Lexus GX 460 back on road with new software

The influential Consumer Reports magazine today lifted its ''safety risk'' designation from Toyota Motor Corp's 2010 Lexus GX 460 sports-utility vehicle, saying updated software developed by the carmaker fixed stability failures.

The publication had said in a notice on 12 April that the Lexus model had almost slid out of control during an emergency maneuver test. The model was retested after a Lexus dealer installed new software during the recall.

Testers ''did not experience any safety concerns with the corrected GX 460,'' the Yonkers, New York-based magazine said today in a statement. ''Recall work corrected the problem'' the SUV displayed in testing, according to the statement.

Toyota, the world's largest automaker, recalled the SUV on April 19, seven days after Consumer Reports issued the ''Don't buy: safety risk'' designation. The Toyota City, Japan-based company's action targeted about 13,000 GX 460s worldwide, including 9,400 in the US. Toyota suspended sales of the model on 14 April.

Lexus sold 18,359 vehicles in April, pushing its four-month total to 67,882 cars and trucks, up 21 per cent from the same period last year, the company said on 3 May. Toyota is working to repair its image after recalling more than 8 million vehicles worldwide for defects related to unexpected acceleration.

''At least the GX 460 is a car they don't sell many of, and at least they were able to fix it quickly,'' said, an analyst at Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts.