On October 30, 2026, at approximately 1:00 AM, I experienced a serious and unexpected safety incident involving my 2024 Lexus RX 350. While slowly parking my vehicle in my garage, at a very low speed and nearly at a complete stop, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward without my intentionally pressing the accelerator pedal. At approximately the same time, the steering wheel appeared to lock or become unresponsive, preventing me from maintaining control of the vehicle. The vehicle surged forward and collided with my garage door, causing property damage. Additionally, the vehicle's Pre-Collision System (PCS) / collision protection system did not appear to activate or intervene to prevent or mitigate the impact. I did not observe any effective automatic emergency braking intervention before the collision. I am extremely concerned about the possibility of a malfunction involving the electronic throttle control, braking system, steering system, or other electronic vehicle control components. The cause has not yet been determined. I reported the incident to Lexus USA on October 30, 2026, and a safety case was opened under reference number 26103000582. I have requested a technical investigation and am awaiting contact from a Lexus case manager. I am requesting a thorough investigation of this incident, including preservation and examination of all available Event Data Recorder (EDR) information, ECU/ECM diagnostic data, accelerator and brake input records, electronic power steering system data, and Pre-Collision System functionality. I believe this incident represents a potentially serious vehicle safety concern. I request that the federal safety agency document and evaluate this complaint to determine whether a vehicle safety defect may have contributed to the sudden unintended acceleration, apparent steering malfunction, and lack of collision avoidance intervention.
Lexus RX sudden acceleration problems
29 of the 972 owner complaints about the Lexus RX describe sudden unintended acceleration, most of them for the 2010 model year.
- owner complaints
- 29
- worst model year
- 2010
- typical mileage
- 18,000
By model year
Often reported together
No deployment 5Collision warning 3Stalling 2Fuel pump 2Transmission failure 1Spongy pedal 1Jerking 1Airbag light 1
What owners say
After slowly making a left into a parking space at Dunkin Donuts and trying to deploy my brakes, my car lunged forward spontaneously accelerating, jumped two curbs and hit a barrier and the window of the store. The impact of the crash wrecked my front end and the radiator was damaged and was laying on the ground. With this intense impact, the airbags did not deploy on impact. My insurance agency totaled the car. After the crash the warning came on the screen that the Collision System had malfunctioned.
Technical Incident Timeline Suspected Unintended Acceleration Event 2026 Lexus RX 350h Premium+ (Approximately 96 Miles) Vehicle: 2026 Lexus RX 350h Premium+ Purchase Date: July 10, 2026 Dealer: Woodfield Lexus Incident Date: July 12, 2026 Approximate Time: 11:30 AM Vehicle Mileage at Incident: Approximately 96 miles ⸻ Event Sequence 1. Vehicle Startup * I entered the vehicle and started the vehicle normally. * The vehicle was in Park (P) at startup. * My right foot was on the brake pedal, as required to start the vehicle. * The accelerator pedal was not intentionally pressed. 2. Immediate Vehicle Behavior After Startup * Immediately after startup, the vehicle produced an unusually loud powertrain noise similar to a motorcycle engine. * The vehicle unexpectedly moved forward with strong acceleration without my intended input. * The acceleration was sudden and unexpected. 3. Loss of Vehicle Control * The vehicle traveled uphill at high speed. * The event occurred so quickly that I did not have sufficient time to react or take corrective action. * The vehicle became difficult to control during this period. * The front wheels climbed up the hill first. 4. Impact With Tree Trunk * The vehicle continued uphill and shortly thereafter struck a tree trunk. * After the impact, the vehicle changed direction toward the right. * The vehicle continued moving at high speed after the impact. 5. Attempt to Stop Vehicle * After the vehicle changed direction and continued moving, I recognized the need to stop the vehicle before it reached a concrete structure with a Jewel-Osco sign. * I applied the brake pedal again. * At this point, the brake responded and the vehicle stopped. 6. Resulting Damage * The collision caused significant damage to the vehicle, including damage to the driver’s side. * No warning lights or dashboard alerts appeared during the event.
On April 1, 2026, while pulling into a parking space at our church, I was applying the brake when the vehicle suddenly and forcefully surged forward without warning. The unintended acceleration was intense and unexpected, occurring despite continuous braking input. This resulted in the vehicle striking the building and causing significant damage to both the vehicle and the structure. This incident has occurred twice within a 10 day period, both times during low-speed parking/stopping maneuvers. There were no warning lights, alerts, no automatic emergency braking engagement, no air bag deployment, or prior indications of malfunction. I did report this to the police and they filed an Incident Report. Lexus was notified and an independent analysis engineer examined the data from the vehicle's CDR System. This report was sent to me and to Lexus.
The contact owned a 2023 Lexus RX 350. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light, it suddenly accelerated without warning. While driving in a parking lot, the vehicle again surged forward approximately 20 feet. The contact was able to swerve to avoid striking a pedestrian. The vehicle became uncontrollable, and the brakes were inoperable. The vehicle ultimately crashed into a dumpster fence, which fell onto the vehicle. The contact sustained injuries to her mouth, including cuts to the inside and outside of her mouth, and medical attention was provided by a plastic surgeon. The fire department responded to the scene. The air bags did not deploy during the crash. There was no fire, and a police report was not filed. The fire department was on the scene. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The insurance company later deemed the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer has not been notified. The failure occurred at approximately 18,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2025 Lexus RX 350. The contact stated that while driving into a parking space, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and drove forward at a high rate of speed before crashing into the brick wall of an office building. During the crash, no air bags deployed, and the brake pedal was hard when pressed and did not stop the vehicle. Also, the manufacturer's APP indicated a malfunction in the engine and engine throttle during the incident. The driver sustained injuries to the knees, arms, and hips, which required medical treatment. An incident report was filed by the facility Patrol Officer, and the vehicle was towed to the collision center. The cause of the failures was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the incident. An engineer from the manufacturer was sent to examine the vehicle and reported no trouble found. The contact indicated that upon delivery of the vehicle, several electronic features did not function properly, including the display and navigation screen. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 106.
When I was parking my car 20 feet behind a car by the street , the car suddenly accelerated. I stepped hard on the brake and fortunately stopped the car about 3 feet from the car in the front. No crash happened
Unintended acceleration. After complete stop at signal light behind another car electric motor was keep pushing car forward with feet on break and no feet on accelerator. Car was at complete stop and then after complete stop car started moving so press breaks more harder and car started moving up and down due to electric power pushing car forward and break system trying to stop car. Submitted dash cam video to Lexus dealership.
The contact owns a 2023 Lexus RX500H. The contact stated while depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle surged forward. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, Lexus of Santa Fe (6824 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87507) who were unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the failure persisted. While the contact’s wife was driving and was idling at a stop light, the vehicle lunged forward aggressively. The contact’s wife turned off the vehicle to avoid lunging forward and crashing with oncoming vehicles at the intersection. The vehicle was returned to the first dealer, Lexus of Albuquerque (4821 Pan American Fwy, Albuquerque, NM 87109) who was able to duplicate the failure and stated that the failure might be caused by a software failure. The dealer could not confirm but had assumed that the software update might prevent the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The dealer informed the contact that the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and might be preparing a software update to solve the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was 5,000.
The accident happened when I was using the "BRAKE HOLD SYSTEM". It is designed to use when the needs to stop briefly. When the Brake Hold button is touched while the driver's foot is on the brake pedal, the driver do not need to step on the brake even though the shift lever is in D. After I finished paying for a car wash, I touched the Brake Hold button. Then the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward and ran at a high speed. I was pushing the brake pedal, when I touched the button. I was startled and attempted to stop the vehicle with all my strength by braking the brake pedal. It didn't stop and went over the cub and accelerated even more and it crossed the both lanes and hit the cub on the other side. It climbed up the bank wall and it finally stopped. The police and the ambulance came and took me a hospital. I later found out the vehicle was towed to a nearby junk yard. I believe that the new high-tech system known as BRAKE HOLD malfunctioned and caused "unintended acceleration". I believe that it certainly is extremely dangerous. It has not yet been inspected by the Lexus mechanics. There were no warning signs whatsoever before the unintended acceleration. BTW, I have used the function before i.e. when I used drive throughs.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Lexus RX sudden acceleration
Which Lexus RX years have sudden unintended acceleration problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2010 (6 complaints), 2023 (5 complaints) and 2019 (3 complaints).
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