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
When parking the car at a shopping mall, the car suddenly accelerated and jumped the curb. It finally stopped when it hit a stopped bus. Two teenage passengers were in the vehicle. The driver does not believe the accelerator was pressed enough to cause the vehicle to accelerate in the manner it did.
Without warning, the vehicle stopped accelerating as I was driving so I pulled off the road onto the shoulder. Once the car stopped, smoke began to come through the vents so I exited the vehicle. Several minutes later I could see flames coming from under the hood. Before the fire department could make it to the scene, the entire front end of the car burned completely. The fire department said they were going to classify it as a "mechanical failure".
The contact owns a 2012 Lexus IS250. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the brake inadvertently activated without the brake pedal being depressed. The vehicle also experienced unintended acceleration without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The contact indicated that the failure occurred after the cell phone was hacked and was concern the vehicle security was also compromised and hacked. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 137,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Lexus IS 250. The contact stated when attempting to shift into reverse and engage the brakes, the vehicle failed to stop and the contact had to shift into park. The failure occurred more than once. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 17,000. The consumer stated when she stepped on the brake to start the vehicle and put the gear in reverse, the vehicle lurched backwards as she lifted her foot off the brake. She was unable to stop the vehicle with the brake. She threw the vehicle into park and turned it off. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where they kept it overnight and ran performance checks. They did not find anything wrong and said it could have been the weather mat that was on top of the Lexus carpet mat. …
I was driving my vehicle and the vehicle 3 car lengths ahead of me put on his brakes and when I went to put on my brakes my car continued to accelerate and I had no control of the braking and ran into the back of the vehicle. My airbags failed to deploy- my car was a complete loss to the front end ($17,000.00) and the insurance appraiser,body shop, police officer, towing company were stunned that the airbags failed to deploy do to the severity of impact and damage.
Car suddenly lurched forward (while my foot was on the brake approaching a stop sign) and struck the vehicle in front of me on January 6, 2012. This problem occurred again in December 2012 and January 2013, I.e., car lurched forward while driver's foot was on the brake while approaching a stop light/sign. The latter incidents did not result in any accident or injury.
Tl* the contact was driving a loaner 2010 Lexus is250. The contact was applying the brakes from approximately 5 MPH when the vehicle abnormally accelerated and hit a school bus. The contact shifted the vehicle into park to stop the vehicle. A police report was filed but no injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The failure mileage was 6,800 and the current mileage was unknown. Updated 03/29/11 the consumer stated there was no damage to the loaner vehicle or the bus, only a bent license plate. Updated 08/19/11
I was turning into a 10 feet deep strip parking lot and the Lexus is250 (2010) I was driving suddenly accelerated and crashed into a parked car. I do not recall either stepping on the accelerator or the brake. The distance from turning into the parking lot and the car I hit was approximately 5 feet. I did not have time to react. The airbags opened and the front was massively damaged.
Related recalls (1)
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
On certain passenger vehicles, there is a possibility that the accelerator pedal May temporarily become stuck in the partially depressed position due to inadequate clearance between the accelerator pedal linkage and a plastic pad embedded into the vehicle's carpet.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the clearance of the acceleration pedal and carpet, replace the pedal assembly with a revised assembly, and modify the carpet free of charge. The recall began on December 27, 2005.
Frequently asked questions
Which Lexus IS 250 years have acceleration problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2007 (22), 2006 (18), 2008 (12) and 2009 (6) model years. Acceleration complaints make up 10% of all complaints for the 2007.
Is there a recall for Lexus IS 250 acceleration problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 05V-565 (accelerator pedal, Dec 19, 2005). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Lexus IS 250 acceleration problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 26,000 miles; 80% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the accelerator pedal (11 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.