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Automotive Industry

It's a Witchhunt - Ford Motor Co - Brief Article - Column

Automotive Industries, Nov, 2000 by Andrew Cummins

Never has the automobile industry been under more severe scrutiny by the Federal Government, NHTSA, the customer and every other legal jurisdiction than it is today.

The Firestone/Ford situation has placed our industry under a microscope of indeterminable power. Sure, we've endured government investigations, public scorn and ridicule before, but never like this. It appears the customer has no responsibility for the upkeep, operation and general safety of a vehicle.

As an industry, we've built child safety into the vehicle; we've added active and passive restraint systems; we've installed low impact bumpers; we've made the vehicle crushable; we've designed anti-sway bars and load sensing dynamics. In short; we've made cars and trucks so safe today that even the most reckless driver still stands a chance of getting home every night.

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I recently saw a demonstration of Jaguar's new safety restraint system, A.R.T.S. The video showed crash tests from every angle, every perspective, every conceivable situation. I saw them in real time, in slow motion and in stop action. The dummy walked away every time. This advanced system features an array of sensors that monitor and detect every passengers weight, position and (I think) frame of mind while seated in the vehicle. This network of sensors sends signals to a black box imbedded in the vehicle that controls seatbelt tension and air bag velocity which makes the crash much less jarring for all the occupants of the vehicle. But only a Jaguar can afford to sport a system as advanced as A.R.T.S. For the rest of us--buckle up.

The point here is not that Jaguar has a better system. It's that we need the system at all. There is a public responsibility here that seems to be overlooked. What about safe driving? Of course you're a safe driver, but look around you while driving to work. It's amazing any of us make it in.

Congress has ordered NHTSA to write 14 new safety rules within the next three years. And Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater believes these rules will save lives -- bull pucky. Rules don't save lives; safe driving saves lives. We're so safety regulated now I hate to think what it's costing us. I do know that the $450 million-plus cost of the Firestone tire recall will get passed on to someone. Anyone care to guess who?

The energy and money being expended to affix blame in this instance should be expended to fix the problem. But it's a witch-hunt out there and every jurisdiction is out for its ounce of blood and an executive's head. Appropriate for this fall season, wouldn't you say?

We're not going to be out from under this microscope for a while. Ford is under fire with another recall having to do with the thick film ignition modules that are said to make the vehicle stall in traffic. The recall includes 29 badges between 1983 and 1995. Come on people, these are old vehicles. Of course they're going to stall in traffic. How have these vehicles been maintained? My guess is not well.

Again, it comes down to responsibility. We are all personally responsible for the safety of our children, the maintenance of our vehicles and the way we drive. Is it really Ford's responsibility to make our cars and trucks wreck proof? Is it the job of the Federal Government to mandate precautionary measures that will make driving safer? I don't think so.

As an industry, we have been very good at implementing features and functions on automobiles that make them safer, more fuel efficient and cleaner to operate through the competitive system.

We're an industry of survivors. We survived Ralph Nader -- the Corvair didn't, but the industry did and Chevrolet is still making cars. We survived the Pinto fires -- the Pinto didn't but Ford is still making cars. GM survived the side-impact gas tank affair and they're still selling trucks. And Ford and Firestone will survive this issue -- well Ford will at least.

In the future, the warranty risk and, ultimately, the responsibility will be much wider spread. As suppliers are expected to accept more and more responsibility for whole portions of the automobile, they too will be under the microscope and victims of the witch hunters. What do you think?

Andrew Cummins is Publisher of Automotive Industries.

Automotive Industry

It's a Witchhunt - Ford Motor Co - Brief Article - Column

Automotive Industries, Nov, 2000 by Andrew Cummins

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