That was fast. About 72 hours after Toyota recalled over 9,000 Lexus GX 460 SUVs for a safety risk involving a possible loss of control during high-speed turns, Lexus in Japan have fixed the problem via a software patch to the GX’s Vehicle Stability Control.
Now, part of the reason as to why the Lexus GX 460 featured in Consumer Reports’ test drifted so wide during the high-speed turn was partly due to the vehicle’s fuel tank, and more notably when the tank is filled to capacity.
A 6,600-pound GX 460 has a 23-gallon tank. That 23-gallon tank, when filled to the brim, weighs 138 pounds (fuel weighs 6 lbs/gallon). Add your typical 170-lb driver-only scenario carried out in most commutes, and you have roughly 308 pounds of eight above the vehicle’s roll center, raising the GX’s center of gravity while effectively making the SUV break traction if driven to fast into a turn, as evidenced in the video here.
Our guess is that Toyota engineers initially goofed in programming the GX 460′s Vehicle Stability Control in instances involving fuel tank chock full of fuel and a driver-only commute. An partially full tank along with an additional passenger added to the commute would probably net different results. That being said, the VSC needed programming which would take into account all driving scenarios.
Engineers have been hard at work for a solution to the problem, and it appears that the VSC re-programming is complete. Check out the before and after video by clicking here.
[source: The Lexus Enthusiast]