There's a lot of programming required to dictate the torque split, shown, antilock braking and VSC systems on an all-wheel drive vehicle.
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A. today announced it would conduct a voluntary safety recall on approximately 9,400 2010-model year Lexus GX 460 sport utility vehicles in order to reprogram the software of the so-called Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system.
Concurrently, Toyota Motor Europe announced it would recall of 7,500 Toyota Land Cruiser 150 (Prado) and Lexus GX 460 models, also to reprogram VSC software to improve its “responsiveness.”
The affected vehicles in Europe are only left-hand drive versions. The voluntary recall includes the Toyota Land Cruiser 150, available across Europe, and the Lexus GX 460, which is only available in certain Eastern European markets.
The electronically-controlled VSC system will now be made more aggressive.
The latest recalls were virtually assured once Consumer Reports – a long time proponent (critics say cheerleader) of Toyota’s engineering and quality issued an almost unheard of “Don’t Buy: Safety Risk” recommendation against the Lexus GX 460 in its April issue.
The magazine claimed the GX 460 was the worst, in terms of rollover potential, among the 95 SUVs in its current automotive ratings.
Rollovers used to be a serious safety problem among sport utility vehicles, but electronic controls, along with an epidemic of more than 5,000 “distracted driving” fatalities annually have made it less deadly, relatively speaking.
The VSC problem concerns “trailing throttle oversteer,” or the tendency of the Lexus to have the rear end swing wide in a turn if the driver lifts off the accelerator pedal. This points the front of the SUV toward the inside of the turn. Uncorrected by either the driver or electronic controls, the SUV could hit the curb, creating a trip rollover. Oversteer can also lead to a spin. (See Japanese Stop Sales of 2010 Lexus GX460 )
“Our engineers have conducted tests to confirm the VSC performance issue raised by Consumer Reports, and we are confident this VSC software update addresses the concern,” said Steve St. Angelo, Toyota chief quality officer for North America, without offering any explanation about how the calibration of a critical electronic control system could have been released if it is so ineffective.
Regional Toyota executives, such as St. Angelo, do not have recall authority and virtually all of the engineering is done in Japan, so this latest recall is being directed by executives in Toyota’s Nagoya, headquarters, who previously covered up safety defects, according to U.S. regulators.
All North American Lexus dealers will have the VSC software update by the end of April. Once the software update is available at dealerships, vehicle owners should bring their 2010 GX 460 to a dealer for the update, which U.S. law dictates must be done at no cost. The update should take approximately one hour depending on the dealers work schedule.
“From the moment we heard about this issue, Lexus and our dealers acted quickly to resolve the situation,” said Mark Templin, Lexus group vice president and general manager.
Yesterday Toyota Motor Corporation agreed to pay a $16.4 million fine – the largest fine permitted by law, and one that is laughable according to critics – for failing to notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a dangerous pedal defect for almost four months.
Under U.S. law, a company has five days to notify safety regulators that it has identified a serious defect. (See Toyota to Pay $16 Million NHTSA Fine)
Starting in early May, Lexus will begin mailing letters to GX 460 owners included in this recall. Lexus will provide a courtesy vehicle to anyone who has purchased a 2010 GX 460 and has concerns about driving it until the recall work has been completed.
Detailed information about this recall is available through Lexus Customer Satisfaction at 1-800-255-3987 or at www.lexus.com/recall.
In Europe, all customers owning one of the involved models will be “notified in the coming days.”
(See also Consumers Union Defends Role in Missing Toyota Unintended Acceleration Problems and Deaths)