GM is taking decisive action to rectify safety issues stemming from the sale of roughly 200,000 Chevrolet Malibus, Cobalts and Impalas without “standard” side airbags. The cars in questions were sold to fleet buyers with the bags deleted, saving purchasers $145 per vehicle. They then found their way into the resale market, including GM-certified franchises, where they’ve been sold as side airbag-equipped. No more, from one end of the food chain to the other. “Brian Latouf, director of GM’s Global Structure & Safety Integration Center, said the company wouldn’t allow the airbags to be deleted from the list of features available when they are bought by fleet buyers,” reports Detroit News. “He also said that vehicles without side airbags are clearly marked in the owner’s manual.” As for the cars already out there, somewhere, GM is making moves to address labeling issues for used car buyers. . .
The General’s minions have . . .
• Modified its GM Certified Web site so that when a dealer prints the window sticker for one of these vehicles, the side airbag feature will no longer be included automatically in the list of standard features for the vehicle.
• Contacted AutoTrader.com, Cars.com, and other major sellers and advised them that side airbags were not included as standard equipment in these certified used fleet vehicles.
• GM also called dealers that had certified used car inventory with the side airbag option deleted so they can remove the window label and replace it with correct information.
I bet it’s no longer an option that can be deleted. Good!
Addressing labeling issues doesn’t sound good for those customers that a bought the car thinking there would be side airbags on the vehicle they purchased. GM better hope a class action lawsuit doesn’t come about because of this.
Why would the current GM give a shit about a class action suit? They aren’t the same company. The lawsuit would be against the rubble of the “old” GM. Nothing there to sue for.
The list of VINs should be made public. States would then have the option of forcing salvage titles on these rolling monuments to bait-and-switch sales tactics.
Wouldn’t it have been almost as economical to have deleted the spare tire (and jack) instead?
I’d be none to pleased if a car T-boned me at an intersection and a little piece of paper popped out that said “IOU one airbag”. If I had any inkling at all to buy a GM car (which I don’t) there it went.
That’s bad. However, in the spirit of caveat emptor, it’s simple to tell which of these cars is equipped with side airbags and which is not.
Any car with side airbags will have a small embossed label to that effect on the top of the inside windshield and door pillar. If the cars are not so equipped, there will be no label.
Davekaybsc :
“I’d be none to pleased if a car T-boned me at an intersection and a little piece of paper popped out that said “IOU one airbag”.”
Ha! Thanks. I couldn’t help but think that Lt. Milo Minderbinder from Catch-22 was involved.
While there are consumer issues involved, 100% of us posting here at TTAC have driven cars without side air bags and we’ve all lived to tell about it.
Anyone have any data to show that side air bags are substantially safer than a proper seat/shoulder belt? Last time I looked, no racecars have any airbags at all and drivers walk away from some pretty serious wrecks all the time. Senna got killed and Massa got injured by debris, not sudden deceleration.
Were any of these “Fleet Buyers” rental car companies? If so, I’d like to know which rental car company puts the value of their customer’s life at $145.00.
Any rental company that deletes airbags from it’s vehicles deserves to go bankrupt.
-ted
RS:
Apples and oranges. A race driver is in a rather small coccoon, wearing a helmet and strapped in completely (including a head restraint). Intrusion into this area is pretty unlikely, and very bad when it happens (Zanardi).
The purpose of side bags (and especially “curtain” bags) is to put a barrier between the driver and whatever penetrates the car (if something hits harder or faster than the door-beams can take, it’s likely to be very bad). The side bags do the same job the helmet and head restraints would in a racing car (keep the head inside the vehicle and off of hard things). Also most racecars don’t have side glass.
Robert.Walter: “Wouldn’t it have been almost as economical to have deleted the spare tire (and jack) instead?”
Probably not. The manufacturers get such a sweet deal on tires and wheels that the overall cost of those items is likely to be less than $50.
It’s a shame that the process of adding airbags back to the car isn’t as simple as removing the B-pillar trim and plugging a $72.50 module into a wiring harness on each side…or is it? That way, if it’s that important to you it’s a simple matter of plunking down $145 at your “friendly GM dealer” for the part.
To those who claim that they won’t rent a vehicle without such-and-such equipment, those of us who rent cars frequently for business travel (the biggest users of rentals) can provide you with a fun little reality check. Large corporate travel agencies have tightly negotiated contracts with airlines, hotels and rental car companies. As the person who is handed the set of keys to your ride for the next few days, you often have limited choices, and remember, you probably don’t want to be known at your company as “the fussy one who is too good to drive what the rest of us drive.”
As Ronnie Schreiber pointed out, “100% of us posting here at TTAC have driven cars without side air bags and we’ve all lived to tell about it.” When you’ve been in an airplane for hours and you’re standing at a rental counter at 11:45 at night – AND you’ve got an 8:00 meeting in the morning in which you must alert – AND you can’t recall anyone in your circle of colleagues ever even having a a side-impact collision in a rental…well, you get the picture. Somehow, when you’re tired, need transportation and your own business is dependent on making a profit, you can get beyond the indignity of driving a vehicle without an airbag at your side.
@Ronnie Schreiber,
Why let reality get in the way of a good red herring? In any other context, many of us here would argue against any airbags, side curtain or otherwise, for a variety of reasons (dangerous explosives, another intrusion by the Nanny state, etc. Take your pick). But because it is GM that allowed a rental company to order cars without side airbags (almost) everyone is up in arms? That dog won’t hunt.
The airbag issue isn’t a big deal per se except I’m surprised that ANY safety equipment is able to be deleted as an option. Didn’t think that that would be legal. I know a few people who don’t like airbags on principal… I wonder if a class action lawsuit could be waged to have all of them as a deletable option?
Choice: No side airbags or airbags with metal projectiles. Decisions, decisions, decisions!
@Dimwit,
My guess is that the difference is the federal mandate. Side curtains aren’t mandated… yet. I know the last time I looked at Hondas side curtain airbags were an added cost option. This was a couple years ago, but I bet there are other brands that offer side curtains as options instead of standard equipment.
So to save 145 dollars they put drivers at greater risk. Nice.
Who is the bigger turd? Gm or teh bean counters that bought the cars and went for the delete?
FreedMike,
Since the airbags are standard equipment, it’s likely that all the applicable trim panels have the embossment.
I’ve always hated how fleet buyers cheap out cars and this just gives me more ammunition. These are the same people that wanted a cheaper car and gave GM a reason to continue using the 2 gens prior Malibu as a “Malibu Classic”. The very same ones that kept the previous Taurus alive longer than than it should have been allowed to live. I swear, if given the option, fleet buyers would make us put our foot through a hole in the floorboard to slow the car down just so they could save a buck.