Toyota to Test All Its SUVs for Potential Safety Issues

Toyota has announced that it will conduct safety tests on all its SUVs after Consumer Reports magazine warned that the Lexus GX 460 luxury SUV is prone to rollover. Toyota said on Thursday it had not yet decided to recall the GX 460, but it temporarily stopped selling this model in the U.S. and the rest of the world within hours after the popular consumer magazine issued the report.

The GX 460 is sold mainly in North America, but also in the Middle East, Russia and some other countries. “The company will start testing all the other SUV models, including the LandCruiser, LandCruiser Prado and RAV4”, said Toyota Motors Company spokesman Mieko Iwasaki, quoted by AFP.

The Japanese manufacturer has reacted very fast to the Lexus GX 460 safety problem, unlike the sticky accelerator pedals case, when it was criticized for not acting quickly enough. However, the Australian press expressed concerns that the LandCruiser Prado model, based on the same platform as the Lexus GX 460 and built in the same factory, could also present safety issues.

But Toyota Australia spokesman Mike Breen told goauto.com that the issue with the GX was specific to the U.S. market. “From what I understand, the article went to great lengths to explain that the Toyota 4Runner that they sell in the United States with the V6 engine is based on the Prado platform as well and there are no issues with the V6 4Runner there, so there are no issues with the Prado here”, said Breen.

Since October, Toyota has recalled more than 8 million vehicles worldwide and has promised to be more transparent and responsive to consumer complaints.