CR: You Can Buy A Lexus GX 460 If You Want

Consumer Reports has lifted its “don’t buy” warning on the 2010 Lexus GX 460 SUV, after reviewing the results of Toyota’s recall fix. According to CR, that modification solved the emergency handling problem that had been uncovered in earlier tests. So, if you’re in the market for a big, $60K luxury SUV, you can go ahead and add this one to your list.

According to Consumer Reports:

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 until the vehicle was almost sideways. Although the GX 460 has electronic stability control, which is designed to prevent a vehicle from sliding, the system wasn’t intervening quickly enough to stop the slide. We consider this a safety risk because in a real-world situation this could cause a rear tire to strike a curb or slide off of the pavement, possibly causing the vehicle to roll over.

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.

CR says current owners should get the recall work done ASAP.

Lexus GX 460 passes retest; Consumer Reports lifts “Don’t Buy” label [Consumer Reports Cars]

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