Consumer Reports puts Lexus GX on "Do Not Buy" list due to rollover fears

Consumer Reports has officially given the Lexus GX the automotive equivalent of a black eye. The publication has deemed the high-riding luxury SUV a "safety risk" for its likelihood to go shiny side down during emergency maneuvers, and as such, has put it on the publication's infamous "Do Not Buy" list. During testing, the Consumer Reports crew found that the traction control on the GX would allow the vehicle to slide nearly completely sideways before getting everything in line.

Interestingly enough, while Consumer Reports tested the nearly-identical Toyota 4Runner, that SUV wasn't found to suffer the same problem with the traction control. Is it possible that all of the luxury goodies you'll find aboard the Lexus add enough pounds to overwhelm the vehicle's stability control, or that the Lexus has significantly different programming? It's possible.

So far, Toyota hasn't said much other than that it's concerned with the Consumer Reports findings. Considering that the Japanese manufacturer has had more than its fair share of bad publicity recently, being blacklisted by CR is just another log on the fire.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]