Toyota 2010 Lexus GX 460 SUV Cited for Rollover Hazard

New York, NYThe respected magazine Consumer Reports, which conducts its own product testing and is not beholden to corporate interests, has issued a safety warning about Toyota's updated Lexus GX 460 SUV due to an increased risk of rollover during a turn. The problem appears to be with the vehicle's electronic stability control system and does not affect older models, the magazine said. The GX 460 was redesigned and re-engineered for 2010.

About 5000 vehicles have been sold since the model went on sale about three months ago. According to reports at CNN Money and Reuters this morning, Consumer Reports has issued a rare "Don't Buy: Safety Risk" designation for the 2010 Toyota Lexus GX 460 SUV.

It's the first time in nine years that Consumer Reports has issued such an alert on a product.

Douglas Love, a spokesperson with Consumer Reports, said that the vehicle's electronic stability control system (ESC) failed to keep the SUV inline during a severe handling maneuver, allowing the vehicle to slide almost completely sideways.

The test mimics a driver's typical response to encountering an obstacle in the midst of a turn, or to finding a turn to be unexpectedly tight. The problem with the Lexus' ESC system became apparent during tests designed to detect a specific emergency handling problem—one in which a vehicle's back end slides outward when the driver lifts his foot from the accelerator during a turn. The GX's ESC system did not become active until the SUV had already skidded dangerously, Love said.

Nor was the finding isolated. Four different Consumer Reports test drivers encountered the exact same problem in the same vehicle. To confirm the findings, the magazine acquired a second GX 460, which was found to have the same problem.

The magazine noted that the problem appears to be isolated to the 2010 model year Lexus GX 460 and did not surface in the vehicle's less luxurious cousin, the 2010 Toyota 4Runner, which was also redesigned for the 2010 model year.

Consumer Reports advises customers who drive a 2010 Lexus GX 460 to approach exit ramps with caution and to demand a fix from Toyota.

The magazine notes that there have been no reports of deaths or injuries resulting from the problem, and that its claim is based on its own independent testing.