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AutoMotives: A Paranoiac's Guide to Auto Defects Ed. Note: Last month's Paranoiac's Guide to Winter Driving seemed to strike a chord with at least some folks, so we again invited our paranoiac {who, obviously, prefers to remain anonymous} to give us his take this month on Auto Defects.
The Ford Explorer/Bridgestone-Firestone tire controversy got me thinking: How many other defects are out there that we're not even aware of? How many vehicle make and model investigations have been going on without our ever having an inkling of the results? I'll put my money on "plenty." My Sources Anyway, I started doing some investigation of my own. Now, I'm not generally inclined to trust the government; but there is a fed web site that provided more info than I could digest in an afternoon -- NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But let's get one thing straight here: I'm not talking about government intrusion and the usual amalgam of complaints they have about everything from air to food to water. For example, I heard about the NHTSA rollover test results the other day on the radio. But it still seems to me that the easiest way to avoid rollovers is not to drive like an idiot, especially in tricky weather. No. The issue here is that there's only one group I probably trust less than the government, and that's big business. And nobody qualifies for that status more than the auto makers. So. What kind of vehicle are you driving these days? No One Is Immune If you think you've solved the safety issue by buying a high-priced import or domestic, think again. A quick glance at the recalls database at NHTSA revealed entries for Acura's, Audi's, Alpha Romeo's, BMW's, Cadillac's, Ferrari's, Honda's, Infiniti's, Jaguar's, Land Rover's, Lincoln's, Mercedes Benz's, Peugeot's, Porsche's, Saab's, Volkswagen's, and Volvo's. Of course, the full line of domestics was also there, including Buick's, Chevy's, Chrysler's, Ford's -- you name it. Some of the recalls were seemingly innocuous -- like interior design problems. But how innocuous can it be if it results in a recall? The fact is, most of the interior design issues were related to things like unexpected airbag deployment, or steering columns that didn't meet the required safety parameters. The results? Some pretty serious accidents and injuries. Some of It Depends on Where You Live If you followed the tire recall, then you know that, while all the tires in question were being recalled, those vehicles in warmer climates were bumped to the top of the list. Why? Because some problems are more prevalent or susceptible in some parts of the country than in others.
A quick look at the Regional Recalls Database for January 1999 revealed two dozen regional recalls, including 1 for Chrysler, 13 for Ford, 2 for GM, 2 for Gulf States Toyota, 2 for Mazda North America, 2 for Nissan, 1 for Southeast Toyota, and 1 for Toyota Motor Co., Inc. The map at right represents the "Salt Belt," areas where winter conditions mix with road salt to cause problems, mostly associated with corrosion. But don't be lax. We're not talking about your vehicle rusting out prematurely. For example, the Chrysler recall [NHTSA Recall No. 98V005/Chrysler Recall No. 747] was based on corrosion of the front disc brake rotors that could "compromise the structural integrity of the stamped steel center hub section of the rotor." The result? Well, you can figure it out. The recall involved Jeep 1990-1991 Cherokee, Wrangler, Comanche and 1993 Grand Cherokee and 1989-1991 Eagle Premier and Dodge Monaco vehicles manufactured from July 1989 through July 1991. In the first Ford Regional Recall listed, we probably aren't talking about any vehicle you own. Why? Because it applied to Ford 1987-1994 B600 and B700 medium duty school bus chassis. That's right: "3,660 chassis sold or registered in the states of Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin." The problem? It seems the battery power junction block mounted on the right fender apron is "susceptible to road splash." That sounds relatively minor, until you realize that corrosion at the terminals can fracture them, causing a total loss of electrical power and engine shutdown. With the engine shutdown comes a few minor inconveniences, like loss of power steering assist and loss of the hydraulic brake boost, making the school bus, which, as I'm sure you know, is considerably heavier than your car or pick-up, very difficult to control. If you're curious, you can go down the rest of the 1999 Regional Recall list yourself. Vermont was included in 17 of the 24 recalls. And if you imagine that school bus recalls have to be few and far between, here's a short list of manufacturers whose school bus equipment has been recalled between January 1995 and June 2000: AmTran, Blue Bird, Carpenter/Crown, Coach & Equipment, Collins, Ford, General Motors Corporation, Girardin, International Truck and Engine Corp. (Navistar), LES Enterprises/Corbeil, Mid Bus, Spartan Motors, Superior/United Technologies, Sturdicorp/US Bus, Thomas Built, Van-Con, and Wayne Wheeled/Harsco. Better Safe Than Sorry Ok. I've convinced you: It couldn't hurt to check and see if your vehicle make and model is listed among the hundreds of recalls, or got low marks for safety issues, crash tests, and the like. What to do? I've supplied DownStreet with a fairly extensive list of links -- both to the NHTSA sites and a couple of others. Check them out, for your vehicle or for your child's school bus. And drive safely! The AutoMotives
Paranoiac
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