Rollover danger this time. Toyota suspends sales of Lexus GX 460 after rollover warning - Apr. 13, 2010 NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Toyota asked dealers to temporarily suspend sales of the new 2010 Lexus GX 460 after Consumer Reports issued a safety warning on the SUV. "We are taking the situation with the GX 460 very seriously and are determined to identify and correct the issue Consumer Reports identified," said Mark Templin, Lexus Group vice president and general manager, in a prepared statement. Earlier on Tuesday the magazine said there was an increased risk of rollover during a turn, a problem it uncovered during routine tests. It urged car shoppers not to buy the GX 460 until the problem is remedied. The special designation given to the GX 460 by Consumer Reports -- "Don't Buy: Safety Risk" -- is rarely given by the magazine. The last time it was used was in 2001, on the Mitsubishi Montero Limited. About 5,000 GX 460s have been sold in the roughly three months the model has been on sale, the magazine said. It advises current owners of this vehicle to approach exit ramps with caution, and to call Toyota demanding a fix for the problem. Toyota said earlier the GX 460 "meets or exceeds all federal government testing requirements."
Evil Toyota Now, those mighty watch dogs at Consumer Reports have filed a "Do Not Buy-Unsafe!" tag on the Lexus GX460 SUV. Toyota suspends sales of Lexus GX 460 after 'CR' report - Drive On: A conversation about the cars and trucks we drive - USATODAY.com It seems that the CR testing says the SUV will come too far around in a spinning skid before the nanny stabilization system kicks in, which could result in a roll over crash. Also noted in the article was the added knife twisting that the sudden acceleration recall wouldn't fix this latest transgression...... Once you get knocked down, they all want to kick ya.
Re: Evil Toyota A bigger question is why does it take a magazine to show this problem. Obviously there is something there or Toyota certainly would not suspend sales of the vehicle. I have to admit I am becoming somewhat concerned about the competence of Toyota both to properly test new cars and to handle public relations when something goes wrong. I think they have caught a case of GM disease.
Arrogance, its simply arrogance, all they have to do is put out a vehicle, and Toyota zombies will buy it and defend it and Toyota.
I think it interesting that the Lexus is based on the Toyota Rav4 ... Consumer Reports tested the Rav4, and it did not exhibit the same problems.
I always thought the GX was based on the toyota land cruiser. If it is based on the Rav-4 it's obvious they made the GX too top heavy. The roof line is way too high and the body is on the skinnier side. Toyota needs to fix their quality control system they have in place. I expected Toyota to stumble when it grew so fast. This is something that should not have slipped by. The GX should have been tested better. Toyota has plenty of test facilities. I hope that toyota didnt see the problem and decide to release it anyway. Toyota does not need to piss of the luxury car market/buyers. They tend to leave and won't come back for years. Ask Audi( which finally regain a good foot hold since their problems in the early 90's), Cadillac(problems in the 90's), and Lincoln is still trying to recover it's base.
Re: Evil Toyota I disagree Beauregard. Consumer Reports (CR) is a good, non-profit organization with a history of very rational testing process on the automobiles. If the GX 460 exhibited the symptoms as highlighted by CR, they are incredibly serious. CR does not have any political hack to grind between automakers. They purchase all vehicles independently, test them independently, and even enlist universities and other technical institutions as required as part of the tests. Reliability feedback comes from their readers/subscribers. They do not accept any advertisements nor do they allow anyone to use their logo to promote any products. Here's some background on CR if interested: About us
It looked like it did pretty well to me. In the video they had the vehicle almost completely sideways and it did NOT roll over. Good job Lexus!
So they're doing the right thing rather than get mad and suing CR over it like Suzuki did when its Samurai SUV got the "Don't Buy" tag.
Re: Evil Toyota If not for all the otehr Toyota recalls, I wonder if they would have slapped a "recommended" rating on the car before testing it thoroughly (as they have other Toyota models before the recall).
Re: Evil Toyota If all that FUD is what it takes to wake people up to the fact that no manufacturer is perfect and just because it has a certain name slapped on its side, does not mean that it was engineered well. I am kind of happy that it came from CR and not the US gov't because then every toyota apologist would be screaming it's a plot by "government motors". I watched the video and given the speed of the GX (which looked to be about 25-30 mph) given maybe 5 more mph it would've flipped. There are plenty of off ramps I encounter that have harder turns that would have flipped that GX at 25 mph (if anyone has gotten off the merrick parkway in CT knows exactly what I am talking about).
Re: Evil Toyota I'm a subscriber, but I have been concerned with their reliability feedback on cars for decades. I remember the reliability rating on my 81 Pontiac Grand Prix, giving the engine a "much worse than average" rating. At the same time, the Buick Regal's engine got an "average." Only problem was that all of the GP's v-6 engines that year were made by Buick. I just took the survey coincidentally this morning. Its not very scientific. As for their testing and reviews, the biases of the reviewers show. If its a Honda or Accura its perfect. If it has a traditional road cruiser feel, its awful. I was surprised to see that the AP story actually mentioned what CR forgot to mention, that the 2001 Mitsubishi Montego that they last rated as a "Don't Buy" was denied by Mitsubishi and not verified by NHTSA. The Montero was not changed through its demise in 2007. It had fewer complaints for rollovers than other similar SUVs. I guarantee after watching the video, that if either my old 89 Jeep Cherokee or my current 01 Chevy Blazer were put through the same test, they would have rolled over. No doubt about it. Of course, my Blazer manual points out that I can go a lot of places with it that I can't go with a sports car. When it comes to an SUV, it may look big and strong and safe, but they aren't. For most people, IMO, all SUVs should have a Don't Buy rating. That doesn't mean that they're wrong about the Lexus GX 460, although I've been unable to figure out why the Toyota 4 Runner doesn't have the same problem. TMC is taking it seriously and that's a good thing.
This all smells like an American conspiracy to me...Isn't the Consumer Reports an American consumer reporting company...The 500 new owners haven't reported any problems...I haven't heard any 911 calls...Sounds pretty suspicious to me...I haven't heard anything from Japan or Europe..How come when the Japanese Consumer Report took the drive test, it past with flying colors and now this...I've been driving my Toyota now for 6 months...It drives like I'm driving on air..It just does'nt make any sense to me...Don't believe what you're reading people,its all a ploy of the American Gov't with their fingers on the media button.Besides isn't the Consumer Reports known for testing toasters. OOPS ! I think since I hit a 6 month ownership of a Toyota, I hit a Toyota shill loyalty spasm. T-O-Y-O-T-A = Today-Only-You-Occasionally-Tipped-Aside
No ... I do not think so. Pick up the 2010 auto mag and you will see that slam US products pretty hard. BTW, I mis-stated the Lexus was based on the RAV 4 ... it is the 4 Runner. Sorry.
Re: Evil Toyota You make me laugh...Maybe you should put your phone # down..so when you get it all figured out ..Toyota and the press can call you on it.
Bah, I won't get upset over a unsightly land-barge getting some heat! CR should slap a "DON'T BUY - YOU ARE PROVING YOU ARE A SELF-CENTERED IDIOT WITH A TINY PENIS!" label on all these pigs!
Re: Evil Toyota You bring up a good question about the speed- it would be nice to know. While it looked like 25-30 mph in the slow motion segment, the opening shot looked faster to me. They also noted that the problem was the potential for rolling over if during the slide you hit a curb or went off the pavement. CR did say that you should be okay if you follow the speed limit on twisting roads and exiting the highway and look out for road hazards. Hate to say it but that sounds like what a responsible driver would do anyway.
