The Biggest Scandals in Automotive History

The Chevrolet Ascending Engine

In 1971, Chevrolet recalled 6.68 million cars across its various full-sized lineups from 1965 to 1970 for pretty much the scariest possible failure of a vehicle. The left engine mount was prone to breaking, which would allow the engine to climb upwards, pulling open the accelerator linkage, which would cause the engine to rise more. At a certain point, the rising engine would also pull the power brake booster vacuum hose loose, meaning the brakes became far less efficient. So, essentially, the car would lock its throttle open and disengage the braking system while the driver held on for dear life. On over 95% of the vehicles recalled, GM decided it was easier - i.e., cheaper - to install a cable system to hold the motor if the mount broke, instead of replacing the defective parts.

Our next controversy forced an overhaul of safety regulations back in the '60s.

Chevrolet Corvair vs. Ralph Nader

Back in 1965, Ralph Nader made waves in the auto industry with his controversial book, Unsafe at Any Speed. The book was a dissection of car makers’ refusal to adopt safety systems into their vehicles and aimed at the American car makers of the day. The first chapter dealt almost exclusively with the rear-engined Corvair and its semi-independent, swing-axle design, which Nader pointed to as a symptom of the industry’s focus on performance over safety. The book would go on to change the safety standards of vehicles going forward, but not without destroying the reputation of the Corvair first, however.

Our next slide is a more modern spotlight moment for Chevrolet.

But, as we’ll see in our next slide, GM isn’t the only one guilty of neglecting consumer safety.