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Afternoon Update (4/14)
WASHINGTON (AP) - Toyota says it will temporarily stop selling the Lexus GX460 after Consumer Reports said the SUV carried an unusually high risk of a rollover accident during certain types of turns.
In the latest blow to Toyota's reputation, the Japanese automaker says it will suspend sales of the SUV while it conducts its own testing.
Consumer Reports says in handling tests the seven-seat SUV slid until it was nearly sideways before the electronic stability control system regained control.
The magazine says this could lead to a rollover accident in real-world driving. It gave the GX460 a rare "Don't Buy: Safety Risk" label until the problem is fixed.
Toyota has sold about 5,000 GX460s in the three months since it went on sale. It is not covered by Toyota's faulty gas-pedal recalls.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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Original Coverage
NEW YORK (AP) - Consumer Reports is urging readers not to buy the Lexus GX460, saying the SUV carries an unusually high risk of a rollover accident during certain types of turns.
In the latest blow to Toyota's reputation, the magazine says in handling tests, the seven-seat SUV slid until it was nearly sideways before the electronic stability control system regained control.
It says this could lead to a rollover accident in real-world driving and has given the GX460 a rare "Don't Buy: Safety Risk" label until the problem is fixed.
The magazine says among 95 SUVs tested, no other SUV slid as far as the GX460.
Toyota has sold about 5,000 GX460s in the three months since it went on sale. It is not covered by Toyota's faulty gas-pedal recalls.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
