Speed Control is a Small Factor in NHTSA Complaints

[brian]

April 8, 2010: Interesting article in NY Times today: An analysis of consumer complaints submitted to auto manufacturers in recent years reveals that speed-control issues – like those associated with Toyota vehicles – account for only a small percentage of problems brought to the attention of carmakers.
What is the biggest complaint? Why Airbags, of course. (See our related forum posting Airbags: Consumer Expectations) Folks apparently complain when they don’t go off, folks complain when they do go off. More than half the claims reported to NHTSA about the big 6 automakers were about Air bags. That is compared to 3% of the claims about speed control (per the analysis of the NHTSA early-warning reports claims by the NY Times).
The NHTSA early-warning reports, which were held confidential until 2008, have been a subject of controversy in the industry throughout their existence. By law, a manufacturer must report to the safety administration any notice or claim against its products that it receives. Each early-warning report record for death and injury identifies up to five potentially faulty components in the vehicle, like air bags and tires. The early-warning report records “provide additional information from manufacturers so N.H.T.S.A. can quickly spot potential safety defects.”
The analysis of the early-warning reports for Toyota by the NY Times indicate that approx 11 percent identified speed control as a factor.
See the full story Speed Control a Small Factor in Car Claims