Detroit, MIJust hours after a respected consumer magazine issued a damning report of a high-end Lexus SUV for rollover potential due to a faulty electronic stabilizer control system (ESC), Toyota announced it would voluntarily stop selling the 2010 Lexus GX 460 sport utility vehicle.
Toyota plans to conduct its own tests on the GX 460, which was updated and re-engineered for the 2010 model year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has also been in communication with both Lexus and Consumer Reports, which issued the safety warning on April 13, and nowhere in the agency's files are there any consumer complaints related to the vehicle at the center of the controversy.
The Lexus GX 460, a higher-end version of the popular Toyota 4Runner, has only been in dealer showrooms for about three months. Approximately 5000 units have been sold thus far.
Consumer Reports issued a rare "don't buy" warning after testing two separate Lexus GX 460 SUVs with a handful of professional drivers and found a recurring problem with the vehicle's ESC system. The latter is supposed to prevent a skid that could lead to a rollover hazard. In testing, Consumer Reports found that the ESC didn't kick in until the vehicle was already well into a sideways skid.
The handling problem arises if the driver of a Lexus GX 460 SUV eases off the accelerator while driving quickly through a sharp turn. That causes the rear end of the vehicle to slide toward the outside of the turn, a condition known as trailing throttle or lift-throttle oversteer.
The magazine tested dozens of competing SUVs and found their electronic stability control systems up to the task of stopping a slide before it had a chance to intensify. However, the ESC in the Lexus GX 460 failed to stop the vehicle until it was almost sideways, at which point it was too late to prevent a potential rollover.
David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports' auto test division, noted in the New York Times yesterday that while the "don't buy" designation is rare, it was no doubt necessary in this case. The litmus test, he said, was whether the testers would want their families in the vehicle. The answer was no. "I wouldn't want anybody else in it," said Champion.
The manufacturer took swift action without any prompting from federal officials. "We are taking the situation with the GX 460 very seriously and are determined to identify and correct the issue Consumer Reports identified," Mark Templin, the Lexus group vice president and general manager said in a statement.
Champion suspects the problem is with the calibration of the ESC.
Edmunds.com reported sales of 4,787 Lexus SUVs in the first quarter of the year. The GX 460 retails for around $52,800 with destination charges.