California Injury Lawyer Blog

After Consumer Reports magazine issued a rare "Don't Buy: Safety Risk" warning on the Lexus GX460 SUV, Toyota says it will stop selling the vehicle to conduct its own testing about the safety of the vehicle. According to Consumer Reports, the seven seat SUV did not handle well in safety tests, and slid until it was nearly sideways before the electronic stability control system regained control. Consumer Reports said, "When pushed to its limits on our track's handling course, the rear of the GX we bought slid out until the vehicle was almost sideways before the electronic stability control system was able to regain control. We believe that in real-world driving, that situation could lead to a rollover accident, which could cause serious injury or death. We are not aware, however, of any such reports."

The "Don't Buy" warning is the first warning issued since 2001. The Toyota 4Runner, which shares the same platform as the GX 460, doesn't have the same problem.

Toyota initially responded in a statement, "We're concerned with the results of Consumer Reports testing on the Lexus GX 460 and their suggested buyer recommendation. Our engineers conducted similar tests during the development of the new GX and had no issues. However, we will try to duplicate the Consumer Reports' test to determine if appropriate steps need to be taken. Please keep in mind that the 2010 GX 460 meets or exceeds all Federal Government test requirements. Customer safety and satisfaction remain our highest priorities. We take the Consumer Reports' test results very seriously and appreciate them bringing it to our attention." Later in the day, Toyota announced it would stop selling the vehicle, at least temporarily.

About 5,000 GX460's have been sold in the three months since they went on sale. The GX460 debuted at the China International Automobile Exhibition in November 2009.