Consumer Reports lifts "Do Not Buy" on GX460

Lexus GX 460 passes retest; Consumer Reports lifts "Don't Buy" label
Consumer Reports is lifting the Don't Buy: Safety Risk designation from the 2010 Lexus GX 460 SUV after recall work corrected the problem it displayed in one of our emergency handling tests.

Here are some quotes from the article:

We originally experienced the problem in a test that we use to evaluate what's called lift-off oversteer. In this test, as the vehicle is driven through a turn, the driver quickly lifts his foot off the accelerator pedal to see how the vehicle reacts. When we did this with our GX 460, its rear end slid out

We are not aware, however, of any reports of injury related to this problem.

Lexus recently duplicated the problem on its own test track and developed a software upgrade for the vehicle's ESC system that would prevent the problem from happening. Dealers received the software fix last week and began notifying GX 460 owners to bring their vehicles in for repair.We contacted the Lexus dealership from which we had anonymously bought the vehicle and made an appointment to have the recall work performed. The work took about an hour and a half. Following that, we again put the SUV through our full series of emergency handling tests. This time, the ESC system intervened earlier and its rear did not slide out in the lift-off oversteer test. Instead, the vehicle understeered—or plowed—when it exceeded its limits of traction, which is a more common result and makes the vehicle more predictable and less likely to roll over. Overall, we did not experience any safety concerns with the corrected GX 460 in our handling tests. We urge all affected GX 460 owners to have the recall work performed as soon as possible. Meanwhile, repaired GXs have gone back on sale.

With the fix, the GX 460's handling is ultimately secure

In addition, the vehicle rides comfortably, has a plush, quiet, interior, and provides quick acceleration.

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2010/05/video-lexus-gx-460-passes-retest-consumer-reports-lifts-dont-buy-label.html

GX460 RETURNS TO LEXUS SHOWROOMS

Toyota Returns Lexus GX 460 To Showrooms

This has put other manufactures on notice, as Lexus once set the bar with how to treat clients(washing cars, loaners etc), it has now set the bar so high with what to do when there is a problem and how to correct it. This may just be the new era of how Lexus is going to change the market place AGAIN. Given this is not what I think they planned, but it may be that something they have been looking for to set themselves apart once again.

Article recounts Toyotas actions toward handling Lexus GX 460 recall, citing companys quick response. Quotes from the story:

The Toyota Motor Corporation has apparently learned that staying ahead of the news cycle has its benefits.

But what Toyota did in response should serve notice to other car companieswhen faced with bad news, being proactive is of utmost importance.

Immediately following the announcement that the independent consumer research firm had given the Lexus a rare dont buy recommendation (following a safety test where the rear wheels of the GX 460 slipped out from underneath it), Toyota issued a stop sell order to its dealers and began to recall all 2010 models sold.

Promptly, Toyota made changes to the software powering the Lexus, supposedly remedying the problem. Late last week, satisfied that the problem was behind it, Toyota began to allow Lexus dealers to sell the GX 460 once again.

The automaker has taken the uncustomary route of slashing prices and offering other incentives to ensure buyers that Toyota is standing behind every Toyota, Lexus, and Scion model that it builds. So far, the automakers marketing initiative seems to be paying off .

http://thearticlewriter.com/autowriter/toyota-returns-lexus-gx-460-to-showrooms/

Hey I Think I Said That

Blog.CarandDriver.com
2010 Lexus GX460 Recalled for Stability Control Issue

Jake Holmes covers the recall but questions whether the Consumer Reports warning warranted a recall.

Quotes from the story:

Lexus stopped sales of the GX460 after Consumer Reports issued a Dont Buy: Safety Risk warning. During CRs elicit reaction performance test, the magazine found that the rear of the GX460 could slide nearly 90 degrees before the stability control system intervened, which could potentially cause a rollover.

We're still a little skeptical the problem requires such a panicked response.

CR notes that there have been no recorded GX460 rollovers, and the SUV slid only after drastic driving inputs. Still, Lexus says its engineers reproduced the problem and believe the software fix will prevent such handling traits.

http://blog.caranddriver.com/2010-lexus-gx460-recalled-for-stability-control-issue/

Check out the GX460 Video---Must See Comparision

Here is a tip off from The Lexus Enthusiast. He has a before and after test of the GX460 with the issue that prompted the Consumer Reports "Do Not Buy" recomendation last week. Like stated in another article in the blog, Lexus is setting new standards on how to deal with product issues. It will take othe manufactures years to achieve the level of commitment that Toyota and Lexus have shown. It belittles other manufactures and how they treat customers. Lexus now has a new set the new Benchmark... Think about it, from discovering a issue that would normally have been just a service bulletin in the past (before the glaring spotlight of public scrutiny) to a full blown and implemente fix in a week. UNHEARD OF IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INSUSTRY!!!Here is the side by side video of the before and after:



TMC Announces Remedy for Vehicle Stability Control in Lexus GX 460 and Toyota Land Cruiser Prado
Toyota City, Japan—Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces its remedy for the problem concerning the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) program in its Lexus GX 460 and certain Land Cruiser Prado vehicles.

In circumstances in which advanced driving skills are required, such as when a driver of the involved vehicle sharply turns the steering wheel in high-speed conditions, or when the driver negotiates a curve at excessive speeds, the vehicle could slide sideways, due to the insufficient activation of the VSC.

The following conditions combine to cause the problem:

- In the GX 460 and Land Cruiser Prado, heavy components, such as the fuel tank, are located on the left side, and in left-hand drive versions, the left side is made even heavier because of the presence of the driver.- For vehicles with certain tires (on 18-inch wheels) and equipped with the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS*) and VSC, the activation of the VSC may not be sufficient in certain circumstances due to the setting of the VSC program.- Circumstances may require advanced driving skills, such as sharp turns of the steering wheel in high-speed conditions or negotiating a curve to the right at excessive speeds.

As a remedy, Toyota will update the VSC program to enhance the effectiveness of the VSC so that the risk of the vehicle sliding, even to the point that it is almost sideways, will be reduced.
Vehicles involved are as follows:

- GX 460: Approx. 13,000 units in total Approx. 9,400 units in the United States, approx. 1,000 units in Russia, approx 1,000 units in Oman- Land Cruiser Prado: Approx. 21,000 units in total (only left-hand drive vehicles with KDSS and VSC) Approx. 4,400 units in Oman, approx. 4,000 units in Russia, approx. 1,500 units in the United Arab Emirates. No right-hand drive units have this problem.

In total, approximately 34,000 units worldwide are involved. In North America, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) and Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) each announced a voluntary recall on April 19 (local time). As for other regions and countries involved, such as in Europe and the Middle East, TMC will work to implement similar measures as soon as possible.

http://lexusenthusiast.com/2010/04/20/lexus-gx-460-recall-remedy-demonstration/#more

Lexus Sets Precedent for the Industry

Based on an interview with Jeremy Anwyl, CEO of Edmunds.com, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that Toyota’s quick action to stop sales of the 2010 Lexus GX 460 temporarily while investigating an issue identified by Consumer Reports "is expected to set a precedent for other auto manufacturers who find themselves in similar situations." The article quoted Anwyl as saying that "to do otherwise would prompt consumers and regulators to remember Toyota's response and ask ‘why they aren't doing it too.’"


Toyota announced its decision about the GX 460 within hours of Consumer Reports releasing its findings and has begun a detailed technical investigation of the issue.

In addition, Toyota announced today it has suspended sales of the GX 460 in all markets, has stopped production of the vehicle for several days and, to reassure consumers, has begun new safety tests on all of its sport-utility vehicles worldwide.

According to Reuters, NHTSA Administrator David Strickland, speaking to reporters at an industry forum in Detroit today, said that Toyota has been "incredibly forthcoming" in its handling of the GX 460 issues. Reuters noted that Strickland said there has been a "change in level of response from Toyota" after recent issues.


http://www.blogger.com/www.toyotanewsroom.com.

GX 460 Is the Hysteria Really Warranted?

For those of you who live in a bubble and have not heard, Lexus issued a stop sale on the 2010 GX460 because of a report from Consumer Reports. Amazing the press jumped on the report and then splashed all over the news " LEXUS GX460 ROLLS OVER" all over the place. This is not the case. The GX exibited a rear end slide during an excessive speed turn where the throttle is lifted. The truck responded in a almost sports car like rear end slide before the Vehicle Stability Control kicked in and stopped the car. Consumers felt that the slide in a certain situation could cause the truck to strick a curb. Well if you think about it, any car that slides out and hits a curb would have an issue.

So Lexus is on the test tracks and I am sure tuning the electronics so that if the truck even smells hard turn the VSC controls will kick in(enjoy the beeping warning chime). Here is a article where Lexus went to bring another car to the test track but was denied access. Here they are trying to see if they have a real problem and test it the same way. It almost looks like someone is trying to hide something. Sorry to be the devils advocate but I still remember what Consumers did to the Suzuki years ago that almost caused them to go out of business for an unfounded reason. You can read up on that in my blog from last month.

http://lexusenthusiast.com/2010/04/14/more-on-lexus-visit-to-the-consumer-reports-test-track/

For you other doubting Thomas, here is a link to an article from Accuracy in Media:

http://www.aim.org/aim-report/aim-report-a-black-eye-for-consumer-reports/

The Real Scandal.....

The Real Scandal Behind the Toyota Recall
Fuzzy findings, media manipulation, and tort lawyers scare the public and destroy millions in shareholder and resale value, writes Ed Wallace

This article shows that when someone has an agenda they manipulate the truth to make it fit. Then when the public has half the information, they start making assumptions and you know what happens when you ASSUME.

Here are some quotes from the article:


" I called a few respected local Toyota (TM) dealers in the Dallas area to ask a simple question: "In the past 10 years, how many Toyotas have come into your service department with the complaint of unintended acceleration?"The answer I got again and again? "None.""


"A Trip Down Audi Memory Lane
What's ominous is that the Audi 5000 case seems to have set the example for how stories concerning serious defects in automobiles would be covered in the future.
Yes, there were people on TV (and in newspaper articles) who swore that their Audis, too, had become possessed and uncontrollable, and there's little doubt that they sincerely believed what they said. That does not alter the fact they were mistaken": In time, our government painstakingly tested every "possessed car," and no causative defect was ever found."
"The Audi case seems to have foreshadowed a scenario occurring now with Toyota."

" Turns out the Audi official had been correct: The cars did not have any known defect"

"Toyota looked into the complaints covering brakes on its hybrid electric Prius. While no real problem was found, Toyota did issue a recall to update the computer codes.
And just for the record: Many antilock brake systems feel as if they are skipping or failing to take hold quickly when engaged suddenly on bumpy roads."

"Firestone's Firestorm
In some ways this case is little different from the Ford-Firestone fiasco of a decade ago. When Lea Thompson with Dateline NBC lifted up a Firestone tire's torn and separated tread for the camera, few viewers noticed that particular tire had almost no tread left. Old tires without treads often fail."

"The Auto Industry Hall of Shame
Automotive history should have a Hall of Infamy for scandals like this next one—the 1988 story involving Consumer Reports. The magazine's "investigation" of rollover problems it "found" while reviewing the Suzuki Samurai focused intense media coverage on a nonevent, destroying not just a vehicle but nearly its manufacturer."

"Consumer Reports' raw video and its test drivers'"" took the Suzuki Samurai through its paces 16 times, some runs going in excess of 50 miles an hour, without ever once lifting the vehicle's wheels off the ground. Sheehan wrote in his notes: "Easy to control … Never felt it would tip over.""

"one eyewitness claimed to have heard""If you can't find someone to roll this car, I will."

"Sales of the Suzuki Samurai fell from 83,314 units to just 5,031 after the Consumer Reports story ran";

"Now it's Toyota's turn. They investigated the complaints, found a number of small problems and said that's the only problems they could find, and moved relatively fast to fix those issues. "

Lexus: The Best...AGAIN.The Truth Hurts Doesn't Detroit

Consumer Reports Annual Auto Issue: The Good, The Bad, And The Green

Truthaboutcars.com
Provides an overview of Consumer Reports 2010 Annual Auto Issue.

Quotes from the story:

The best car overall is the Lexus LS 460L, with an outstanding 99 out of 100 in our road test This V8-powered, preternaturally quiet rolling living room deliver[s] brisk acceleration and a relatively good 21 mpg overall Consumer Reports Magazine

It also names the much maligned Prius and the best "Green" car on the planet.

The 2000-2009 ES model line also garnered the "Best of the Best" in the Upscale Luxury Used Car category.


http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/consumer-reports-annual-auto-issue-the-good-the-bad-and-the-green/