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 2006 Lexus ES330 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My wife was driving the car to pick-up our granddaughter from school on 10-22-2018. She made a full stop at the corner and took her foot off the brake and started to make a right turn. When she started to press on the gas pedal lightly, the engine revved up to full throttle and the car accelerated and lunged uncontrollably forward. Her steering wheel was locked. Because of this acceleration, she hit the car in front with great force and severely damaging our front end and the car bumper in front of her. She was getting get in line to wait for the school children to let out. Had her the car accelerated out of control when children were crossing the street, it would have been a great catastrophe and dead children. Something must be done to alert the public. Another sudden acceleration occurred when I was driving the car about 2 years ago. …
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. …
I was backing out of my garage in my 2006 Lexus es 330. The car was idling at about 1400 RPM, with my foot on the brake I put the car in reverse, released the hand brake and started to slowly back up. Suddenly, the car shot out of my garage, down my driveway, across the street, jumped the far side curb turning right and struck a light pole which was broken off. The car was traveling on its own at a high rate of speed. At this time, in a state of confusion and extreme agitation I attempted to shift the car into neutral but instead I accidentally shifted into drive. I went forward continuing in a high rate of speed back across the street and into my driveway when I finally managed to get the car in neutral. I would like to emphasize that at no time did I ever touch the accelerator pedal! This appears to eliminate sticking accelerator pedals as a cause of this problem. …
Tl 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. 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. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Lexus ES330. While the contact was driving approximately 5-10 MPH, an unexpected increase in acceleration occurred causing the vehicle to travel over the curbside and crash into a house. The damaged exterior siding of the house exposed an enormous hole the width of the vehicle which extended through the interior wall. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed of the incident with no personal injury. The entire front end of the vehicle sustained damages. The cause of failure had not been determined at the time of the complaint. The vehicle was taken to a collision center where the contact was awaiting further diagnostic of the failure. The failure mileage was 76,000.
Tl contact owns a 2006 Lexus ES330. While driving 2 MPH when she pressed on the accelerator pedal it became stuck and accelerated and crashed into 4 vehicles in front of her. There were no injuries. There were major damages to front of the vehicle. A police report was filed. Her insurance company was also notified. The vehicle was towed to an auto body shop and the mechanics diagnosis indicated that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The vehicle was repaired and then sold it since he did not feel safe in the vehicle. The failure was 11,972. The current mileage is 11,980. Updated 4/7/2010 updated 06/18/10.
The car was reversed and driven forward, suddenly accelerated forward. Applying brakes were not helping as acceleration still continued. There is no floor mat on the driver seat side to blame it on for gas pedal getting stuck to the mat.. The gas and brake pedals were adjusted to the highest level from the floor. Happened a week ago and happened again on 17/02/2018. First time the vehicle was on four lane city street. Second time on two lane city street. It can happen any time any where. I asked the dealer. No recall yet I see lot of people having this problem on this site. Https://www.vehiclehistory.com/Lexus/es-330/2006
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Lexus ES330. The contact was attempting to park when the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into a building. The air bags did not deploy and the contact sustained whiplash. The vehicle was towed to a local body shop which was provided by the insurance company where the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer sent an engineer to examine the vehicle yet the engineer was unable to diagnose a failure. The contact believed the vehicle was unsafe to drive and feared that the failure would recur without warning. The failure mileage was 60,366.
Tl contact owned a 2006 Toyota Lexus ES330. While driving approximately 5 MPH on a clear day, the vehicle accelerated when the contact engaged her brakes and they failed to stop the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into four vehicles and two people were injured in another vehicle. The incident occurred in a parking lot. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was repaired by a local mechanic and sold. The contact stated that a representative from the manufacturer inspected the vehicle after a crash occurred. The failure and current mileages were 11, 972.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Lexus es 330. The contact shifted from reverse to drive when the vehicle abnormally accelerated and crashed into a concrete pillar in the parking lot. The vehicle began smoking after the crash and the contact sustained moderate injuries. The air bags failed to deploy at impact. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure and the current mileage was 60,000. Updated11/29/11 updated 12/14/11
Acceleration complaints in other ES330 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2006 Lexus ES330?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2006 Lexus ES330, 33% of the model year's 64 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Lexus ES330 acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2006 Lexus ES330. 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 2006 Lexus ES330 acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 26,000 miles, and 50% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 14 crashes, 0 fires and 8 injuries and 1 death 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.