2008 Lexus RX350

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

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 LEXUS RX350. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN DRAGGING AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 50 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER AND SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE WHEEL ASSEMBLY. THE BRAKES LOCKED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND DROVE NORMALLY FOR 5 MILES. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE OR DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 13,000.

I AM WRITING TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION A VERY SERIOUS AND TROUBLING INCIDENT THAT RECENTLY OCCURRED WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY BRAND NEW LEXUS RX350. IT IS NO EXAGGERATION TO SAY THAT MY PASSENGER AND I WERE EXTREMELY LUCKY TO NOT HAVE INCURRED SERIOUS INJURY, OR EVEN DEATH. WHILE DRIVING ON A VERY BUSY HIGHWAY, A DEFECT IN THE LEFT FRONT (DRIVER'S SIDE) GLASS CAUSED AN EXPLOSION THAT COULD HAVE LED TO VERY DIRE CONSEQUENCES. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AT AROUND 10:30 AM ON JULY 27, 2007 WHILE WE WERE TRAVELING NORTHBOUND ON I-95 IN FLORIDA. WE WERE A SHORT DISTANCE NORTH OF EXIT 289 (WHERE WE ENTERED THE HIGHWAY) MOVING AT A NORMAL HIGHWAY RATE OF SPEED. WE WERE TRAVELING IN THE RIGHT LANE. SUDDENLY I HEARD WHAT SOUNDED LIKE AN EXPLOSION! I LOOKED TO SEE WHERE THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM (MY LEFT) AND FOUND THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW EXPANDED OUTWARD. IT ALMOST APPEARED LIKE A BUBBLE THAT WAS BLOWING OUT FROM THE SIDE OF THE CAR. THE GLASS THEN SHATTERED IN A SPIDER WEB FASHION THE GLASS BEGAN TO BREAK, FALLING BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE CAR. ONCE STOPPED, I REALIZED THAT GLASS WAS COVERING ME FROM HEAD TO TOE. THERE WERE SEVERAL CUTS AND SCRAPES ON MY ARMS AND LEGS FROM THE SHATTERED GLASS. GLASS WAS IN MY HAIR, FELL DOWN MY NECK AND MANAGED TO MAKE ITS WAY INTO MY SHIRT. MY BROTHER, WHO WAS TRAVELING WITH ME, TRIED TO HELP ME BY REMOVING SOME OF THE GLASS, CUTTING HIS OWN FINGERS IN THE PROCESS. WHEREAS MY CAR HAD, PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, BEEN IN NEW CONDITION, IT WAS NOW SCRATCHED AND GOUGED ON BOTH DRIVER'S SIDE DOORS. THE SCRATCHES ON THE OUTSIDE OF BOTH DOORS. THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL GOUGES ON THE INTERIOR PLASTIC PANELS ALONG THE LEFT (DRIVER'S) SIDE OF THE CAR (DOORS AND PILLARS). *TR THE CONSUMER PROVIDED A INSURANCE CLAIM REPORT AND VARIOUS INTERNET ARTICLES PERTAINING TO THE DEFECT. UPDATED 09/19/07 *TR