The American magazine Consumer Reports, whose strict evaluations of various products, including automobiles, serve as a guide for consumers, has issued a rare ‘Do Not Buy’ warning for Toyota’s luxury SUV ‘lexus GX’ 460 due to rollover dangers identified during routine testing.
In the latest blow to Toyota’s reputation, the magazine states that during vehicle testing, during sudden turns, the rear end swayed so much that the vehicle slid sideways before the stability control mechanism engaged, AP reported on Tuesday. Consumer Reports concluded that in real-world driving, such a scenario could cause the vehicle to roll over, and therefore the magazine issued a ‘Do Not Buy: Safety Risk’ warning for the ‘lexus GX’ 460 until the defect is remedied.
‘In a real situation, when this happens, the car could hit the curb and roll over,’ said Gabriel Shenhar, a vehicle testing engineer at Consumer Reports, one of four testers who experienced the issue. Consumer Reports notes that the last vehicle to receive such a warning was the ‘mitsubishi montero limited’ in 2001. Among the 95 SUVs evaluated by the magazine, none slide as much as the ‘lexus GX’ 460. Toyota stated that it is concerned about this report and that its engineers will attempt to replicate the magazine’s tests to determine further steps. Toyota emphasized that its 2010 model met or exceeded all testing requirements by federal authorities.
