Toyota Motors Corp. has suspended sales of the 2010 Lexus GX 460 while its engineers investigate a handling risk identified by Consumer Reports. (Associated Press)

Toyota announced safety tests on all its sport utility vehicle models Thursday, two days after Consumer Reports magazine warned against buying the 2010 Lexus GX 460 SUV, citing a rollover risk.

Toyota Motor Corp., plagued by recalls since October and accusations it responded too slowly to problems, said it had yet to decide whether to recall the GX 460 SUV, which is sold mainly in North America but also in the Middle East, Russia and some other countries.

Toyota stopped selling the GX 460 in North America on Tuesday within hours of the Consumer Reports warning. On Thursday, Toyota said the halt to GX 460 sales would be extended to all markets. The model was not sold in Japan.

Toyota officials in Tokyo said the company was carrying out safety tests that were as close as possible to those of Consumer Reports, including testing the vehicle's response when the driver makes a turn and releases the gas pedal.

The company said it does not yet know what the possible problems could be, but said it was working on it so that Consumer Reports would be able to retest the GX 460 and give it a satisfactory rating.

"We are now testing the GX 460 to determine if any problem exists," said Paul Nolasco, a Toyota spokesman in Tokyo. "If we find a problem, we will fix it."

Lexus GX 460 risk reported

Consumer Reports, widely read by many car buyers because of its reputation for fairness and accuracy, has raised red flags over Toyotas previously. In January, the magazine pulled its "recommended" rating on eight vehicles recalled by the automaker due to faulty gas pedals.

For the GX 460, Consumer Reports said the problem occurred during tests on its track.

In a standard test, the driver approached a turn unusually fast, then released the accelerator pedal to simulate the response of an alarmed driver. This caused the rear of the vehicle to slide outward.

Under normal circumstances, the electronic stability control should quickly correct the loss of control and keep the SUV on its intended path. But with the GX 460, the stability control took too long to adjust, which could cause a rollover accident if one of the sliding wheels were to strike the curb or another obstacle, according to the magazine's report.

Toyota said it sold about 6,000 of the GX 460s worldwide — 5,400 of them in North America. The manufacturer behind the Prius hybrid and Camry sedan makes a wide range of sport utility vehicles, including the RAV4, Land Cruiser and 4Runner.