Consumers Union Sued Over Trooper Report

American Isuzu Motors Inc. has sued Consumers Union, accusing the watchdog group of manipulating road tests to cause late model Isuzu Trooper sport-utility vehicles to tip up in sharp turns. Based on those tests, Consumers Union declared in its Consumer Reports magazine that the Trooper is prone to roll over. “The Trooper is a safe vehicle,” said Terry Maloney, senior vice president and general manager of American Isuzu Motors. “They knew it when they deliberately manipulated a Trooper to cause a tip-up.” Consumers Union, based in Yonkers, N.Y., said in a statement that it stands by its tests and conclusions. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Maloney declined to say how much money Isuzu has lost because of weakened Trooper sales. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last week denied a Consumers Union request to recall 1995 and ’96 Troopers after putting the vehicle through its own tests.