Accelerator Stuck....help

[JPWilson]

Ok so went to a local Supermarket today and had a slightly horrific experience.

i stopped at a crossing and after it was safe to go i put my foot down a bit, the problem is the pedal seemed to get stuck and it just kept going into traffic at some lights.

i of course put my foot on the brake but it seemed really hard to push and only just stopped me, it seemed like the car had a ghost in it.

its an IS200 auto, 2001... i had to stop it and turn the ignition off and start it again.

i dont know if it was the mats that caused this or not.. if the pedal was stuck because of them would that make the brake pedal hard to push?

any advice would be appreciated, i dont want to smash the car or in fact hurt myself or anyone else... it scared the ***** out of me lol

cheers

John

[stevlee]

The only time it has ever happened to me what when I was viewing to buy an is300. I rev(ed) the accelerator to test the engine, and the pedal was stuck fast, luckily the car was still in Park mode, so immediate reaction was to turn it off. When I open the door and looked between the carpet and the accelerator, I noticed that the pedal was stuck on the carpet, the carpet was not oem, as it was just the regular rectangular shaped, but it was a thick good quality carpet. Maybe the thickness has something to do with it, or because it is not original, there was lots of movement for the carpet, and somehow I must have pushed it up and close to the accelerator to get stuck. Upon the test drive I removed the carpet and no more stuck accelerator :) but of course, I didn't buy the car after the fright !

So maybe try to remove the carpet as first step

[sjrainsford]

Under acceleration the force required to operate the brakes will be more as there is less vacuum so this effect will have been quite normal.

Definitely check your carpet. However, I hardly ever have to push my accelerator that far down during normal driving. I suppose it could have folder to the side a little and trapped it however.

Did the accelerator pedal actually stick down in position, or did the pedal return but the revs stayed high?

[JPWilson]

The pedal seemed to stay pressed down and the car carried on speeding up, this was done over a very short space of time as there were cars in front of me at traffic lights.

I think it may be the mat, it hasnt done it since and on inspection the floor seems to have two holes to clip in the mats but the mats only have one hole which doesnt even line up properly.

I think ill just check the mat is pulled back nicely before setting off and then getting new mats, best place to buy some mats other than eBay?

[Mr. Ski]

I has this also the other day,

And as you have mentioned, it was the pedal getting stuck behind the mat,

Very scary stuff tbh!!

[steve2006]

Another thing to check is to lift the bonnet and locate the throttle cable connection to the throttle body then get some one to press the pedal down and then release it while you check the movement of the cable.

The movement should be smooth and the pedal and throttle should move back to the idle position immediately the pedal is released.

There is a good chance if it was a one off occurance and as others have mentioned it was the mat fouling the pedal so either as you suggest buy some decent mats with the fastening holes present or make some holes to fit the existing clips.

If you need some mat fixing clips PM me as I have a set for free.

If it does happen again brake as hard as you can, the effect will be poor due to low vacuum already mentioned and you are fighting the engine power at the same time.

Slip into neutral and if necessary turn the ignition off to stop the engine but bear in mind without the engine running you will still need extra pressure on the brake pedal as there will now be no servo assistance.

Certainly a situation to get the adrenaline running!

[is200 Newbie]

I am pretty sure that i have read somewhere (possibly on this forum) that this was a recall by Lexus or a mod by them due to the car mats doing exactly what you have experienced.

[Rudderham]

i had this. at the back of the mat under the seat theres a bracket that the mat sits in. mine came off and the pedel stuck down i put it back on and never happen again. scary the first time it happen tho

[krisby1]

This happened to me in the wifes car last month, but the mat was not near the pedal, the pedal on our car doesn't even touch the mat. The pedal stuck down for a good few seconds before popping off itself again, by then I had turned the ignition off though. I warned the wife and told her to be careful, but she said she doesn't generally put her foot to the floor anyway.

Then, the week after it did happen to her, same thing, it stuck down after she floored it to get ahead of some ***** head, as she was slowing down to the side of the road the pedal popped off and back to normal of its own accord.

I've had a look and it appears all fine, but I did spray WD40 on the pedal shaft and let it seep through the firewall. Its not happened since but then I don't either of us have floored it.

It does appear to be a recall, or atleast something to do with the brake pedal sticking, I did email Lexus Twickenham, twice, but have not had a reply from them (so much for legendary customer service), so I will get wife to call them in a vulnerable and scared way.