ID :
116685
Thu, 04/15/2010 - 07:38
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https://www.oananews.org//node/116685
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Toyota suspends Lexus GX 460 sales worldwide+
NAGOYA, April 14 Kyodo -
Toyota Motor Corp. has suspended sales of the Lexus GX 460 sport utility
vehicle worldwide after receiving a safety warning from the U.S. magazine
Consumer Reports that the vehicle carries the risk of rolling over during
high-speed turns, Toyota officials said Wednesday.
The automaker expanded the areas where sales of the vehicle will be
provisionally halted to include the Middle East, Russia and Oceania, in
addition to North America where it had earlier suspended sales, the officials
said.
Toyota has decided to apply the suspension measure to wider areas to avoid
causing jitters among consumers, as it has decided that the models of the
vehicle sold in these areas are basically identical, although the
specifications differ somewhat depending on the area, they said.
In a related development on Wednesday, the automaker started a string of tests
involving all Toyota sport utility vehicle models to see if they carry the risk
of rolling over during high-speed turns, Toyota officials said.
Toyota, struggling to regain consumer trust following massive global recalls,
provisionally halted sales of the 2010 model of the GX 460 after the magazine
issued the warning on the risk of possible rollovers.
The spate of tests will cover a wide range of Toyota SUVs being sold in Japan
and overseas, including the Land Cruiser, Harrier and RAV4.
Through the fresh tests at its own tracks, Toyota is anxious to learn whether
the SUVs carry the risk of rolling over when their drivers make turns at high
speed.
The magazine said earlier Tuesday that the rear of the GX 460, ''when pushed to
its limits'' at its own test course, slid out ''until the vehicle was almost
sideways before the electronic stability control system was able to regain
control.''
''We will again check the safety of a wide variety of our sport utility
vehicles,'' an official at Toyota's public relations department said.
But Toyota will keep on selling SUV models other than the GX 460, the officials
said.
==Kyodo
Toyota Motor Corp. has suspended sales of the Lexus GX 460 sport utility
vehicle worldwide after receiving a safety warning from the U.S. magazine
Consumer Reports that the vehicle carries the risk of rolling over during
high-speed turns, Toyota officials said Wednesday.
The automaker expanded the areas where sales of the vehicle will be
provisionally halted to include the Middle East, Russia and Oceania, in
addition to North America where it had earlier suspended sales, the officials
said.
Toyota has decided to apply the suspension measure to wider areas to avoid
causing jitters among consumers, as it has decided that the models of the
vehicle sold in these areas are basically identical, although the
specifications differ somewhat depending on the area, they said.
In a related development on Wednesday, the automaker started a string of tests
involving all Toyota sport utility vehicle models to see if they carry the risk
of rolling over during high-speed turns, Toyota officials said.
Toyota, struggling to regain consumer trust following massive global recalls,
provisionally halted sales of the 2010 model of the GX 460 after the magazine
issued the warning on the risk of possible rollovers.
The spate of tests will cover a wide range of Toyota SUVs being sold in Japan
and overseas, including the Land Cruiser, Harrier and RAV4.
Through the fresh tests at its own tracks, Toyota is anxious to learn whether
the SUVs carry the risk of rolling over when their drivers make turns at high
speed.
The magazine said earlier Tuesday that the rear of the GX 460, ''when pushed to
its limits'' at its own test course, slid out ''until the vehicle was almost
sideways before the electronic stability control system was able to regain
control.''
''We will again check the safety of a wide variety of our sport utility
vehicles,'' an official at Toyota's public relations department said.
But Toyota will keep on selling SUV models other than the GX 460, the officials
said.
==Kyodo
