically alleged a defect in the brake system, the throttle control system, or a combination of both systems.in its review of the reports, odi a) failed to find evidence to support the existence of a brake related defect in the cited models, and b) determined that many cited products were not equipped with etc.accordingly, odi restricted its analysis to the 432 petitioner reports involving my 2002 to 2005 camry, solara, and es models (all equipped with etc) that alleged an abnormal throttle control event (see the january 3, 2006 federal register notice for further details).about 40% of the 432 reports involve a driveability concern where the operator intentionally applies the throttle pedal, in expectation that the vehicle will accelerate, and then experiences a delay or hesitation in vehicle response.these reports involve vehicle response to intentional driver commands which odi considers unrelated to the allegations raised by the petitioner.therefore, the reports do not provide support for the investigation requested.about 20% of the reports involve incidents where operators allege vehicle acceleration without driver input and an inability of the brake system to control the vehicle when applied.neither the reports, nor the interviews conducted by odi, identified any vehicle-based cause to explain the incidents or disclosed evidence to support that a failure of the brake or throttle control system had occurred.because these reports do not indicate a distinct safety defect for investigation, the reports do not provide support for the investigation requested by the petitionerthe remaining reports (~ 40%, similar to the petitioner?s and those of pe04-021) typically describe incidents where a vehicle is being maneuvered at slow speed in a close quarter situation at which point the operator alleges that the vehicle accelerates without driver input and crashes.in the aftermath, operators are unsure of whether the brakes were applied or not, sometimes stating there was insufficient time to use the brake; a crash occurred and the operator believes an uncommanded acceleration caused it.in spite of the effort expended during pe04-021 and during this analysis, odi has not identified any vehicle-based cause to explain the reports, or uncovered any evidence to indicate that a throttle control system failure occurred.therefore, the reports have ambiguous significance and do not constitute a basis on which any further investigative action is warranted.based on the analysis conducted, it is unlikely that the federal safety agency would issue an order for the notification and remedy of a safety related defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.consequently, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency?s limited resources t
DP05002
What 2004 Lexus ES330 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 lexus es 330. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the accelerator pedal became unresponsive and caused the vehicle to decelerate independently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 38,000.
I was riding the brake into a parking space and was almost finished parking (my foot was still on the brake) when the car suddenly accelerated and traveled through a short wooded area then over a 12 foot drop to a road with traffic below. The front of the car crashed into a stone wall, crashed back into the stone wall that the car flew over, and came to a stop in the middle of a busy road approximately 100 feet from where it flew over the drop. Airbag deployed, seatbelt was on. I was taken to the er via ambulance with a broken nose, concussion, bruising... And have ongoing soreness, stiffness, dizziness...
I was parking my car in the parking lot of a garage when my car lexus 330 suddenly picked up high speed (full throttle) unintentionally. The vehicle went forward and fell approximately about 5 feet to the other parking level and violently hit the back of a pickup truck which was parked. I had my seat belt on. My body went forward and backward violently. For the next few days I had experienced muscle pain, stiffness and poor night sleep. The accident was reported to the police.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 lexus es330. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The contact mentioned the vehicle traveled over the side walk and was able to avoid a crash. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic. The technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 122,000 and the current mileage was 124,528.
2004 lexus es330. Consumer states unintended acceleration *tgw the consumer stated the vehicle suddenly accelerated across the street and plunged in his neighbor's brick fence completely damaging the car, which was eventually declared totaled. The consumer stated the police report indicated, the floor mat may have caused the sudden acceleration. The vehicle was inspected, but a cause could not be determined, even though it was noted, the floor mats were not secured and the hooks were missing. The consumer stated when he purchased the vehicle, there were no hooks. The consumer stated he never received a recall notice and the floor mat issue was never discussed on the numerous occasions, he went to the dealer for other services. *jb updated 11/05/12
I had no problems with my 2004 lexus 300se until I ran through a building. My car only had 16,000 miles on it and I never experienced braking problems, acceleration problems or anything of the sort. I did call the dealership when recalls were very big news in the media but was told my model was not on any lists for recall. I drove my car to the tailor shop...I turned in the shopping center with no problem..I turned into the parking place in front of the tailor shop and the car would not stop. I pressed the brake but the car just went into lunge mode and instead of stopping went faster. I had my brake pressed all the way to the floorboard. Thank god the lady in the tailor shop was in the back of the store because my car did not come to rest until it was inside the store and pinned at a wall. People came out from other stores..smoke everywhere...they came to my window and told me to turn the key off. The wheels were still spinning but my foot was not on the accelerator - the wheels came to a stop when I turned off the ignition. My car was considered a total loss. Damage to the bldg included all of their front glass and interior. I don't know a final figure on the third party damage. My insurance covered the claim but I truly feel this is a lexus issue and they should be held responsible as the accelerator apparently stuck and nothing would stop it until I turned off the engine.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 lexus es 330. The contact stated as he starts the engine the rpms increased excessively and remained that way as he moved the gear shift out of park. The vehicle would jump forward causing the accelerator pedal to stick and the vehicle would not accelerate. While parking the vehicle with the brake engaged and the gear shift was in reverse, the vehicle accelerated forward. The failure caused the contact to crash into the garage and damage the front bumper. No one was injured. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer will be contacted at a later date. The failure mileage was 40,000. Updated 06/03/11 *bf updated 06/13/11
On 2/25/2011, I drove the car 15 minutes on the I-5 freeway to la jolla. The car was then parked for 2 hours so the engine was cold. I started it, backed out of parking place, and accelerated slightly to pass another car backing up. I was exiting a condo complex and speed was generally under 10-15 MPH going over speed bumps. The total distance traveled was about 150 feet on gentle, 5 degrees?, downhill grade, generally coasting with slight pressure on the brake pedal, to reach the exit which was at a streetlight at a busy street. The light was red so I gently increased the force on the brake pedal. I then sensed that the brake was suddenly not stopping the car. I applied as much force as possible and could not come to a complete stop. I shifted the car into neutral and the pressure being applied to the brakes stopped the car instantly. The engine raced like I had never experienced before. I then turned the ignition to off. I shifted the transmission into park. Knowing of the problem with floor mats and accelerator pedal problems, I reached down and pulled the floor mat towards the seat and away from brake and accelerator pedals. I restarted the car. There were no further problems.
When braking and slowly turning left to come to a stop in a parking space at a wal-mart parking lot my car suddenly accelerated uncontrollably at such a fast speed that my car crashed into a metal pole and pushed a parked station wagon facing my car back far into another isle. My foot was definitely braking the whole time.!!!! My car unexpectedly accelerated at a very high speed while I pressed the brake. I have in my possession a surveillance tape of the accident taken by wal-mart. As a result I hurt my back and neck and was very upset that I could have killed people walking in that parking lot. I am positive that the braking system in my car malfunctioned.
Questions about the 2004 Lexus ES330 acceleration
Does the 2004 Lexus ES330 have acceleration problems?
Owners have filed 53 complaints about the acceleration of the 2004 Lexus ES330, 30% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2004 Lexus ES330 acceleration problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 25,790 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Lexus ES330 acceleration?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Lexus ES330 have the most acceleration problems?
The Lexus ES330 model years with the most acceleration complaints are 2004 (53 complaints), 2005 (51 complaints) and 2006 (21 complaints).
Other 2004 Lexus ES330 problems
Transmission 61Airbags 24Brakes 16Engine 12Electrical 7Body 4Fuel system 4Seat belts 4Visibility 4Lights 3Steering 3Suspension 3Seats 2Driver assistance 1Tires 1
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