Acceleration complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
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. …
As car in front of me slammed on brakes to avoid two teenagers running across in front of her, I slammed on my brakes and the car accelerated from 20-30. The air bag did not deploy nor did the seat belt engage and lock to prevent me from slamming into the steering wheel. The ABS brakes were slammed and it felt like the brakes did not work like there was an air bubble in the system. I crashed into the Hyundai. Totaled my car and the front of the car frame was bent. Called the police, but did not take a report since no one was taken by ambulance. Went do my doctor and reported this to Lexus-incident number 150922-00272 on 9/22/15. Lexus will inspect the car on 10/9/15...updated 10/15/15 ...updated 12/03/15, updated 4/9/18
Contact owns a 2005 Lexus ES330. The contact was driving approximately 10 to 15 MPH two blocks away from home. While approaching and preparing to stop at a stop sign, noticed the inability of the brake system when applied pressure to the brake paddle, vehicle would not stop. At this point, vehicle began to accelerate unintended (without input on accelerator), causing to rapidly surge and launch straight ahead uncontrollable at a high speed of approximately 55 to 60 MPH, which resulted the contact to crash though a cul-de-sac block (brick) wall, bricks exploded and landed on top of another party?s parked vehicle, causing damage to fender. Airbag was deployed. Contact was taken via ambulance to local hospital for examination of injuries, released same day. A police report was filed on the incident. For vehicle was towed to a storage facility. …
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.
NHTSA 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 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…
Frequently asked questions
Which Lexus ES330 years have acceleration problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2005 (51) and 2006 (21) model years. Acceleration complaints make up 36% of all complaints for the 2005.
Is there a recall for Lexus ES330 acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for any Lexus ES330 model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Lexus ES330 acceleration problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 29,000 miles; 69% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the accelerator pedal (7 mentions).
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.