What 78 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Lexus Rx350l

I was just driving regular and the rx350 started to jerk and apply the breaks by itself and slip and go side ways and the car behind me almost hit me because my Lexus started to stop hard and fast .im pressing the gas but it’s not accelerating.the engine wanted to stop and very dangerous I’m scared to even drive the vehicle.i am the 3rd owner and now i know why the otheer people don’t want it .there is a recall for that problem but im new to the car recalls so im not to shure what to do to get the car repaired .i would like this fix especially because it is a recall .thanks

NHTSA ODI 11718143

There seems to be a barking noise when pressing the brakes even when engine is not on. Local shop could not diagnose the issue. I heard this could be the regenerative system that is expensive to repair. Braking seems ok but I am concerned as I thought there were some recalls on brake booster for this year but they say not on my car.

NHTSA ODI 11462173

USE HANDBRAKE EVERY TIME. THERE WILL BE AN EXPLOSION SOUND FROM THE BACK WHEN I RELEASE MY FOOT. THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN THIS PROBLEM. I THINK IT IS A DESIGN FLAW. I TRY TO CHANGE THE BRAKE PADS. IT HAS NO EFFECT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11328634

VEHICICLE SHOT FORWARD GAINING SPEED WITH BRAKES FULLY APPLIED WHCH DID NOT ENGAGE THE BRAKE OVERRIDE OF ACCELERATION. RAN THROUGH THE GARAGE DOOR GAINING SPEED THEN COLLIDED WITH THE GARAGE BACK WALL. THERE WAS NO CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE ADJACENT KITCHEN WALL COLLAPSED WHICH MOVED THE REFRIGERATOR FORWARD TRAPPING OUR TWO FRIENDS BETWEEN IT AND THE KITCHEN CABINETS ON THE PARALLEL WALL. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY EVEN THOUGH THE BLACK BOX INDICATED THE CAR HIT THE GARAGE WALL AT ABOUT 17 MPH. BLACK BOX SHOWED FULL THROTTLE AND TOTAL APPLICATION OF BRAKES. CAR WAS TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL AND PRODUCED HORRIFYING RESULTS. ONE OF OUR FRIENDS LAPSED INTO A COMA THAT NIGHT AND WAS TAKEN OFF LIFE SUPPORT A WEEK LATER. THE OTHER FRIEND IS IN REHAB AFTER SUFFERING A BROKEN FEMUR, A BROKEN PELVIS, AND SEVERAL BROKEN RIBS. THERE IS NO DOUBT IN OUR MINDS THAT THE CAR WAS AT FAULT AND HAVE NOTED THAT MANY LEXUS VEHICLES HAVE EXPERIENCED WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED IS SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. THE FACT THAT THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND AT A SPEED EXCEEDING THE NHTSA STANDARDS IS ANOTHER SERIOUS ISSUE WITH THE LEXUS. WE ARE HORRIFIED ABOUT THIS EVENT THAT HAS HAD SUCH TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES. PLEASE NOTE THIS OCCURED IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD.

NHTSA ODI 11139529

2013 LEXUS R-350. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE SUDDEN ACCELERATION AND BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE ACCIDENT. *SMD *TR

NHTSA ODI 10919473

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY AND AROUND TOWN THE BRAKE MALFUNCTION MESSAGE COMES ON AND THE BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATES ALONG WITH THE ABS LIGHT AND THE VEHICLE STABILITY CONTROL LIGHT AND THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT. DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE C1428 IS STORED IN THE VEHICLE SELF-DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM. THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT SIX TIMES IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS.

NHTSA ODI 11065603

RECALL FORM ABS BRAKE MALFUNCTION/ACCUATOR ISSUE WAS CORRECTED PRIOR TO MY OWNING THE VEHICLE. THE SAME ISSUE OCCURRED TODAY WITH THE LIGHTS ILLUMINATING STATING "BRAKE FAILURE" "CHECK BRAKES". APPEARS TO BE A KNOWN ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11051660

BRAKE FAILURE LIGHT CAME ON "CHECK BRAKES" KNOWN ISSUE WITH LEXUS. RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE AND IT WAS REPAIRED IN 2015 PRIOR TO MY OWNING THE VEHICLE

NHTSA ODI 11051661

ON THE GARAGE DRIVEWAY, SUDDENLY MY CAR ACCELERATED IN THE REVERSE GEAR AND COULD NOT BE STOPPED EVEN AFTER PRESSING THE BRAKE. THE CAR COMPLETELY WENT OUT OF CONTROL IN THE REVERSE AND CRASHED INTO MY BACKYARD FENCE, PLOWED THROUGH IT AND FINALLY CAME TO A STOP AFTER HITTING MY RAISED PATIO!

NHTSA ODI 10897034

I HAD BRAKED TO A STOP ON A CITY STREET IN BUMPER-TO-BUMPER TRAFFIC THAT WAS STOPPED FOR A RED LIGHT. SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY, MY CAR ACCELERATED FORWARD THOUGH MY FOOT WAS STILL ON THE BRAKE. IT MADE A NOISE LIKE THE ENGINE WAS ACCELERATING. MY CAR LURCHED FORWARD AND STRUCK THE CAR IN FRONT. AS HE MOVED FORWARD, MY CAR AGAIN STRUCK IT. I HAD TO PUT MY CAR IN PARKING GEAR TO GET IT TO STOP MOVING. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE LEXUS DEALER. THEY CHECKED AND SAID THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG AND THEY COULDN'T REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. I ASKED THEM TO CHECK THE EVENT DATA RECORDER THAT I HAD READ ABOUT ONLINE. THEY SAID THE CAR HAD NO SUCH THING. NOBODY SHOULD DRIVE THIS CAR - SOMEBODY COULD GET HURT BADLY IF THAT UNINTENDED ACCELERATION HAPPENS AGAIN. I LEASE THIS CAR AND WILL TERMINATE THE LEASE. I HOPE WHOEVER THINKS OF BUYING THIS CAR WILL SEE THIS REPORT AND STAY AWAY FROM IT. IT IS UNSAFE.

NHTSA ODI 10819572

APPLIED BRAKES TO SLOW VEHICLE COMING TO A STOP SIGN, THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP AND THE BRAKE PEDAL FELT LIKE THE TRACTION CONTROL ENGAGED, THE BRAKE RESISTED AND MADE A GRINDING NOISE, THE CAR FINALLY STOPPED,THERE WERE NO LIGHT INDICATORS ON THE DASH. I CONTINUED FOR ABOUT 1/4 MILE WITH 2 MORE STOP SIGNS WITH NO INCIDENT, ON THE 3RD STOP ( AT MY DESTINATION) THE CAR AGAIN WOULD NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP FOR ABOUT 30 FEET, NO DASH LIGHT INDICATORS, THE BRAKE RESISTED AGAIN. I HAVE NOT DRIVEN THE CAR SINCE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10680894

THE CAR WAS PARKED ON A FLAT SURFACE ON THE TOP OF A DRIVEWAY THAT GOES DOWNHILL. THE CAR WAS TURNED ON AND WHEN THE PARKING BRAKE WAS RELEASED, THE CAR IMMEDIATELY SHOT DOWN THE HILL LIKE A BULLET AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE BRAKES DID NOT STOP OR SLOW DOWN THE CAR. WE WENT THROUGH 3 FENCES BEFORE THE CAR WAS FINALLY STOPPED BY THE THIRD FENCE. THE CAR HAD 4 PASSENGERS IN IT. THE PASSENGERS ON THE RIGHT PASSENGER SIDE, BOTH FRONT AND REAR, SUSTAINED THE MOST INJURIES. NONE OF THE 10 AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10644866

THE ENTIRE BODY OF THE CAR SHOOK WHEN I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE. I HAVE BEEN NOTICING IT BEFORE AND IT WAS MORE SUBTLE BUT THIS TIME IT WAS NOT. I'VE ALSO NOTICED THAT SOMETIMES I WAS NOT SURE IF THE BRAKES WOULD STOP THE CAR IN TIME. AFTER THAT TRIP I FOUND OUT ABOUT THE RECALL SO I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO BE SERVICED AND MENTIONED MY EXPERIENCE. THEY UPGRADED THE SOFTWARE FOR THE SAFETY RECALL AND TEST DROVE MY VEHICLE FOR THE COMPLAINT AND FOUND OUT A MANUFACTURING ISSUE WITH THE ROTOR OF THE BRAKES. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10593613

WAS DRIVING IN SNOW 10 MPH WHEN ANTILOCK BRAKES QUIT WORKING. LEXUS SAID IT WAS THE BRAKER ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY. *TR ## VIN FAILED ##

NHTSA ODI 10502685

I WAS DRIVING ON I-59 NORTH WITH WIFE AS PASSENGER WITH RADAR CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 70 MPH APPROACHING DEPARTURE EXIT. I TAPPED THE BRAKE PEDAL TO RELEASE THE CC AND IT DID NOT RELEASE. THINKING I HAD NOT TAPPED IT HARD ENOUGH, I MADE THE TURN AND TAPPED THE BRAKE PEDAL HARDER. THE CC DID NOT RELEASE. I APPLIED THE BRAKES WITH FULL FORCE. THE ENGINE RACED TO SATISFY THE CC AND THE SPEED WAS 69 MPH GOING INTO THE EXIT. MY FOCUS WAS STEERING THE VEHICLE TO AVOID OBJECTS AND TRAFFIC. WE CRASHED ACROSS A FOUR LANE CONCRETE CURBED BOULEVARD AND INTO A CHAIN-LINK FENCE. I STEERED DOWN A FRONTAGE ROAD AND BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A STOP. THIS WAS A 30 SECOND + EVENT. THE BLACK BOX CAPTURED 9.5 SECONDS OF INFORMATION. LEXUS DOWNLOADED THE BLACK BOX AND I REQUESTED A COPY OF THE INFORMATION WHICH THEY DID FURNISH ON A THUMB DRIVE. THEY IMMEDIATELY ERASED ALL EVIDENCE OF THE CRASH FROM THE VEHICLE DATA RECORDER AND PROCLAIMED THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. THE THUMB DRIVE DATA CLEARLY DISPLAYS THAT THE CAR WAS TRAVELING 69 MPH ON THE DATA RECORDER. IT ALSO SHOWS THAT THE CC DROPPED OUT DURING THE CRASH. I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOYOTA LEGAL IN TORRANCE, CA, INDICATING THAT THEIR REVIEW OF THE VEHICLE FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH IT AND THE CASE WAS CLOSED. THE BODY SHOP REPAIRS WERE $16K PLUS THE DEPRECIATED VALUE OF THE VEHICLE IS $11K. NALLEY LEXUS GALLERIA, SMYRNA, GA, WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, DEFERS ALL COMMUNICATIONS TO TOYOTA. I HAVE BEEN A TOYOTA CUSTOMER SINCE 1990 AND THIS HAS BEEN MY THIRD LEXUS RX. BITTER SWEET END! MB

NHTSA ODI 10502982