Suzuki Samurai Sales Off 70.6% : Plunge Follows Article Branding Vehicle Unsafe

Sales of the Suzuki Samurai plunged 70.6% in June from a year earlier, the auto maker said in its first sales report since Consumers Union charged that the jeep-like vehicle tips over too easily.

American Suzuki Motor Corp. said it sold 2,199 Samurais in June, down from 7,479 in June of 1987.

Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, said on June 2 that the Samurai tends to roll over when the driver swerves to avoid an accident. It gave the vehicle its first “not acceptable” rating in 10 years.

Suzuki responded that the testing procedures used by Mount Vernon, N.Y.-based Consumers Union were “biased and completely inaccurate.”

The Samurai, a four-wheel-drive vehicle, has a high center of gravity, a narrow tread width, a short wheelbase and light weight. Consumers Union said that combination made the vehicle inherently flawed, but Suzuki said the design was sound and cited statistics showing the Samurai had a good safety record.