Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Lexus ES300 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was pulling out of the garage slowly to pause on the driveway to close the garage door and when I step on the gas in reverse the car flew out of the garage and I couldn't stop it with the brakes. There was a small roofing across the street which stopped the car. No one was nearby so no one was hurt. The accelerator seemed stuck for this incident to happen. However, Lexus had an inspector check the car and didn't find anything wrong that showed on the computer so they won't take responsibility for this occurrence and they closed the case. I tried to speak to someone to send this to arbitration but no one would speak to me. Case closed. This was a very frightening experience with no control in the car.
My car over the last couple of years started experiencing abnormal acceleration . There were times it uses to surge or sound like it was ramping up to go fast, even with my foot on the break, you could hear the acceleration trying to ramp up like if my foot wasn't on the break it would just take off. Then the opposite started to happen. My car idle would just drop and basically when I would go to take off from a stop, the car would not accelerate at all. It was inconsistent so sometimes it would over accelerate and sometimes under. There was no accident, but I've had a few close calls and some people to get aggravated at my car.I took it to the pep boys they thought it needed flushed maybe injection cleaning like all other scenarios I am just now reading about. After that, it seemed to work for a short while, but then the issue start occurring again. …
On jan 20, 2005 at about 7:30 pm I was returning from work driving my Lexus 2003. Just before reaching my home, I turned right into notley road from stone gate drive at silver spring, md after stopping at the stop sign. Before I realized, the car knocked over the mail box of the house on the right side and started racing on the yard of the house. Next the car knocked down the street light, crossed a road and raced towards a tree. Although I applied, the brakes were not working. Ultimotely the car crashed on to a tree, turned over and I was lucky enough to crawl out of the car with much effort. I was taken to the montgomery county general hospital by ambulance and after being examined by the physician and xrays I was released. …
I purchased a used 2003 Lexus es30from used car dealer. After a couple days of driving it I noticed it was shifting gears innormally. It would surge up to 4000rmp before shifting to 2nd gear and at one point wasn't moving while I hit the gas the acceleration very fast out of nowhere. My mother also had this same year make and model vehicle a few years back and it had the same problem before the transmission went out. I did some research online and found many other Lexus customers experienced the same problem. I found a web site that claimed that there was a TSB put out for this vehicle and that the Lexus/Toyota dealerships would fix this problem with an upgrade. I was wondering if this upgrade is still available and if my vehicle would qualify? And if so how would I go about this process.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Lexus ES300. The contact stated that when the driver was shifting into reverse gear, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and he lost control of it. The driver crashed into another vehicle and a tree. There were no injuries. A police report was filed. There were no previous acceleration failures. She took the vehicle to the dealership and the dealer told her that they could see nothing mechanically wrong. She called the manufacturer and the representative told her that they could not assist her because they had no related reports. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The current mileage was 49,094. The failure mileage was 44,916. Updated 04/19/10.
My 17 year old daughter was driving my 2003 Lexus in town. We have never had any previous similar incidents, and have not experienced the same thing since. She had stopped at a stop light, but was too far back, so she wanted to pull up a little. She took her foot off the brake, and the car moved forward. She repeatedly pushed the brake, but they did not work. The car stopped when she hit the car in front of her. I had the car checked after the accident, but they couldn't find anything obvious. However, she, and the other passengers, have verified that she repeatedly pushed the brake to no avail.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Lexus ES300. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the brake pedal was applied and the vehicle increased acceleration unexpectedly. The vehicle failed to reduce speed and crashed into another vehicle and a fence. The contact suffered from a fractured right arm and sustained bruises to the body. A police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a salvage facility. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Lexus ES300. The driver was driving in a parking lot approximately 10 MPH when the vehicle began to accelerate on it's own. The vehicle accelerated above 80 MPH which caused the driver to crash into 6 vehicles. The driver was injured and was taken to the emergency room. The police confirmed that the driver was traveling at 86 MPH due to the uncontrollable acceleration. The contact was not aware that the vehicle had increased at that speed. The failure mileage was 35,000 and the current mileage is 41,000.
Tl* contact owns a 2003 Lexus ES300. While coasting toward an intersection at speeds of at least 10 MPH, the vehicle abnormally accelerated at a rapid rate of speed. She was unable to maintain control of the unintended acceleration and the vehicle proceeded to veer toward a nearby wooded area. The vehicle crashed into approximately 3 trees before the vehicle came to a stop. As a result, she suffered unknown injuries. The vehicle had since been repaired. The failure mileage was 38,000 and the current was 39,000.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Lexus ES300. The contact was driving approximately 2-3 MPH. The vehicle lunged forward and rear ended another vehicle. The vehicle continued to accelerate even after the crash occurred. There were no injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was inspected at the dealer, who was unable to diagnose the failure. A complaint was filed with the manufacturer. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time. The current mileage was 55,972. The failure mileage was 54,000.
NHTSA investigations
Throttle control system
The Lexus models were the subject of defect petition (dp) 04-003.twelve odi complaints are duplicative to Toyota reports, including the two minor crashes.the v6 equipped solara models have been excluded because they do not contain the subject throttle control system.Toyota introduced electronic throttle control (etc) on the subject vehicles beginning in model year (my) 2002.odi opened the investigation to determine…
Unwanted and unintended acceleration
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened dp09-001 on April 8, 2009, to evaluate a defect petition requesting additional investigation of potential throttle control system defects unrelated to floor mat interference with accelerator pedals in model year (my) 2007 Lexus es 350 vehicles.the petitioner referenced an earlier odi investigation concerning floor mat interference with accelerator pedal return…
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 national highway traffic safety administration?s (NHTSA) 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…
Throttle control system
The population number noted above is estimated.in the January 15th, 2004 petition request letter to the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA), the petitioner identified 37 voq complaints as related to vehicle speed control issues similar to those the petitioner allegedly experienced in their own vehicle on multiple occasions (as described in the petition request letter).during it's consideration of…
Acceleration complaints in other ES300 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2003 Lexus ES300?
NHTSA has 48 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2003 Lexus ES300, 41% of the model year's 116 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Lexus ES300 acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2003 Lexus ES300. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Lexus ES300 acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 35,000 miles, and 39% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 28 crashes, 0 fires and 11 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.