HELP 08 IS350 Randomly Accelerating!
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 15
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From: ON
GiantsFan,
As we had been sitting at the stop for a bit and the lights were still red the moment I heard the engine rev up and the cars ahead of us were not moving I looked into the drivers side footwell (while shouting "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?").
I could see all of his foot - right to the toe of his shoe - on the brake pedal and saw him pushing it down hard. Pedal made it to the ground and then he went for the shifter, put it in park and then the engine died.
His foot was straight on and flat out on the brake and the engine was bouncing from the rev limiter until the transmission was out of gear.
I honestly would not have bothered anyone on this website had I thought he was heel-toeing at the red by accident.
I know a LOT about toyota/lexus vehicles and service and this was not typical behavior.
As we had been sitting at the stop for a bit and the lights were still red the moment I heard the engine rev up and the cars ahead of us were not moving I looked into the drivers side footwell (while shouting "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?").
I could see all of his foot - right to the toe of his shoe - on the brake pedal and saw him pushing it down hard. Pedal made it to the ground and then he went for the shifter, put it in park and then the engine died.
His foot was straight on and flat out on the brake and the engine was bouncing from the rev limiter until the transmission was out of gear.
I honestly would not have bothered anyone on this website had I thought he was heel-toeing at the red by accident.
I know a LOT about toyota/lexus vehicles and service and this was not typical behavior.
Last edited by athsndlvs; Jan 13, 2012 at 11:34 PM.
GiantsFan,
As we had been sitting at the stop for a bit and the lights were still red the moment I heard the engine rev up and the cars ahead of us were not moving I looked into the drivers side footwell (while shouting "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?").
I could see all of his foot - right to the toe of his shoe - on the brake pedal and saw him pushing it down hard. Pedal made it to the ground and then he went for the shifter, put it in park and then the engine died.
His foot was straight on and flat out on the brake and the engine was bouncing from the rev limiter until the transmission was out of gear.
I honestly would not have bothered anyone on this website had I thought he was heel-toeing at the red by accident.
I know a LOT about toyota/lexus vehicles and service and this was not typical behavior.
As we had been sitting at the stop for a bit and the lights were still red the moment I heard the engine rev up and the cars ahead of us were not moving I looked into the drivers side footwell (while shouting "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?").
I could see all of his foot - right to the toe of his shoe - on the brake pedal and saw him pushing it down hard. Pedal made it to the ground and then he went for the shifter, put it in park and then the engine died.
His foot was straight on and flat out on the brake and the engine was bouncing from the rev limiter until the transmission was out of gear.
I honestly would not have bothered anyone on this website had I thought he was heel-toeing at the red by accident.
I know a LOT about toyota/lexus vehicles and service and this was not typical behavior.
Bouncing off the rev limiter in drive? So were the tires smoking like crazy or was the trans slipping? I doubt the tires would be smoking, due to traction control not allowing this, and if the trans was slipping like crazy, there would be codes stored in the ecu to support that and a pan full of burnt fluid. This all sounds a bit off. I also find it pretty hard to believe that you say your dad experienced this twice prior, and never went to a dealer about it? Seems like something i would have called Lexus roadside immediately and had it towed to the dealer. Im a bit confused...
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 15
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From: ON
RTIS250,
First time it happened he chalked it up to actually stepping on both pedals and being new to the car.
Second time was just last week
Third time, tonight.
Yes the car was in drive, not S mode or neutral. Traction control was on and the PWR/ETC/SNOW rocker switch was in the center at ETC.
His foot was lightly holding the brake and we were fully stopped so he had no reason to press either the gas or brake harder, the light was still red we couldn't move anywhere.
His foot did not move but the accelerator shot up, and fast.
Having just experienced it the other week he knew to hit the brakes hard.
Once fully down on the brakes the revs were bouncing so he pulled it out of gear and the whole thing settled down.
I felt the car lurch forward and heard the rear tires start to light up but they didn't keep going once he was down on the brake pedal. It almost felt like one tire stopped before the other did. The trans may well have been slipping but this all happened REALLY FAST and the IS is very well insulated so I couldn't describe what the sounds were in great detail.
First time it happened he chalked it up to actually stepping on both pedals and being new to the car.
Second time was just last week
Third time, tonight.
Yes the car was in drive, not S mode or neutral. Traction control was on and the PWR/ETC/SNOW rocker switch was in the center at ETC.
His foot was lightly holding the brake and we were fully stopped so he had no reason to press either the gas or brake harder, the light was still red we couldn't move anywhere.
His foot did not move but the accelerator shot up, and fast.
Having just experienced it the other week he knew to hit the brakes hard.
Once fully down on the brakes the revs were bouncing so he pulled it out of gear and the whole thing settled down.
I felt the car lurch forward and heard the rear tires start to light up but they didn't keep going once he was down on the brake pedal. It almost felt like one tire stopped before the other did. The trans may well have been slipping but this all happened REALLY FAST and the IS is very well insulated so I couldn't describe what the sounds were in great detail.
Any known issues or TSIBs regarding the drive-by-wire system on these things?
What sucks is that unless the techs @ Lexus are able to reproduce this issue they'll probably end up not doing anything. Just like the knock/rattle at start-up issue.
What sucks is that unless the techs @ Lexus are able to reproduce this issue they'll probably end up not doing anything. Just like the knock/rattle at start-up issue.
^ I agree and it sucks. I myself left my car at their shop 4 days and nothing. This is even worse and I would drop off the car and leave it there for a month if thats what it takes.
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 15
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From: ON
As it stands now the assistant manager at my dealership has speculated that a throttle related component/sensor has failed and that the likelihood of anything happening again between now and Monday is fairly slim so we can keep driving it... 
Seeing as he has made note of it and we brought the car in if anything happens it's on them now.
Might setup a gopro to record all driving from here on out though...
He gave us the Monday 8am service appointment and promised a shuttle or a loaner car if they need to keep it.
What do you guys think we should be expecting out of the dealership on this?
Will they drain the transmission fluid and check if its burnt?
Will they have to inspect the clutch/torque converter for damage?
Seeing as he has made note of it and we brought the car in if anything happens it's on them now.
Might setup a gopro to record all driving from here on out though...
He gave us the Monday 8am service appointment and promised a shuttle or a loaner car if they need to keep it.
What do you guys think we should be expecting out of the dealership on this?
Will they drain the transmission fluid and check if its burnt?
Will they have to inspect the clutch/torque converter for damage?
Last edited by athsndlvs; Jan 14, 2012 at 01:43 PM.
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
From: ON
