Toyota had announced a voluntary recall on Monday for the 2010 Lexus GX460 after influential magazine Consumer Report reported a rollover risk and pushed the SUV in the “do not buy” list, a first for a Toyota branded vehicle. Toyota stopped the sales of the SUV soon after the report was published and started working in a fix.
It seems that the company has found a fix for the problem via a software update to the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) module. The main culprit according to Toyota is the location of the heavy components such as fuel tank and the problem manifests itself in left hand drive vehicles with the presence of the driver making it decidedly “left” heavy.
To know what changing a few bytes in the VSC module can do, jump over to see the updated and the old 469GX (without the remedy) in action.
source: autoblog via the lexus enthusiast
Video: 2010 Toyota Lexus GX460 Software Remedy For VSC In Action
Press Release
Toyota City, Japan-Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announces its remedy for the problem concerning the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) program in its Lexus GX 460 and certain Land Cruiser Prado vehicles.
In circumstances in which advanced driving skills are required, such as when a driver of the involved vehicle sharply turns the steering wheel in high-speed conditions, or when the driver negotiates a curve at excessive speeds, the vehicle could slide sideways, due to the insufficient activation of the VSC.
The following conditions combine to cause the problem:
- In the GX 460 and Land Cruiser Prado, heavy components, such as the fuel tank, are located on the left side, and in left-hand drive versions, the left side is made even heavier because of the presence of the driver.
- For vehicles with certain tires (on 18-inch wheels) and equipped with the Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS*) and VSC, the activation of the VSC may not be sufficient in certain circumstances due to the setting of the VSC program.
- Circumstances may require advanced driving skills, such as sharp turns of the steering wheel in high-speed conditions or negotiating a curve to the right at excessive speeds.
As a remedy, Toyota will update the VSC program to enhance the effectiveness of the VSC so that the risk of the vehicle sliding, even to the point that it is almost sideways, will be reduced.
Vehicles involved are as follows:
- GX 460: Approx. 13,000 units in total Approx. 9,400 units in the United States, approx. 1,000 units in Russia, approx 1,000 units in Oman
- Land Cruiser Prado: Approx. 21,000 units in total (only left-hand drive vehicles with KDSS and VSC) Approx. 4,400 units in Oman, approx. 4,000 units in Russia, approx. 1,500 units in the United Arab Emirates. No right-hand drive units have this problem.
In total, approximately 34,000 units worldwide are involved. In North America, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) and Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) each announced a voluntary recall on April 19 (local time). As for other regions and countries involved, such as in Europe and the Middle East, TMC will work to implement similar measures as soon as possible.
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