Investigation finds Enterprise Rent-A-Car sold Chevy Impalas without standard side air bags

KansasCity.com ^ | August 15, 2009 | Rick Montgomery and Dan Margolies

[MamaDearest]

Last September, Rachelle Beamer of Gardner bought a Chevy Impala that had been part of Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s fleet. “I don’t think I thought to ask if the side air bags were there,” she said when told that her Impala, bought from an Olathe car dealer, lacked the safety devices. Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the nation’s largest private buyer of new cars and seller of used ones, chose to “delete” a standard safety feature from thousands of Chevrolet Impala fleet vehicles, saving millions of dollars. After the company rented out those 2006-08 model vehicles, Enterprise and countless dealers nationwide offered them for sale on the open market — minus the side-curtain air bags that have been shown to dramatically reduce highway deaths. What’s more, a Kansas City Star investigation found that hundreds of Impalas already sold were incorrectly advertised on Enterprise’s Web site as having the very head-protecting feature that the rental company opted to exclude on General Motors’ factory floor. “I’ve never seen a standard safety feature removed from a vehicle,” said Sean Kane, who heads Safety Research & Strategies Inc. in Rehoboth, Mass. “That’s what’s so unique about this. I’ve been doing this work for 17 years and, until now, had yet to see this happen.” Enterprise officials defended their decision to delete the side air bags on roughly 66,000 Impalas as one that did not violate any federal mandate. That decision saved the company $175 on each Impala, which would total about $11.5 million. But the St. Louis-based company admitted making a mistake in its online advertising. “There’s definitely a glitch in the system,” Christy Conrad, Enterprise’s vice president for corporate communications, acknowledged when The Star informed Enterprise of the misleading Web postings.

[Valpal1]

I didn’t know GM could sell fleets of vehicles without the mandated safety features. How did they get around that?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Different regulations for corporate fleets and private buyers.

Enterprise sell-a-car is pretty sloppy about listing features. I came across a handful in Enterprise lots boasting a “cruise control” which did not exist. Caveat emptor with these people.

[DJ MacWoW]

The article says : that did not violate any federal mandate.

[HereInTheHeartland]

What an incredibly stupid thing to do.
They saved a few bucks, but reputation loss now will be 10 times that in dollars.

Also, if someone was in an accident and injured while renting a Enterprise Impala; why would Enterprise not be liable for deleting a standard safety feature?

[visualops]

AS the article stated, it is not required. The fact that it is normally a “standard” feature does not make it law. Most cars nowadays have power windows as “standard”, but they certainly are not required.

[PapaBear3625]

I didn’t know GM could sell fleets of vehicles without the mandated safety features. How did they get around that?

Side bags are not mandated, only front bags are.

[HereInTheHeartland]

I assume most car renters would assume that a rental would have most standard safety features included.
And I would also assume for liability reasons this is one place not to save money.

[DJ MacWoW]

I am a short person. I don’t like “standard safety features” that will either break my neck (airbags) or rip my head off (shoulder strap). Not everyone is in favor of government control.

[HereInTheHeartland]

“Not everyone is in favor of government control.”

I have always worn a seat belt, as I feel not doing so is foolish. As is wearing a motorcycle helmet.

BUT the government should not decree that I do this.

I do it as my choice for safety; not because I am told.

I also sometimes drive under the speed limit if road conditions warrant, (ice and snow normally); not because I am told; because it is the smart thing to do.

I also frequently go over the speed limit, because it is safe to do so.

[DJ MacWoW]

I wear a seatbelt but the strap hits me just below my jaw. Not comfortable. But it keeps my butt in the seat on turns. However, for short people these things, seatbelts and airbags, are dangerous too.

I figure they have 3 shots at killing me in an accident. If the seatbelt doesn't rip my head off, the front airbag could break my neck. If it doesn't, they have a second shot at me with the side airbag. Voila! Population control made easy.

I agree that it should be a choice.

[varina davis]

Amen!

[visualops]

That’s a lot of assumptions.

[cheetah_ksu]

Most cars on the road today are not equipped with side airbags. There is no law stating that any car must be equipped with them. Other rental car companies and other large fleet companies (including the federal government) made that same decision to leave out the side airbags to save some money. Targeting Enterprise is not completely fair. I believe that the KC Star has had a goal to smear this company since the supposed Kansas City Arena Fee debate.