TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 LEXUS ES330. WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN AT 5 MPH INTO A PARKING LOT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A POLE. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE OR DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,755. UPDATED 07/08/10*JB
2006 Lexus ES330 complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2006 record →
I WAS GIVEN A LEXUS 300 SERIES LOANER BY HIGHLAND PARK LEXUS IN HIGHLAND PARK ILLINOIS IN 2006 WHILE THEY SERVICED MY LEXUS 430...WHILE ON HWY 41 IN HIGHLAND PARK ILLINOIS THE VEHICLE STALLED...I WAS UNABLE TO RESTART IT FOR 15 MINUTES...IT THEN RESTARTED...THE BATTERY WAS FINE...THE ISSUE WAS ELECTRONIC. *TR
MY LEXUS ES 330 2006 SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WHILE PULLING SLOWLY INTO A DRIVEWAY. IT TRAVELED ABOUT 80 FEET, CRASHED OVER A 2.5 FT CEMENT WALL, THROUGH AN IRON RAIL FENCE AND CAME TO REST ON THE COLLAPSED FENCE WITH THE FRONT WHEELS PARTIALLY SUBMERGED IN A SWIMMING POOL. THERE WAS NO PHYSICAL INJURY. THE CAUSE OF THE ACCELERATION IS UNEXPLAINED. *TR
UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WITH LEXUS VEHICLE. *NJ THE CONSUMER STATED HE SENT A REPORT OF THE VEHICLE ACCIDENT TO NHTSA. THE ACCIDENT WAS DUE TO UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION. THE CONSUMER STATED TOYOTA IS ATTRIBUTING MOST OF THE ACCIDENTS TO FLOOR MAT PROBLEMS WHILE AVOIDING FURTHER INVESTIGATION INTO OTHER POSSIBLE CAUSES. THE CONSUMERS WIFE WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE, WHEN SUDDENLY, THE ENGINE ROARED AND THE VEHICLE SHOT AHEAD, CRASHING OVER A LOW CEMENT WALL, KNOCKING DOWN A METAL RAIL FENCE, COMING TO REST ON TOP OF THE COLLAPSED FENCE WITH HER RIGHT FRONT WHEEL PARTIALLY SUBMERGED IN A BACKYARD POOL. BY THEN THE ENGINE HAD STALLED. *JB UPDATED 01/12/10 *BF THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. UPDATED 01/15/10.*JB UPDATED 03/10/10 THE CONSUMER STATED HE OWNS A 1994 MERCEDES BENZ, IN REVIEWING THE MERCEDES BENZ OWNERS MANUAL, HE CAME ACROSS A WARNING THAT STATED NEVER TO USE A PORTABLE PHONE IN THE CAR WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING BECAUSE THAT COULD CAUSE A MALFUNCTION OF THE ENGINE'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POSSIBLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT AND PERSONAL INJURY. APPARENTLY, MERCEDES KNEW SOMETHING IN 1994 THAT TOYOTA DOES NOT OR WON'T SERIOUSLY CONSIDER. UPDATED 03/24/10 UPDATED 003/30/10 *BF UPDATED 04/14/10. *JB THE CONSUMER WANTED TO KNOW WHICH TOYOTA VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH BLACK BOXES. UPDATED 04/15/10.*JB UPDATED 05/10/10*JB
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
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 LEXUS ES330. WHILE DRIVING ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET AT 35 MPH HE APPROACHED THE INTERSECTION, HE ATTEMPTED TO ENGAGE THE BRAKE PEDAL AND WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. TO AVOID CRASHING INTO A VEHICLE HEAD ON, HE CRASHED INTO THE CENTER BARRIER AND A STOP SIGN AT THE GAS STATION. THE VEHICLE STOPPED MOVING WHEN IT CRASHED INTO THE GAS STATION BRICK SIGN. THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AND A TIRE BLOW OUT ALSO OCCURRED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE INSURANCE COMPANY WILL INVESTIGATE THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT AND THE FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 32,000.
I ACQUIRED AN 06 LEXUS ES330. I NOTICED THE TRANSMISSION HESITATES UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, NOTABLY WHEN SLOWING DOWN AND COMMENCING ACCELERATION WHILE STILL MOVING. I HAVE HAD A COUPLE OF CLOSE CALLS WHEN IT WAS NECESSARY FOR ME TO ACCELERATE QUICKLY FROM A SLOW SPEED. THE DEALER TELLS ME LEXUS IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, CLAIMING THAT'S HOW IT WAS DESIGNED. THERE ARE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS POSTED ON THE NET ABOUT THIS EXACT PROBLEM. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY HAS BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT, BUT IT CERTAINLY SEEMS LIKE AN ACCIDENT RISK TO ME. THE DATE INSERTED BELOW IS THE DATE I PURCHASED THE CAR. THERE WAS NO "INCIDENT." FOR THE MILEAGE, I PUT IN 000001 BECAUSE THIS IS A DESIGN AND ENGINEERING DEFECT THAT WAS PRESENT IN THE TRANSMISSION WHEN IT WAS MANUFACTURED. THANK YOU. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 LEXUS ES330. WHILE MERGING INTO THE RIGHT LANE AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO BRAKE AND STRUCK A PEDESTRIAN. THE PEDESTRIAN DIED DUE TO INJURIES. THE CONTACT ALSO REAR ENDED TWO OTHER VEHICLES AND DROVE THROUGH A FENCE. THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP WHEN IT CRASHED INTO A GUARD RAIL. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD HAVE BEEN THE FLOORMAT. THE INSURANCE COMPANY CLAIMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED INJURIES TO HER BACK, NECK, AND LEG. TWO OTHERS WERE ALSO INJURED. STATE POLICE REPORT NUMBER 5271887 WAS FILED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 26,286. UPDATED 10/01/08. *LJ THE MANUFACTURER STATED THE FLOOR MATS MAY HAVE BECOME STUCK UNDER THE ACCELERATOR WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE OUT OF CONTROL. UPDATED 10/08/08. *JB UPDATED 03/08/10 *BF UPDATED 9/21/2011*CW UPDATED 10/12/11 *BF
SEVERE HESITATION WHEN ACCELERATING. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM THROUGH OUT THE CAMRY AND LEXUS ES V6 ENGINE LINE. *TR
2006 LEXUS 330 FLOOR MAT GOT LODGED UNDER THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. CUSTOMER STATES THE FLOOR MAT GOT STUCK UNDER THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SPEED UP AND BRAKES NOT BEING ABLE TO WORK. *KB THE CONSUMER STATED THE CLIPS WHICH ARE INTENDED TO HOLD THE FLOOR MATS INTO TO PLACE ARE WORTHLESS. THEY HAVE SHARP EDGES AND ARE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET INTO PLACE. *JB
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS AT NIGHT, THERE WAS A LIMITED RANGE OF THE HEADLIGHT BEAMS. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER WHO DETERMINED THIS WAS THE WAY THE VEHICLE WAS DESIGNED, AND WITHIN COMPLIANCE OF THE MANUFACTURER'S SPECIFICATIONS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED.
STARTING AT APPROX. 4,000MILIES, MY 2006 ES330 HAS VIBRATION THROUGH FLOOR AND STEERING WHEEL. DEALER HAS MADE MORE THAN 4 REPAIR ATTEMPTS, INCLUDING REPLACEMENT OF A TRANSMISSION AT APPROX. 8,500 MILES. *NM
TRANSMISSION LAGS DANGEROUSLY FROM A STOP AND HESITATES FOR A FEW SECONDS UPON ACCELERATION, WHICH IS ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AT INTERSECTIONS, WHEN PASSING, AND ANYTIME PROMPT RESPONSE FROM ACCELERATOR IS NEEDED. ALSO EXPERIENCING FROM THE TRANSMISSION WHAT I WOULD CALL A SLING-SHOT EFFECT, WHERE THE GEARS EITHER WIND OUT EXCESSIVELY AND SEEM TO CATCH UP WITH ITSELF AT NORMAL ACCELERATION OR A FEELING OF NOT DOWNSHIFTING NORMALLY WHEN SLOWING DOWN, ESPECIALLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.
COLLISION WITH A DEER CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE HOOD, GRILLE, RIGHT FENDER AND RIGHT HEADLIGHT (HID). IMPACT CAUSED THE HEADLIGHT TO IGNITE RESULTING IN A FIRE THAT SPREAD OVER THE HOOD TOTALLY DESTROYED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. RIGHT FRONT TIRE EXPLODED DURING THE FIRE. MY CONCERN IS THE FACT THAT HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGE (HID) LIGHTS IGNITE ON IMPACT. THESE LIGHTS ARE WIDELY USED TODAY EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE FIRE HAZARDS. PLEASE PROVIDE INFORMATION PERTAINING TO ANY OTHER REPORTS OF FIRES RESULTING FROM THESE HID LIGHTS. *JB
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 2006 Lexus ES330 → · Every ES330 year → · How the figures are calculated →