Action 9

Boone officer files complaint about Lexus SUVs after 8-car crash

BOONE, N.C. — Action 9 investigator Jason Stoogenke is looking into possible vehicle safety concerns and came across this new one: A police officer is asking the government to investigate Lexus SUVs after an eight-vehicle crash in Boone in April.

The officer believes the brake pedal failed and the SUV took off instead. He has filed a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

[Boone police officer files complaint]

Usually, drivers file the complaints, not law enforcement, but the officer worked the scene and wants to know if there's more to it.

The crash happened at the intersection of U.S. 421 and N.C. 194.

By the time the crash was over, a 2018 Lexus RX350 was on its side, and first responders soon surrounded the scene.

"I got kids that I keep with me all the time, and I'd hate to have my daughter with me when something like that happened,” said Joseph Norris, a driver in Boone.

The officer is asking the government if there is a widespread problem.

Stoogenke checked other NHTSA complaints and found a similar one filed two weeks ago on a 2016 Lexis GX460.

The driver in that case claimed the brake pedal was depressed, that the vehicle inadvertently accelerated and that he or she hit two parked vehicles.

Toyota, which makes Lexus, has dealt with unintended acceleration before.

Multiple deaths led to a recall and a $1.2 billion fine to the U.S. Department of justice in 2014.