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 2009 Lexus ES350 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My wife and I experienced an uncontrollable runaway of our new (3 weeks old and less than 200 miles) Lexus es-350 car on 09/27/2009. The car was totaled. At time, both police and ambulance were called. And we were sent to the nearby shady grove hospital for checkup and treatments. Initially, I thought it could be because I mistakenly pressed the gas pedal, instead of the brake, when I tried to slow down the car preparing to make a left-hand turn onto rt. 28. Now, after I read all the recent Toyota/Lexus accident news reports, which specifically involved the Lexus es series, I begin to belief it wasn't the case. And in fact, it was an uncontrollable runaway car, at the time. Because otherwise I would have naturally slowed down the car at the intersection and prepared to make the turn. …
Petition for a defect investigation into low-speed surging in different models of Toyota automobiles in which the car starts accelerating and the engine RPM increases when accelerator is not depressed. The consumer stated on February 13, 2015, his wife was driving to an appointment. She pulled into the parking lot and did not have her foot on the brake pedal as she was coasting into the parking spot. The vehicle suddenly accelerated. Big bushes in front of the vehicle limited the speed, so his wife turned off the ignition and the vehicle fell back. A witness saw the entire even and attested to the fact the engine suddenly started roaring. The front of the vehicle was smashed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed from the scene and subsequently inspected by a representative of the manufacturer. …
Tl contact owns a 2008 Lexus ES350. On February 9, 2010, while the contact was attempting to change gears with his foot on the brake, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. He attempted to slow the vehicle down by depressing the brake pedal with both feet but the vehicle did not stop and collided into a wall. The driver was not injured but the passenger did sustain injuries to the mouth and upper body. A police report was filed. The current and failure mileages were approximately 28,000. The consumer is requesting the findings on the vehicle. Updated evoq 10/13/10 the consumer also stated the air bags failed to deploy. Updated 02/25/11
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Lexus ES350. The contact was reversing from a residential garage. As the brakes were applied and the contact shifted from reverse to drive, the vehicle abnormally accelerated. The contact crashed into a brick wall and sustained injuries to the left leg. The crash caused damaged the contact's home. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and sent an investigator to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a lot by the insurance company and deemed destroyed. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 29,000.
When I was going to park my car in the box in front of the hotel room, I touched the accelerator slightly to advance the two meters distant to be properly parked, then the accelerator run in high speed the brakes did not respond. To reduce the impact, I turned the wheel to the right and crashed into the hotel wall. People from Lexus is making an investigation. The question is how confident is that investigation. The car was check the day before for 15,000 miles check. I live now in durango, Mexico and just came to have my car checked.
Car was being driven into a parking spot at less than 5 MPH when it suddenly accelerated and started to climb a rock hill before it could be stopped. Wheels were turned to right as result of turn into parking spot which caused the vehicle to start tipping over. Air bags were not deployed and repairs are approximately $4500.
Tl contact leased a 2009 Lexus ES350. While driving approximately 35 to 40 MPH on the highway, the vehicle accelerated 80 to 90 MPH. He attempted to engage the brake pedal and the emergency brake to stop the vehicle and was unsuccessful. He also pressed the on/off button, shift the vehicle in reverse and was unable to stop the vehicle. He was able to drive with minimal control to an emergency lane where he was able to shift the vehicle into reverse then immediately to park; however, the transmission began smoking and the vehicle slowed down. The contact drove the vehicle to his residence. He was also able to drive the vehicle to the dealer and expects them to allow him to return the vehicle. The service director stated that the failure was caused by the floor mats and that the hooks were never installed in the vehicle. The manufacturer provided no assistance. …
I put the car on d to drive. I stopped at a red light, I brake the car to stop. When the light turned green, I pressed on the gas pedal to drive forward, but the car reversed without me putting on r. The reverse go was slow. When it reversed, I tried to stop the car car by pressing on the brake pedal, but I could not stop the car that way. I had to turn off the car to stop the reverse. The car reversed like that both times sporadically on two consecutive days - on 11.11.2014 and on the morning of 11.12.2014. My car was under warranty. I brought it to the service of Lexus at longo on the evening of 11.12.2014, which is where the vehicle was bought. They found no problem with the car, charge me money, and gave the car back to me the next day. I believe that the car needs more investigation. I am afraid of the sporadic reversal of the car while it is on d. …
My vehicle Lexus ES350 (2009) is under recall for safety as it gas pedal is getting stuck in some cases. I had difficult time for Lexus to take care and to fix this problem. But I want to report that Lexus does still not own its responsibility. I had called Lexus on feb 19, 2010, to check on the status of the recall repair. I was told: "car is safe to drive and that 'it is not a safety recall." this was told to me repeatedly, even though I kept telling the Lexus person that their own website is saying contrary to her claim. I think it is very misleading --telling customers that vehicle is safe to drive; and this is not a safety recall but voluntary recall by the company. I have got my vehicle fixed. But I am surprised at the company's style of misleading customers.
Lexus es 350 had uncontrolled accelerator causing speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour until car was forced out of gear. Without attempts to accelerate the car took over and sped out of control. Cruise control was not engaged and brakes would not slow the vehicle. I called 911 and they told me to put the car in neutral which caused the rpms to race out of control. The car then went into reverse by itself until I slammed it into park. The dealer came and picked up the car as it was unsafe to drive. Fortunately this occurred on the freeway and I had room to maneuver and miss cars and obstacles. Had this occurred anywhere else I would be in the hospital.
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
Low-speed surging
The Agency received a petition on June 19, 2015, requesting an investigation into low-speed surging in different models of Toyota automobiles in which the car starts accelerating and the engine RPM increases even when the accelerator pedal is not depressed.The petition is based upon the petitioner's interpretation of pre-crash Event Data Recorder (EDR) data from a crash his wife experienced in a model year (MY) 2009…
Acceleration complaints in other ES350 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2009 Lexus ES350?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2009 Lexus ES350, 17% of the model year's 145 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 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 2009 Lexus ES350 acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 16,000 miles, and 61% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 11 crashes, 1 fire and 9 injuries and 4 deaths 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.