Consumer Reports Lifts ‘Don't Buy' Label on Lexus SUV

WASHINGTON - Consumer Reports magazine lifted its “safety risk” designation from the 2010 Lexus GX 460 SUV and said updated software developed by Toyota Motor Corp. fixed stability failures, reported Bloomberg. The publication said in a notice April 12 that the Lexus model had almost slid out of control during an emergency maneuver test. The model was retested after a Lexus dealer installed new software during a subsequent recall. Testers “did not experience any safety concerns with the corrected GX 460,” the magazine said today in a statement. “Recall work corrected the problem” the SUV displayed in testing. Toyota recalled the GX 460 on April 19, seven days after Consumer Reports issued the “Don't Buy: Safety Risk” designation. The company's action targeted about 13,000 GX 460s worldwide, including 9,400 in the United States. Toyota suspended sales of the model on April 14. Lexus sold 18,359 U.S. vehicles in April, pushing its four-month total to 67,882, up 21 percent from the same months last year. Toyota is working to repair its image after recalling more than 8 million vehicles worldwide for defects related to unintended acceleration. “At least the GX 460 is a car they don't sell many of, and at least they were able to fix it quickly,” said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst at IHS Global Insight. The SUV returned to the market after engineers identified and updated the electronic system that helps control the vehicle, Toyota said April 29. Consumer Reports said Lexus had developed the upgrade for the vehicle's electronic stability control system to prevent over-steering. “We were able to identify and address the issue in just about two weeks,” said Mark Templin, Lexus group vice president, in an e-mailed statement. An estimated 75 percent of GX vehicles have been updated after dealers contacted the owners, he said. Even with the corrected software, the GX 460's handling is “ponderous and ungainly, as is common with traditional body-on- frame SUVs,” Consumer Reports said.