Safety Problems in the Chevrolet Corvair
by On October 2, 1959, General Motors’ Chevrolet division introduced the 1960 Corvair automobile. This vehicle included an innovative design, similar to some European cars of the time, which placed the engine in the rear of the vehicle.
In 1966, a book by a young Harvard Law School graduate named Ralph Nader detailed the dangers of the Corvair as well as the reluctance of the automotive industry to spend money on improving safety. The vehicle’s design became the focus of safety issues previously unaddressed by the automotive industry, government, or public.
Prior to the 1960s, the automotive industry operated with minimal government or public oversight. Automobile designs, while similar in body style, varied between make and model and focused on making the car as economical as possible to manufacture, with little emphasis on safety features. Some general features with safety issues included light-colored dashboards that reflected on the windshield, causing the driver’s view to be impaired; gear shift patterns with no standardization; dashboard knobs that were identical in appearance and indistinguishable to the driver; steering columns in positions that made them life-threatening in a collision; and a lack of safety restraint systems (unless the purchaser opted to add seat belts for an additional cost).
Nader’s book Unsafe at Any Speed brought national attention to the automobile industry. The first chapter of the book focused specifically on the Corvair. The Corvair’s rear suspension in the 1960-1963 models was alleged to “tuck in,” causing the car to fishtail and flip over when cornering sharply. Nader detailed crash incidents that indicated the Corvair was unsafe as well as design flaws that made it so. In response to the publication, General Motors executives hired private detectives to delve into Nader’s personal life and follow him. These actions appeared to lend credence to his claims, and revelations of the situation led to GM president James Roche appearing before a congressional committee and publicly apologizing to Nader.
On March 22, 1965, the Senate Subcommittee on Executive Reorganization, Committee on Government Operations, began a long-range series of hearings on the federal role in traffic safety. The Subcommittee Chairman was Senator Abraham Ribicoff. The hearings and resultant public interest contributed to the passage of two new auto safety laws (the National Trafficand Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 and the Highway Safety Act of 1966) and also the creation of the National Highway Safety Bureau, which, under the Highway Safety Act of 1970, was renamed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Corvair was a catalyst for consumer protection efforts in the automotive industry and led other industries to follow suit. Ultimately, the automotive industry was scrutinized as a whole for dismissing the necessity of automobile safety and placing blame for accidents primarily on consumers. The circumstances surrounding the Corvair paved the way for corporate change, shifting the industry away from the accepted culture of apathy and toward implementation of vehicle safety measures. Ironically, the NHTSA eventually opened an investigation into the Corvair and concluded that it was no more prone to accidents and rollovers than other cars of that time period.
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