There are 13 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2008 Lexus RXin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I put my 2008 Lexus in reverse and had my foot on the brakes the entire time as I was on an incline. Suddenly , without provocation, the car propelled backwards and as much as I pumped the brakes, the car continued to hurl backwards full speed. I crashed into another car in my driveway, and finally got the car to stop after suffering a lot of damage. Thank you.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS RX350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING AT UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE ERRONEOUSLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THEN INTO A TELEPHONE POLE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED CHEST AND KNEE INJURIES AND THE DRIVER OF THE SECOND VEHICLE SUSTAINED MULTIPLE FRACTURES. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS RX350. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE ENGINE RPMS INCREASED EXCESSIVELY AS THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE BRAKES FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THEN CRASHED INTO A POLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT WAS TRANSPORTED TO A HOSPITAL FOR TREATMENT OF CHEST AND LEGS INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DESTROYED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 69,000...UPDATED 12/03/13 *BF UPDATED 12/06/2013 *JS
UPON ENTERING A PARKING LOT AND TURNING SLOWLY INTO A VACANT SPOT THE CAR ACCELERATED REALLY FAST AND WOULDN'T STOP WHEN BRAKE PRESSED AS THE SPEED CAME TO HALT WHEN CRASHING VERY HARD INTO A BRICK WALL. BOTH AIR BAGS ON DRIVER SIDE DEPLOYED AND WERE SMOKING REALLY BAD. THE IMPACT TO MY KNEES AND FACE CAUSED TEMPORARY NUMBNESS FOR WHICH I COULDN'T FEEL MY LEGS OR MOVE. THE POLICE & PARAMEDICS WERE CALLED. THE ENTIRE FRONT END DO MY CAR WAS DAMAGED. RECENTLY PURCHASED USED IN MAY 2013. IT HAS BEEN TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP FOR INSPECTION UPCOMING MONDAY. I SUSPECT IT WILL BE TOTALED AND JUDGING BY THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS SIMILAR IN NATURE, THIS PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED AND RECALLED PRIOR TO BEING SOLD. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS RX8. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ENTERING A PARKING SPACE, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A WALL. THERE WAS EXTENSIVE FRONT END DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. NO ONE WAS INJURED AND THE POLICE WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTO BODY SHOP FOR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED WHO ADVISED THAT THE INVESTIGATION OF THE FAILURE WOULD TAKE THIRTY DAYS TO COMPLETE. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WAS GIVEN BACK TO HER AFTER THE BODY DAMAGE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE MEMORY CARD THAT WAS RETRIEVED WAS NOT INSPECTED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE ACCELERATION FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.
WHEN I SET THE CRUISE CONTROL WHILE DRIVING THE DISPLAY ON THE DASH INDICATING MPG, CURRENT MPG, AVERAGE SPEED, ETC. GOES BLAND. THE DEALER SAID HE CANNOT FIX THIS PROBLEM AS THERE APPEARS TO BE A "BUG" IN THE ELECTRONICS. *TR
RX350 LEXUS, I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN SURGE IN RPMS WHILE TRAVELING DOWNHILL. RPMS SURGED 1000 IN SECONDS AND DROPPED BACK DOWN. HAS HAPPENED TWICE IN PAST 4 WEEKS. SCARY, PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS PEOPLE ALL OVER INTERNET ARE REPORTING SAME PROBLEM. LEXUS SERVICE COULD NOT REPLICATE AND SAID NOTHING IS WRONG!
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS RX350. UPON PLACING THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE, IT IMMEDIATELY BOLTED IN REVERSE OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY. AT SPEEDS OF 40-45 MPH. THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, BUT WITH NO EFFECT. IN AN ATTEMPT TO SHIFT TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL , THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED INTO DRIVE AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO INVOLUNTARILY ACCELERATE LEAVING THE DRIVER NO CHOICE, BUT TO CRASH INTO A TREE. THE POLICE AND AMBULANCE WERE CALLED TO THE SCENE. THE CONSUMER SUSTAINED INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. UPDATED 11/16/10
2008 LEXUS RX 350 WITH SEVERAL PROBLEMS INCLUDING STICKY ACCELERATOR WHICH CAUSED HESITATION AND THEN A SURGE AND RELATED SENSOR PROBLEM. CONSUMER STATED THAT THE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD. WHEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER, THE WARNING LIGHTS WENT OFF. *KB THERE WAS A LOOSE WIRE BETWEEN E5-A12 PIN AND GENERAL INSTABILITY WITH SENSORS AND VARIOUS TROUBLE LIGHTS INCLUDING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, VSC AND LOSS OF CRUISE CONTROL. A CODE DIAGNOSED A PROBLEM AS ACCELERATION POSITION SENSOR SWITCH MALFUNCTION, WHICH SEEMED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE WARNING LIGHTS FOR THE CHECK ENGINE, VSC AND SKID. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND SIGNIFICANT USE OF THE ACCELERATOR WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH. *JB
ACCELERATOR STICKS. I HAD A 2002 LEXUS RX300 AND THE ACCELERATOR KEPT STICKING . I TOOK IT TO THE AUSTIN TX LEXUS DEALER IN SPRING 2008 AND REPORTED IT. THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. I SOLD THE CAR AND BOUGHT A NEW 2008 RX350 AND IT DOES THE SAME THING. SO LEXUS HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR A LONG LONG TIME AND THAT MAKES ME MAD FOR THEM TO KNOWNINGLY JEOPARDIZING MY SAFETY. TW*
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS RX350. HE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION TWICE WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO STOP AT AN INTERSECTION AND AGAIN WHEN HE TRIED TO PARK. DURING BOTH INCIDENTS HIS FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE PEDAL; HOWEVER, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STUCK, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE AND IT FAILED TO STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO LOCATE THE FAILURE. A REPORT WAS FILED WITH THE MANUFACTURER WHO STATED THAT SOMEONE WOULD CONTACT HIM. THE CURRENT AND THE FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 19, 700.
AS I PUT THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE, IT RAPIDLY AND SUDDENLY ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL AND HIT A LIGHT POST. TRYING TO REGAIN CONTROL, I PUT ON THE BRAKE AND SHIFTED TO DRIVE, WHERE IT SUDDENLY AND VERY RAPIDLY SPED FORWARD AND HIT A FENCE BEFORE I COULD STOP THE VEHICLE. WHEN THIS OCCURRED, THE COUPLE I WAS DINING WITH HEARD THE CAR BACKFIRE TWICE WHICH CAUGHT THEIR ATTENTION. I COULD NOT HEAR THE BACKFIRE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE ACCELERATION WAS EXTREMELY RAPID AND DANGEROUS. THE VEHICLE DID THIS ON ITS OWN. THIS IS NOT A CASE OF WHERE I ACCIDENTALLY HIT THE GAS PEDAL INSTEAD OF THE BRAKE. IN THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION, NO ONE WAS HURT, AND THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS MINOR SCRATCHES. HOWEVER, AS YOU MIGHT SURMISE, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS AND DEADLY SITUATION HAD SOMEONE BEEN IN THE PATH OF THE CAR. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO WESTSIDE LEXUS TO CHECK ON 5.13.2008. THEY WERE UNABLE TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM AND SAID THE VEHICLE WAS SAFE TO DRIVE. *TR
VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN BY DENICA GORDON-MANDEL (WIFE). DRIVER WAS ON TOP FLOOR OF A PARKING GARAGE ADJOINING A DEPARTMENT STORE. DRIVER APPLIED GAS TO PULL INTO PARKING SPACE, THEN DRIVER APPLIED BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN, THEN DRIVER TOOK FOOT OFF BRAKE. CAR LURCHED FORWARD AND SLAMMED INTO WALL OF PARKING STRUCTURE. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026