Toyota halts sales of Lexus GX460
April 13th, 2010
GX460
Toyota has suspended sales of the 2010 Lexus GX460 following a report from Consumer Reports that called the luxury SUV a safety risk. The publication recommended consumers avoid buying the vehicle until the problem is fixed.
The 2010 GX460 received the designation following testing at a Connecticut track. Consumer Reports said the GX’s rear end “slid out until the vehicle was almost sideways before the electronic stability control system was able to regain control. In real-world driving, that situation could lead to a rollover accident, which could cause serious injury or death.”
Consumer Reports noted that no other SUV had slid as far in recent testing.
The GX460, which has a base price just over $50,000, is the mid-range member of Lexus’ light truck line. It is produced at the Tahara plant in Japan. Toyota has sold 4,787 GX460s during the first three months of 2010.
The new GX is the first vehicle Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, has labled a safety risk since the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero.
“We are taking the situation with the GX 460 very seriously and are determined to identify and correct the issue Consumer Reports identified,” Lexus Group Vice President Mark Templin said in a statement. In the same statement Templin said the company has asked its dealers to suspend sales of the GX and will provide loaner vehicles upon request to consumers who have already purchased a GX460.
This is the latest blow to Toyota’s image and it’s especially troublesome; Consumer Reports’ past recommendations have been one of the foundations of the Japanese automaker’s reputation for quality.
LINK:
Toyota halts sales of Lexus GX460 | Allpar Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep News
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