(April 15, 2010) Toyota said it would conduct further safety tests on all its SUVs after suspending sales of the Lexus GX 460 model following a report of a risk of rollover accidents, according to Reuters news service.

Toyota had taken the unusual step of stopping sales of the SUV model in the United States earlier this week after Consumer Reports magazine warned against buying it, calling it a "safety risk" because of a potential handling problem in certain turns.

The world's biggest automaker has now also decided to suspend sales in the Middle East and Russia, the only other markets where the car is sold. The model has sold 5,400 units in the United States and Canada in the four months since it has been on the market, and a total of 580 units in the Middle East and Russia.

Toyota is now conducting a string of tests on the stability control systems of all its SUVs in a bid to allay any concerns that drivers may have over their own derivate models, a Toyota spokeswoman said.