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 2008 Lexus ES350 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. The contact stated that the TPMS warning light showed that the tire pressure was low. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer to be repaired. While attempting to reverse out of a parking lot, the vehicle independently accelerated forward at 60 MPH. The contact was able to maneuver the vehicle out of the parking lot to avoid a crash. The vehicle decelerated independently. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. After waiting for a while, the contact drove the vehicle home at slow speeds. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 49,000. The contact deemed the vehicle unsafe to drive and decided to sell it. The vehicle was sold to Carmax instead of to the dealership because they offered more money. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. While accelerating from a stop light and attempting to avoid a curb on the left, the contact veered to the right and crashed into the driver side of another vehicle. When the contact attempted to steer to the left, the vehicle independently accelerated and rolled over. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained leg injuries and the rear driver side passenger sustained head injuries. Medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V340000 (air bags). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 189,000.
While entering my garage, my car suddenly accelerated and smashed into the rear wall destroying a cabinet and refridgerator and went through the wall. I couldn't stop the car as evidenced by brake skid marks on the garage floor. Lexus later inspected the car and claimed they could find no defect. Fortunately my wife and I were only shaken up from the deployment of the airbags. The car was totaled. My home and auto insurance covered part of the damage and Lexus has disavowed any responsibility, but they never inspected the damage to our home or the evidence that I was trying to stop the car almost from the instant it entered the garage. I can provide pictures by email, but I can't seem to retrieve them for this document. T
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. While sitting idle at a stop light with her foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle abnormally surged forward and crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The contact did not sustain any injuries; however the occupant of the second vehicle involved sustained unknown injuries. The police arrived to the scene and a report was filed accordingly. The contact was held liable for the crash and all repairs were handled through her insurance company. Neither the dealer nor manufacturer was informed the vehicle abnormally accelerated. Later, the contact received a recall notification (NHTSA campaign id number: 09v38800, vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal) pertaining to possible unintended acceleration. The vehicle was taken in for recall repairs and has not experienced any failures since. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 es 350 Lexus. While driving 15 MPH, and approaching a traffic light, the vehicle suddently accelerated excessively and crashed into another vehicle. There was no damage to the vehicle, nor were there any injuries. The contact's vehicle sustained minor damage. He notified the insurance company when the crash occurred. There was no police report. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 43,000.
I had almost finished parking my '08 Lexus es 350 in a parking place at a business park when it surged forward very fast. I had not touched the accelerator. I brake hard, but the car went up over a cement divider and crashed into the car parked facing me. I had the car one and half years, and this was the first time it happened. I had it towed to the Lexus dealership. An inspector found nothing wrong externally, but the edr showed I had not stepped on the accelerator before the crash, only the brake, and yet it had surged forward. I had taken the car in earlier for the recall, and had removed the mat and had something added to the software. I sold the car back to Lexus immediately as I never wanted to step foot in it again. This is a very dangerous car, and something is wrong with the electronics to cause this.
Tl contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly accelerated out of control at night and she was unable to stop the vehicle when she applied the brakes. The contact was driving approximately 40 MPH prior to the failure. The vehicle drove over the curb and collided into a tree and a retaining wall. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The contact called the manufacturer and was told that a representative would come out to inspect the vehicle. The contact noticed small instances of surging but not to the point where she could not stop or control the vehicle. The vehicle was currently at the body shop awaiting inspection. The current and failure mileages were approximately 45,000.
Tl contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. On March 27, 2008, while driving 5 MPH, the contact heard a high pitched sound coming from the engine. A second later, she heard a roaring noise like that of a rocket ship coming from the engine. The vehicle immediately accelerated on its own and stopped when it crashed into a tree. The vehicle is currently at the collision shop. The insurance company did not provide a report for the cause of the failure. The contact sustained serious injuries to her legs. A police report was filed. The failure mileage was 4,242. Consumer sent in additional information on 06/26/08. The repair shop stated the cause of the crash was the electronic wire accelerator. Updated 06/26/08
Tl contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. While driving 10 MPH and merging into traffic the vehicle drifted to the right. Within minutes, the vehicle surged forward out of control and as the contact tried to depress the brakes, the vehicle crashed onto the train tracks. The air bags did not deploy. The passenger sustained injuries and was taken to the hospital. The police arrived and a police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The insurance company inspected the vehicle. The contacts insurance also increased as a result of the failure which resulted in a crash. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 5500.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008,Lexus ES350. He stated while pulling into a parking space at speeds of less than 10 MPH, the vehicle lunged forward and began to accelerate. The contact attempted to depress the brake pedal to no avail. The vehicle crashed into a tree. The frontal airbags deployed and caused minor injuries to the contact's face. The bottom airbags also deployed and caused injuries to the legs of both the driver and passenger of the vehicle. The police arrived at the scene of the crash and a police report was filed. The failure and current mileages were under 14,000. Updated 2/26/10 updated 09/07/10
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 passenger vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.
Remedy: Toyota filed an amended defect report on November 25, 2009, stating that dealers will modify the accelerator pedal and, on certain vehicles, alter the shape of the floor surface under the pedal.
NHTSA investigations
Unwanted acceleration, floor mat
The driver side floor mat will not interfere with the throttle pedal if properly secured using the retaining hooks provided by Toyota.however, if the all weather mat is unsecured and moves forward from its intended position it can entrap the throttle pedal at the fully open position after it has been depressed.this can happen regardless of whether or not another mat (carpet) is underneath.when this occurs, some…
Acceleration complaints in other ES350 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2008 Lexus ES350?
NHTSA has 39 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2008 Lexus ES350, 15% of the model year's 255 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (10 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Lexus ES350 acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-388 (accelerator pedal, Oct 5, 2009). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2008 Lexus ES350 acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 19,000 miles, and 65% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 17 crashes, 0 fires and 14 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.