Suzuki drops suit against Consumer Reports

Suzuki Motor Corp. and the publisher of Consumer Reports have resolved a legal battle stemming from the magazine’s claim in a 1988 article that the Suzuki Samurai sport utility vehicle was prone to rolling over, they said Thursday.

Suzuki has withdrawn a lawsuit against it and has not sought any cash compensation, Consumers Union said.

Consumers Union, which publishes the influential product review magazine, said in a joint statement with Suzuki that its claim that the Samurai “easily rolls over in turns” was limited to the severe turns in the magazine’s emergency avoidance road test and was not applicable to routine driving conditions.

Suzuki had claimed in a 1996 $60 million lawsuit, which was scheduled for trial this fall in California, that Consumer Reports’ “not acceptable” rating for the Samurai had caused sales to plunge and tarnished the Suzuki brand image.

Suzuki had claimed in its lawsuit that Consumers Union, a non-profit organization, had faked the tests to draw attention to itself in the midst of a fund-raising drive.

Jim Guest, president of Consumers Union, said that resolution of the dispute preserves the magazine’s integrity and reputation.

“We come out of this clean,” Guest told Reuters in an interview. “We’ve been sued something like 16 times in our 68-year history. There’s never been a successful lawsuit against us.”

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The Samurai was one of the first small SUVs on the market when Consumer Reports tested it in 1988. After the magazine issued the “not acceptable” rating, a first for the magazine, sales for the Samurai dropped about 70 percent and the SUV was discontinued in 1995.

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The joint statement issued Thursday said that studies performed by the U.S. government have shown that the rate of rollovers for the Samurai in real accidents was within the range of other SUVs. SUVs generally have higher rates of rollover than cars.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reviewed the Samurai’s safety, but the U.S. agency declined to open a defect investigation into the vehicle.

Other automakers have challenged Consumers Union’s tests, but with little success. Isuzu Motors Ltd. sued Consumer Reports in 1997 over its “not acceptable” rating for the Trooper SUV. While a jury found the magazine had made some false statements, it did not award any damages to the Japanese automaker.

The NHTSA has raised doubts about Consumer Reports’ vehicle testing in the past, saying the tests were unscientific and could be influenced by the driver.