Automotive scandals that shook the industry and consumer confidence

 

THE AUTOMOTIVE industry has had its share of scandals—not the ones you might see in your e-mail or dubious DVD vendors, but serious ones that can endanger consumer life and limb.

 

Here’s a list of incidents showing that carmakers, while making great advancements in technology and safety, occasionally misfire when it comes to safety, and then exhibit less than exemplary behavior.

 

Volkswagen ‘dieselgate’

 

This is the latest and one of the largest incidents of violating regulations. The US Environmental Protection Agency uncovered, with VW’s confession, that the company’s diesel engines, particularly the 2-liter variant, contain software that can detect when the vehicle is undergoing emissions testing and subsequently adjusts itself to pass the test.

 

The engine then disables this setting during normal driving, increasing performance and allowing the cars to emit as much as 40 times the allowable levels of pollutants, particularly nitrogen oxide.

 

Volkswagen faces the recall of up to 11 million vehicles, $18 billion in fines, and possibly irreparable damage to its reputation. The company saw its value drop by more than 30 percent after the revelation, dragging down the share values of other German carmakers.

 

The installation of the cheating software may have been tied to a push to sell more diesel cars in the United States, and as part of the company’s goal to achieve No. 1 in sales.

 

Philippine impact: The Euro 2 emissions standard currently being followed by the Philippines has no limitation on nitrogen oxide. As of writing time, VW Philippines has not responded regarding the emissions of its diesel cars.

 

Takata airbags

 

As a device designed to save lives in a crash, the airbag has been the primary passive safety device next to the seatbelt. The airbag uses a controlled detonation to rapidly inflate before the driver or passenger can slam into a hard surface.

 

Some of the inflators manufactured by airbag supplier Takata were defective, their propellant causing ruptures that led to at least seven deaths and more than 100 injuries worldwide.

 

The subsequent recall to replace driver and passenger airbags involved 19 million vehicles from 12 manufacturers, from BMW to Toyota. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) called it one of the largest and most complex product recalls in history.

 

Philippine impact: Honda Cars Philippines recalled 65,000 vehicles comprised of select models of the CR-V, Jazz, Civic, City and Insight.

 

GM ignition switch fault

 

This affected manufactured vehicles of General Motors such as the Pontiac Solstice and G5, Saturn Ion and Sky, and Chevrolet Cobalt and HHR that contained defective ignition switches.

 

The switches could be nudged from “On” to the “Accessory” or engine off position while driving, shutting down the car and causing drivers to lose control, and also disabling the airbags.

 

The NHTSA was also taken to task for delayed action in the recall. GM recalled more than two million vehicles and initially settled with 1,380 individual death and personal injuries claimants, racking up charges of $575 million. The company was also liable for fines of $900 million.

 

Philippine impact: The affected vehicles are not included in the Philippine lineup.

 

Tread separation debacle

 

In 2000, Ford Explorer SUVs were identified as being prone to rolling over after tread separation of a rear tire. The tires that showed a propensity to tread separation were Firestone ATX and Wilderness tires.

 

Ford and longtime supplier Bridgestone/Firestone each blamed one another for the accident. The two companies jointly announced that Firestone would recall 14.4 million tires for replacement.

 

The Mercury Mountaineer, Ford Bronco and Ranger, and the Mazda B-series and Navajo were also affected.

 

Philippine impact: Affected vehicles with the faulty tires were not sold in the Philippines.

 

Exploding fuel tank

 

The Ford Pinto, a subcompact hatchback, was sold with a fuel tank that was susceptible to leaking and bursting into flames even in low- and moderate-speed rear collisions. This was memorably spoofed in the movie “Top Secret!”

 

A US jury decided that Ford had marketed the Pinto knowing that injuries were possible and despite the availability of a safer design. Since government safety standards only required a 30-mile-per-hour fixed front barrier test, the Pinto passed testing.

 

Ford recalled the Pinto and Mercury Bobcat, numbering about 2.2 million vehicles, for modifications to the fuel tank. Ford documents reportedly suggested that it would be cheaper to pay for burn death and injury victims rather than modify the fuel tank.

 

Philippine impact: None by now, unless you’re a collector of old, unremarkable Ford vehicles.