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Embattled automaker Toyota suspended worldwide sales of its Lexus GX 460 sport utility vehicle last week due to a rollover risk at high-speed, and said it will conduct safety tests on all its SUVs.
The move followed Toyota's suspension of GX sales in the US and Canada after US magazine Consumer Reports gave the SUV a rare 'Don't Buy: Safety Risk' rating.
"The company has decided to suspend the SUV's sales worldwide, which means also in Russia and Middle East after North America," said Toyota spokeswoman Mieko Iwasaki, in reference to the other markets where the vehicle is sold.
In the latest blow to the auto giant's reputation, the report claimed that when pushed to its limits, the rear of the GX 'slid out until the vehicle was almost sideways before the electronic stability control system was able to regain control'.
Having now suspended GX sales worldwide, Toyota said it will work on identifying potential safety risks in the model which has sold 6,000 units, as well as its other SUVs.
"We are in the middle of analysing what the problem is. Once it becomes clear, the company will decide whether to recall and repair the cars," Iwasaki said. Concerned GX 460 owners will be offered a loan car in the interim.
The automaker will also "start testing all the other SUV models, including the Land Cruiser, Land Cruiser Prado and Rav4," she said, adding that Toyota will continue to sell those models.
