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Toyota Owed an Apology by Consumer Reports


And from the mainstream media as well. Enough is enough, now they are being picked on. Toyota has faulty accelerator pedals and floor mats that are being recalled, that has been established and explained in my article here. What must first be clarified is that the problems caused unintended continued acceleration, not unintended acceleration. The pedals did not apply themselves. Now Consumer Reports gives a "Don't Buy: Safety Risk" because the stability control on two different 2010 Lexus GX 460 SUVs didn't activate at an acceptable level during intended induced oversteer (fishtailing). But no rollover!

CR tries to put this in perspective by stating, "No other SUV in recent years slid out as far as the GX 460". Allow me to put this in real world perspective, "Millions of vehicles on the road don't have stability control at all." Whether this is a sensor calibration or software issue, it doesn't matter. It's good to bring it to Toyota's attention, but it does not merit a "Don't Buy" rating. Not in the slightest. Oh, by the way, Toyota didn't encounter the problem during the vehicle development. And oddly, CR didn't have the problem with the Toyota 4Runner on the same platform.

It's bad enough there are calls to 911 instead of taking proper steps like shifting into neutral while continuously applying the brakes and then turning off the car. Now an organization that has been discredited in the past has done it again. I've written about trucks that have been lifted beyond the stock height that should be lowered, but this is an abomination in the opposite direction.

The bottom line is any vehicle can flip over during a high speed maneuver and striking an object. Apparently CR discovered a Lexus SUV can be drifted. Now that is an SUV that is fun to drive.

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