Toyota takes on IIHS Top Safety Picks

Just days after its public shouting match with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over sudden acceleration claims, Toyota is now arguing with the nation’s top private safety organization, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

On Wednesday, the IIHS released its list of Top Safety Picks for 2010. This year the Institute added a new roof strength test to its requirements for cars to receive the rating. That demanding criteria dramatically shortened the 2010 list.

In its press release announcing the results, IIHS called out Toyota for having no vehicles that qualified.

In response, yesterday Toyota called IIHS’s new methodology “extreme and misleading.” In a statement, Toyota Vice President of Public Affairs Irv Miller said, “There are 38 Toyota, Lexus, and Scion models, and only three were tested for roof strength by IIHS: Camry, RAV4, and Yaris.” He said all Toyota products meet government standards for roof crush. The new IIHS test for roof strength is much tougher than the government standard, which NHTSA looking to make more stringent.

Later yesterday, Russ Rader, an IIHS spokesman, essentially told Toyota to put up or shut up. He is quoted in the New York Times stating that all automakers were invited to nominate vehicles to be tested (and reimburse IIHS for the test.) “We don’t think there are automakers who would miss the opportunity to have their vehicles tested if they thought they met the criteria. We can only assume the [manufacturer’s other] vehicles would not do well for roof strength.”

While Toyota still has among the most reliable and fuel-efficient car lineups Consumer Reports has tested, the bloom may be coming off the company’s rose. While its cars generally do well in most safety measures, this pattern of blasting the messenger isn’t helping its public image, an image that is increasingly under attack.

Over time, the IIHS is expected to test more vehicles for roof strength. The test is performed by pressing a metal plate against one side of the roof at a constant speed. To earn a Good rating, a vehicle must withstand a force that is four times the vehicle’s weight before compressing five inches. This tough new test adds another dimension to the Top Safety Picks.

For information on how vehicles perform in government and IIHS crash tests, see the safety tabs in the model overview pages, available to online subscribers.

Watch more than 300 crash tests videos to see how vehicles perform in frontal offset and side-impact tests.

—Eric Evarts

American highways are safer last year

The National Transportation Safety Board reports that 9 percent fewer people died on American highways last year than in 2007, continuing the trend toward safer cars and safer roads across the country.

Total fatalities fell to 34,017 from 37,435, even as Americans cut back on driving in the recession. Total vehicle miles fell from 3.03 billion miles traveled to 2.93 billion miles. While the miles driven were reduced, the fatality rate fell at an even greater rate to 1.27 per 100 million miles driven from 1.36 in 2007. The lower overall highway fatality rate means individual trips have gotten safer as well.

All is not rosy in on the roads, however. For the 11th straight year, motorcycle fatalities have increased. Last year 5,290 riders died in crashes, compared to 5,174 last year. In 1997, the number was just 2,116. The increase is attributed to a greater number of middle-aged motorcycle buyers as well as the repeal of mandatory motorcycle helmet laws in many states. Not counting this increase in motorcycle fatalities, the death rate for car passengers dropped even further than reported.

Highway safety improvements are coming as more cars are designed to pass the most stringent crash tests, and more models are equipped with electronic stability control and curtain air bags. Find out more about choosing a safe car and driving safely in our car safety section.

—Eric Evarts

Automakers agree to ban on drivers texting

Ahead of the safety summit next week with Secretary Ray LaHood, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) has rallied behind a ban on hand-held texting and cell phone use while driving.

A recent study, has shown that texting is more than 23 times more dangerous than talking on a cell phone while driving. To put it another way, that’s 2,200 percent riskier. And earlier studies by have shown that merely holding a conversation even on a hands-free cell phone is as dangerous as drunk driving.

AAM consists of 11 automakers, including BMW, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota, and Volkswagen. Many of the organization’s members are developing hands-free and voice recognition systems that will allow drivers to send and receive text messages and phone calls without looking away from the road. That may reduce the danger, but it still leaves motorists as vulnerable as having a drunken driver on the road, according to a joint study by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (PDF).

—Eric Evarts

For more information on distracted driving see our related reports:
Anti-texting video to scare drivers straight
Using wireless communication devices while driving
Cell phone use and driving laws
Dangers of cell phones while driving
Should cell phone use by drivers be illegal?
Texting while driving
Talking in the slow lane

Do cars dream of electric beeps? Nissan proposes to break EV silence with ‘Blade Runner’ whir

One of our staff members recently had an experience that pointed out the downside of silent-running hybrids. He almost got hit by a hybrid car backing up in a parking garage that he couldn’t see or hear. Read his account of the tale here.

Full-hybrid cars that drive at low speeds on electric power without starting the gasoline engine (as well as battery electric and fuel-cell vehicles) can pose a hazard to pedestrians who can’t see or hear them, as his experience illustrated.

The issue of silent hybrids has been percolating for years. The National Federation of the Blind asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2008 to devise a standard requiring that cars be required to make some noise when they are moving. NHTSA is studying the issue.

Last week, Nissan made a proposal to NHTSA for how hybrid and electric cars should sound. The company plans to introduce its first production electric car, the Leaf, next year. Nissan has been studying what kinds of sounds electric cars should make, and it has consulted music composers in an effort to find more pleasant solution than just beeping. “We decided that if we're going to do this, if we have to make sound, then we're going to make it beautiful and futuristic," the company’s sound engineer, Toshiyuki Tabata told Bloomberg News   

In the end, Tabata and his team settled on a high-pitched sound reminiscent of the flying cars in the 1982 sci-fi classic film "Blade Runner." The sound would come on when the car starts and continue until it reaches about 12 mph, when even electric cars make enough tire noise that pedestrians can hear them.

Whatever sound is used, it needs to be a defined and standardized sound that is identifiable as a car in motion. Random sounds and tunes could be misidentified. We are looking to NHTSA and the SAE to step forward in this potential safety issue.

What do you think would be an appropriate way for silent cars to warn blind or unsuspecting pedestrians?

—Eric Evarts

Fisker announces fuel economy for Karma plug-in hybrid – without much hype

 
Measuring fuel consumption in the upcoming generation of plug-in hybrid cars is not a straightforward process, as we’ve said before. Depending on the driving cycle and how often they’re recharged with electricity, their miles per gallon can range to infinity.
 
But such claims sound preposterous and may only damage automakers credibility, such marketing campaign in which  General Motors the upcoming Chevrolet Volt.
 
So it’s refreshing to see an emerging automaker make a more realistic claim, based on a standard set by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Fisker Automotive, which plans to  introduce the Karma  plug-in hybrid electric sedan next year, says the car will get 67 mpg based on the SAE test. (GM says its tests of the Volt were based on a new Environmental Protection Agency standard that has not been made public. However, government sources have told us the new EPA standard is based on the same SAE standard cited by Fisker.)
 
In price, the Fisker Karma is likely to compete with cars like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Lexus LS 600h. At Fisker’s claimed 67 mpg, the Karma would achieve a 75 percent reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions compared with those cars. And it would be cleaner and more efficient than today’s best hybrids.
 
Like the Volt, the Karma’s fuel economy will depend entirely on how often it is recharged electrically and how it is driven.
 
Fisker also released some other detailed specifications for the Karma: It will have a 22 kwh battery capable of taking the car 50 miles on electricity between recharges. (A turbocharged 2.2-liter gasoline engine will kick in for longer trips.) The battery pack will produce 200 kw (about 268 hp). Fisker calls electric mode Stealth. Combining the engine and the electric motor (in Sport mode) yields a total of 403 horsepower.
 
All these numbers sound impressive. But we’ll have to wait until the Karma goes on sale to verify their accuracy. At least they don’t seem as wildly out of reach as those of GM.
 
-- Eric Evarts 

How distracted a driver are you?

If you use a cell phone for calls or texting while driving, chances are you are dangerously distracted. Studies and statistics that have emerged this month may be enough to encourage many drivers to swear off multitasking from behind the wheel. And if not, a clever “game” from The New York Times can provide a further wake-up call.

The interactive feature can assess your reaction time while responding to a series of text messages and thereby illustrate the impact of distractions—all from the safety of your desk chair. Give it a try, and you’ll see how easy it is to be distracted by the messages and miss important signs.

However, please note that no matter how well you do, texting while driving is extremely dangerous and should be avoided. In fact, strongly consider turning off the device when behind the wheel to remove the temptation to respond to incoming messages.

The New York Times recently broke a story on a 250-page report from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) detailing the cell-phone risks to motorists, and they are severe whether using a hands-free or handheld phone. This week we reported on a Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study that found texting while driving has the highest crash risk of all cell phone related tasks—23 times riskier than using a cell phone. Any way you approach it, cell phones and driving make for a dangerous combination.

The conclusion remains: Hang up and drive.

—Liza Barth

For more information on distracted driving see our related reports:
Using wireless communication devices while driving
Cell phone use and driving laws
Dangers of cell phones while driving
Should cell phone use by drivers be illegal?
Texting while driving
Talking in the slow lane

Crash course: Dangers due to roads

We’ve discussed how vehicle crashes are linked to a number of factors such as driver distraction, driver age, and crash avoidance technologies, but a new study has now examined how crashes relate to the physical condition of roadways. The study by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE) found that roadway conditions affect the cost and severity of crashes more than when alcohol or speeding were involved, or the cost of not using seat belts.

Road conditions are a factor in 52 percent of the nearly 42,000 deaths and in 38 percent of non-fatal injuries in the U.S. In monetary terms, this translates to more than $217 billion a year, which is much more than the $59 billion the government is putting into roadway improvements. In addition, crashes due to poor road conditions cost American businesses $22 billion in insurance expenses, worker compensation claims, sick leave, and Social Security. Plus, these crashes cost government (taxpayers) at all levels an estimated $12.3 billion.

The study also ranked the states by road-related crash costs. Topping the list at over $116,000 per million vehicle miles of travel is Alabama, followed by South Carolina and Louisiana. The state with the highest cost per mile of roadway is Hawaii at over $330,000, followed by California and the District of Columbia.

The study’s authors had some suggestions to help make the roadways safer for users: Structural changes include adding or widening shoulders, improving roadway alignment, and replacing or widening narrow bridges. More immediate solutions include installing better signs, brighter pavement markings, rumble strips, and guardrails when necessary.

—Liza Barth

EPA grants California CO2 emissions waiver

After a five-year legal battle, the Environmental Protection Agency yesterday granted California permission to set the nation’s first greenhouse-gas emissions standards for cars. This paves the way for as many as 15 other states that have endorsed California’s proposal to follow suit.

The state’s victory is mostly symbolic at this point, because it already agreed to follow new federal regulations through 2015. But it provides a final resolution to years of legal wrangling over CO2 limits on tailpipe emissions.

Since cars emit carbon dioxide in direct proportion to their fuel consumption, the issue had been mired in dozens of lawsuits and countersuits among automakers, the various states, the EPA, and non-profit environmental organizations over whether the rule was an emissions or a fuel economy regulation, whether it was practical, and who had the right to enforce it. This action ends the long saga.

Under the 1968 Clean Air Act, California is allowed to set its tougher emissions standards than the rest of the country, but it can’t set fuel economy standards. Other states are allowed to sign on to the California standard or the national standard, but only with the permission, or “waiver” from the EPA. So 15 other states, including Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Arizona, which had signed on to the California standard were waiting for the ruling.

In May, EPA administrator Lisa Jackson put the issue to rest by passing the first national carbon dioxide emissions standard for cars, modeled after the California standard. The national CO2 limits would effectively require cars to average 35.5 mpg by 2015. In return, California agreed not to pass its own rules until after 2015.

This new ruling will allow California to again take the environmental lead after 2016.

The state’s original standards, which started the flurry of lawsuits, calls for CO2 limits that would require cars to average almost 40 mpg by 2020.

—Eric Evarts

Road rage: Angriest cities to drive

New York City has a number of nicknames such as the Big Apple and Gotham, but now it can add another distinction—America’s Road Rage capital. According to the annual study by the Affinion Group, NYC tops the list as the least courteous U.S. city to drive in, up from its third place finish last year. It rudely took the title away from Miami. The city with the least road rage was Portland, Oregon, up from second place last year. See the list of top five best and worst cities below.

Cities with the worst road rage:

1. New York City
2. Dallas/Ft. Worth
3. Detroit
4. Atlanta
5. Minneapolis/St. Paul

Cities with the least angry drivers:

1. Portland, OR
2. Cleveland
3. Baltimore
4. Sacramento
5. Pittsburgh

The study was conducted via telephone (though not while driving!) between January and March 2009 with 2,518 interviews in 25 major metro areas.

Besides determining the best and worst cities for driving, the study also looked at driving habits and attitudes. The major causes of road rage, as determined by the study, includes aggressive driving, angry drivers, people in a hurry, traffic problems, and selfish drivers who are inconsiderate on the road.

The respondents noted behaviors by other drivers that can lead to road rage such as drivers who talk on the cell phone (which 84 percent of respondents see every day), speeding (58 percent), tailgating (53 percent), eating or drinking behind the wheel (48 percent), or texting while driving (37 percent).

In response to bad driving by others, those surveyed admitted to honking their horn (which 43 percent say they do every month), cursing, waving arms or fists, or making obscene gestures.

Road rage is a dangerous issue that can lead to car crashes, violence, and even death. In order to avoid becoming a victim of road rage, here is some advice for motorists:

• Stay in the right lane when not passing.
• Don’t tailgate.
• Use your directional signal when changing lanes or turning.
• Don’t honk your horn unnecessarily.
• If you see an aggressive driver, move out of the way.
• Be courteous to other drivers.
• Pay attention to the road.
• Never get out of your car to confront an aggressive driver.

While drivers who resort to violence on the road clearly have issues, aggressive driving behavior is mostly caused by stress. Here are some tips to avoid a meltdown behind the wheel.

• Plan ahead. If you’re not rushed, you won’t be as stressed.
• Get plenty of rest. (See our report on drowsy driving.)
• Know how you will get to your destination. (See our Ratings of GPS navigation systems.)
• Make sure your car is in good shape. (See our guide to car maintenance.)
• Try to wind down before your get behind the wheel.
• Develop coping strategies to avoid a blow up such as listening to calming music or a book on tape. Making good use of your time will reduce the stress delays cause.
• If you find yourself reaching a boiling point, pull over and take a break.

--Liza Barth

What does the GM bankruptcy mean to you?

General Motor’s decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy has created a lot of uncertainty for both car buyers and owners of GM vehicles. While it’s too early to know how all of the variables will play out, both the company and the federal government are hoping for a relatively short restructuring period. Ideally, GM will emerge from this as a leaner, more streamlined automaker—with fewer brands, dealerships, and models—that is better positioned to compete in today’s automotive environment.

In the meantime, the restructuring processes could be fairly transparent for most car buyers and owners. Exceptions include those who have a local dealership close its doors or discontinue carrying a certain brand. And for car shoppers in general, it could be a great time to buy.

This Q&A provides some guidance to some of the common questions we’re hearing. For more information, go to our Auto Crisis page.

Will I be able to get parts and service for my GM car?
GM has said that it will continue to support their authorized dealerships with parts during this restructuring period, so that the dealers can continue to service your vehicle. Of course, common third-party replacement parts are also widely available through auto-parts stores.

Keep in mind that you don't have to take your car to a dealership for servicing, even if it’s under warranty. A good independent shop, especially one that specializes in your car’s brand, should be able to handle routine maintenance and many repairs. Moreover, independent repair shops are often less expensive than dealerships and, according to our Annual Auto Survey, generally provide a higher level of satisfaction. You will need to go to a dealership, however, for warranty and recall work.

Will GM still back my warranty? 
GM has said that it will continue to support its vehicles’ warranties during this restructuring period. In addition, the Treasury Department’s Warranty Commitment Program says that the federal government would back warranties for any GM vehicle bought during the restructuring period, should the automaker go out of business. The government would contract with a third-party auto-service provider to provide warranty repairs. Such a program might not run as smoothly as an automaker program, but it wouldn’t kick in unless the automaker is liquidated. 

Will this affect the resale value of my GM car?
With the uncertainty surrounding GM, it’s likely that its cars will drop in value during this restructuring period, especially for brands that are being phased out or sold. But if the company re-establishes itself as a strong, stable automaker in future months, ongoing models could see a rebound in value.

The resale value for brands that are discontinued is likely to drop dramatically, as happened when GM phased out Oldsmobile in 2004 and Chrysler dropped Plymouth in 2001. This would have the most effect on owners who keep their vehicle for only a few years, say five or less. But if you plan to keep the car for a long time, depreciation is less of a factor.

To help compensate for this drop in value, GM is currently offering a sales-incentive program that gives you extra money if you trade in a current GM car for another. It also covers selling your car privately, but you still need to buy another GM vehicle within a certain period of time. For details, go to www.gm.com/vehicles/currentoffers/.

To estimate how much your current vehicle is worth and to get the most for your car when selling or trading in, see our used car buying advice.

Should I buy a GM car now?
GM is offering some tempting sales incentives, including zero-percent financing and/or cash rebates, on many of its models, including ones that we recommend. And with slow auto sales and too much inventory, dealers are ready to negotiate. So, it’s likely that you could get a very good deal during this restructuring period.

In addition to advertised customer incentives, automakers often provide behind-the-scenes dealer incentives. Knowing about these can help you to negotiate a lower price. Consumer Reports’ New Car Price Reports give you a list of all national and regional incentives for a particular model, including the hard-to-find holdback amounts, and the CR Bottom Line Price, which factors in all those to give you a good starting point for negotiating the vehicle’s price. Dealer sales incentives can also be found at various auto-pricing Web sites. 

It’s important to remember that any deal is only as good as the vehicle you’re buying. We recommend that you thoroughly research the performance, reliability, safety, owner cost, and owner satisfaction of any model you’re considering. Subscribers to ConsumerReports.org have access to our Ratings in all of those areas.

Several recent GM models have done well in our testing and are very competitive in their classes. This includes the Chevrolet Malibu, Cadillac CTS, and GM’s quartet of three-row, crossover SUVs (Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Saturn Outlook). All except for the Malibu, however, have shown below-average reliability in their first years.

Overall, you need to balance a good deal with the risk of greater depreciation, the chance of reduced consumer protections (see What If I Have a Claim Against GM?), and the chance that your local dealership could go out of business in coming months. (GM recently notified hundreds of its dealers that it will not renew their franchise contracts in October 2010. In the end, the company expects to have about 3,600 dealerships in the U.S., still well more than Toyota’s 1,600 or Honda’s or Nissan’s 1,200.)

What brands and models will still be available?
GM plans to trim its number of U.S. brands from eight to four. It plans to retain Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC, while phasing out or selling Hummer, Pontiac, Saab, and Saturn. GM has said that it will not rebrand any vehicles from those divisions to be sold by the remaining divisions.

Pontiac is expected to be phased out by the end of 2010. GM has been meeting with parties interested in buying Hummer, Saab, and Saturn. But since no final details have been announced, the future of those models remains uncertain.

GM has also said that it will discontinue several of its high-performance models by the end of this year, including the Chevrolet Cobalt SS sedan, HHR SS, and Impala SS, the Cadillac STS-V, and the Pontiac G6 GXP. 

What if I have a claim against GM?
It’s too early to tell what will happen, but in the case of Chrysler’s restructuring consumer litigation and many unsettled claims have been frozen by the bankruptcy process. Even the checks for some settled lemon-law claims have bounced, although Chrysler has said they will be reissued.

To get answers to the most common questions and concerns about Chrysler’s and GM’s bankruptcy, check out our Auto Crisis hub.

—Rik Paul