2010 Lexus GX460 – Consumer Reports Issues *Don’t Buy* Warning
Consumer Reports did something they don’t normally do when it comes to judging vehicles.
For the first time since 2001, Consumer Reports issued a “Don’t Buy” warning against the Lexus GX460.
CS reported that “consumers should not buy the 2010 Lexus GX 460 sport utility vehicle because of a handling problem that could lead to a rollover and possibly “serious injury or death.”
A “don’t buy” warning is rare for the Consumer Reports magazine.
But according to the magazine, the warning was absolutely necessary.
According to David Champion, the senior director of the Consumer Reports auto test deivision, “the litmus test was whether the testers would want their families in the vehicle. The answer was no”, he said, so “I wouldn’t want anybody else in it.”
The NYTimes is reporting thtat the handling problem arises if the driver takes his foot off the gas pedal 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.”
Lexus responds to Consumer Reports warning
Lexus issued a statement saying that the automaker was “puzzled” by the magazine’s results since it conducts its own tests, and safety is a top priority. But Lexus said “we will take a very serious look at this and appreciate Consumer Reports’ bringing it to our attention,” according to the NYTimes article.