Enterprise Fallout: Nhtsa To Ask Automakers To Disclose Safety Feature Deletion

Last month, a controversy arose surrounding Enterprise Rent-a-Car's deletion of side airbags from GM Impalas and other vehicles, and how this could increase the risk of injuries in accidents involving these rental cars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has now decided to take note of the risk to motorists driving these rental cars, or buying them.

Beginning from model year 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will ask automakers to disclose whether they allow fleet owners to delete safety equipment like side airbags from their purchases. According to the agency, vehicle manufacturers must specifically state whether models of their cars purchased by fleet owners have different safety equipment from those available at dealerships. According to the NHTSA, it has found data provided by GM for some of its Chevrolet, Cobalt, and Buick LaCrosse models to be "misleading". While GM listed its Chevrolet Impalas of model years 2006 to 2008, Chevrolet Cobalt of model year 2008 to 2009 and some models of Buick LaCrosse as coming with the side airbags, it allowed fleet customers, like rental car companies, to have side airbags deleted on thousands of models between 2006 and 2009. This allowed the fleet purchasers to save up to $145 per vehicle.

Enterprise Rent-a-Car was the subject of an investigation last month which showed that the company had opted to delete the side airbag feature from up to 66,000 Impalas while purchasing them. However, the listings for some of the cars on the firm's website made no mention of the fact that the side airbags had been removed. The company didn't inform customers that the car they were purchasing didn't come with the important safety feature which was standard on Chevrolet Impalas. General Motors may have sold more than 200,000 vehicles without the side airbags. These vehicles were brought by fleet owners like Enterprise, who sold many of these without the safety feature, and without disclosing that they didn't come with airbags.

The controversy around Enterprise's decision to delete the safety feature and not inform customers about it has raged since the story broke. In California, personal injury lawyers have discussed the deceit, and the media has run with the story. Earlier in September, General Motors announced that it will no longer allow fleet owners to delete the side airbag feature while buying 2010 models.

Side curtain airbags are meant to protect vehicle occupants from serious injuries during a side impact collision. Often, these occupants have minimal protection from severe injuries during impact because there is little separating the interior of the vehicle from the other car. Side airbags are not yet standard on all vehicles, but automakers in 2003 agreed to make these features standard on all automobiles beginning in 2010 for vehicles at or below 8,500 pounds in weight. However, manufacturers have been quick to make these features standard on several models even before deadline because of their effectiveness in protecting from severe injuries, and the great demand for such features. Many cars now come with side curtain airbags as standard features.