On the heels of Toyota’s $16.5 million fine from the U.S. Government, the Japanese automaker is announcing yet another recall of the Lexus GX 460 and the Toyota Sequoia – both sport utility vehicles.
Toyota announced the recall of 13,000 2010 Lexus GX 460s last week after Consumer Reports issued a “don’t buy” recommendation due to rollover concerns. Test drivers for the magazine say that when they took their foot off the gas going around a sharp turn, the rear of the vehicle may slide, increasing the chances of a rollover accident.
Many drivers take their foot off the gas when they’re exiting an interstate or going around a curve too fast. The test drivers commented that they would not allow their families to ride in these vehicles.
This condition is what’s known as trailing throttle or lift-throttle over-steer…the electronic stability control system would ordinarily detect the slide and stop it from happening but this system doesn’t seem responsive enough on the GX 460 to stop the problem.
Toyota quickly halted sales of the GX 460 after Consumer Report’s recommendation, who hasn’t issued a “don’t buy” recommendation since 2001. Owners of these vehicles should be able to take them to their local Lexus dealer for a software update to fix the problem.
Additionally, Toyota has announced a recall of 50,000 Sequoia’s (2003 models) for defective software that can cause the vehicle’s stability control system to activate at low speeds, which can cause it to accelerate improperly.
Toyota was requested to issue this recall after the U.S. National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration received around 160 complaints involving the Sequoia. The company says owners will be contacted this month about scheduling an appointment to fix the problem. No deaths or serious injuries have been reported but NHTSA officials maintain some of the complaints they received claim there were a few near collisions since the vehicle wasn’t accelerating properly.
Contact your local Toyota or Lexus dealer immediately if you have either one of these models and get it fixed as soon as possible.
If you’ve been adversely affected by this or any other defective car or product, contact Denver personal injury attorney R. Mack Babcock today for a free consultation to see what options you have.