Chocolate

Consumer Reports goes over the top sometimes (see iPhone 4), but they are still one of the most trustworthy and critical auto reviewers out there. They spend millions of dollars each year buying the cars they review off dealer lots (instead of getting a specially designated reviewer's model gone over with a fine toothed comb), and they are entirely funded by subscibers and not advertisers.

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SaigaX

Chocolate

Check out how thorough and critical they are in this review:


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SaigaX

mmarshall

Yeah, ironically, that was my first thought too........it will sell to the hit guys.

mmarshall

Agreed. I don't always see eye-to-eye with their general auto-reviews, but they pretty much wrote the book on auto-reliability stats...more-so, IMO, than J.D. Power.

Aron9000

Makes me miss the secure trunk in my old Cadillac. Had about a 4 body capacity too. No handle in the trunk. Only way in there was with the key. It did have a button in the glove box to open it, but it only worked when the car was on. I liked it because I knew somebody with a honda who had their window smashed in, then the crook pulled the trunk release on the floor, got away with $400 worth of new shoes/clothes.

gt1209

Wow. How hard is it to acknowledge a problem with your favorite brand and move on? How do you expect a kid to know which way to pull the safety release in a panic mode? In fact, we should thank CR or any Lexus customer (including you) for constructive comments to make a great brand even better. Back in 2010, CR reported GX 460 ESC problem and Lexus quickly fixed it. How many people benefited from that change?

CR is not perfect, but at least I don't see any car ads in their April 2012 magazine. Their reviewers are family orientated and that foundation is perfectly fine for most people.

GS69

Toyota to Replace Lexus Trunk Release

Toyota Motor Corp. is expected to announce a customer service campaign to replace emergency trunk release units in about 700,000 Lexus vehicles, Consumer Reports said.

The magazine, which discovered the problem during a test of a 2013 Lexus ES and GS, said Toyota will announce next month a service campaign for owners of 2007-13 Lexus ES, 2006-12 Lexus IS, and 2013 Lexus GS models.

Consumer Reports found the lever can easily snap off during use, potentially leaving a trapped occupant without a way to escape.

"When the lever is pulled straight or toward the passenger side of the vehicle, it worked fine. However, when pulled toward the driver's side, the plastic surround acts as a fulcrum and snaps the emergency release handle off easily, preventing the trunk from opening," the magazine said.

Toyota has vowed to be more aggressive in responding to safety concerns in the wake of the U.S. government's decision in 2010 to fine it nearly $50 million for failing to recall millions of vehicles in a timely fashion.

In October, Toyota issued its largest-ever recall — 7.43 million vehicles worldwide — to fix power window switches for fire risks. The recall includes 2.52 million vehicles in the United States.

Consumer Reports notified Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about the findings.

Toyota is replacing the ABS plastic release with a stronger polypropylene unit that's strengthened with supporting ridges. The Japanese automaker has implemented this change at the factory, ensuring subsequently produced ES, IS, and GS models will have the stronger lever.

Once parts and procedures have been made available to dealerships, Toyota will notify owners.

Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons confirmed the company would be making the customer service campaign, but emphasized that the levers only broke when they were pulled in the wrong direction. He said they are clearly labeled.

NHTSA said it would "continue to monitor the issue and will take appropriate action as warranted."

dshepardson@detnews.com

(202) 662-8735

mmarshall

Jimmy Hoffa probably would have, had Lexus been around in 1975.