The Consumer Reports Kiss Of Death

The Lexus GX 460 is only the twelfth "don't buy" warning Consumer Reports has ever issued. What were the others? Well, let's just say it's not company you want to keep. From Automobile.

WWBWD(What Would Betty White Drive)?

This is either the year of Betty White's victory lap or the beginning of another phase of her career (never, ever count Betty out).

At age 88, and a big name in showbiz for nearly 70 years, the Golden Girls star is about to host Saturday Night Live....and now, the car she used to own (nicknamed "Parakeet") is on display on the AACA Museum in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Betty owned "Parakeet", a gift from her husband Allen Ludden (who died in 1991) for 25 years. The 1977 Cadillac Seville has been in other hands for eight years, but still has only 18,000 miles.

More about the car, including an interview with Betty, at the New York Times Wheels blog.

NHTSA Investigating Lexus GX 460

Two days after Consumer Reports called the Lexus GX 460 a "safety risk" because it can go sideways in an emergency maneuver before the electronic stability control kicks in,  two days after Toyota imposed a halt on sales of the GX,  one day after Toyota announced it would test all of its SUVs, and (sources say) one day before Toyota announces a fix, NHTSA says it's launching an investigation into the matter.

Ever since NHTSA got raked over the coals in a Senate hearing last month, they've been trying too hard. Big talk, big fines....all designed to send a subtle-as-a-neon-sign message of  "We got this."

No, NHTSA...you don't. Consumer Reports did your work for you. Toyota took it seriously and the fix is hours away. But you'll whip up an investigation anyway...it will take months, it will cost millions (like your $3 million, 15 month investigation with NASA into unintended acceleration that's just now starting)...and we'll be astonished if it contributes anything that Consumer Reports and Toyota didn't in 72 hours.

Toyota Sienna Minivan Plunges Off Houston Parking Garage, Killing Driver

Raw video from CBS affiliate KHOU-TV

At 8:45 this morning, a man drove his Toyota Sienna minivan off an upper floor of the Honeywell parking garage....landing upside down and killing him.

The Sienna isn't involved in any of the Toyota recalls, and the driver isn't here to claim unintended acceleration, admit to stepping on the wrong pedal, confess to blackouts or suicidal thoughts or any of a dozen possible reasons the van might have gone forward with enough force to snap the safety cables that keep cars from taking the steep dive, but authorities will be poring over the evidence attempting to determine a cause.  Full details from The Houston Chronicle.

TireKicker Time Machine: 1962 Chrysler 300

                    

No, not a 300H...just a 300. But who's complaining?

                           

Judging by the temporary plate, this '62 recently found a new home and it appears the new owner was having some work done at this local shop.

Like yesterday's '55 Chevy Two-Ten, this big Chrysler appears to be all original and mostly all there.

Again...This Is The Brake...This Is The Transmission

Common sense is breaking out all over. Hot on the heels of Car and Driver's John Yanca with the intelligent answer to the Lexus GX 460's alleged stability issue comes John McCormick from The Detroit News with how to deal with it if your vehicle ever does something strange on its own. You know, like unintended acceleration.

Toyota Testing ALL Its SUVs Stability

Toyota's moving quickly to end the panic in some circles over Consumer Reports' labelling of the Lexus GX 460 as a safety risk.  

The automaker says it is testing the stability of all its SUVs, both Lexus and Toyota brands. CR says the GX 460 can get sideways in an emergency maneuver before the electronic stability control intervenes. Toyota says it has had no customer complaints about the issue.

Full details from Automotive News (free registration required).

Car and Driver Lends Perspective To Consumer Reports Lexus GX 460 Warning

When Consumer Reports announced Tuesday it considered the Lexus GX 460 a safety risk because it can get sideways in an emergency maneuver before the electronic stability control steps in to right things,  Toyota quickly and calmly announced they are suspending sales of the GX 460 until they can determine if CR is right and what to do about it.

But calm is elusive in media...especially online, where bloggers, including this one who calls herself a "big ball of paranoia", can spread fear (and occasionally misunderstanding and misinformation) fast.

Enter Car and Driver's John Yanca, who picked up the phone, called CR, found out what the tests were all about...and says there's a simple solution. It starts with not driving a tall SUV into a curve at 15 miles per hour over the posted speed. Well worth the read and some thought.

Chevrolet Posts Topless Photos To Facebook: 2011 Camaro Convertible

It's just a fact of modern life...drop your top in front of a camera, and it's going to wind up on the internet. But this isn't the work of an ex-boyfriend a disgruntled GM employee...not an invasion of presumed privacy by the long lens of Brenda Priddy.  Nope, Chevrolet has found its inner exhibitionist and outed the 2011 Camaro Convertible with the first official photos (two of them).....on its own Facebook page.

Oh, Chevy, you tease.