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July 2004 NEWS UPDATE: Suzuki and Consumers Union Agree on Dismissal of Lawsuit
We want to thank our readers who have supported Consumers Union throughout the course of this litigation. The case has been dismissed by joint agreement, and it cannot be re-filed. We no longer suggest that you write to Suzuki or General Motors about the case. CU continues to stand fully behind its testing and report on the Samurai, has issued no retraction or correction, and has paid nothing to Suzuki. Click on this link to see the full text of the Joint Public Statement announcing the resolution of the case.
Fact Sheet
Auto Safety - Test & Report: 2001
Montero Limited (pdf format)
Consumer Reports' Recommendations: What Consumers
Should Do
Consumer Reports Responds to Mitsubishi Statements
Regarding
Its Tests of the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Limited
Additional Response By Consumer Reports To
Mitsubishi's Statements
|
Press
Release |
Contact: |
2001 MITSUBISHI MONTERO LIMITED TIPS UP SEVERELY
IN CU's SHORT-COURSE AVOIDANCE-MANEUVER TESTING:
SUV's PERFORMANCE IS "NOT ACCEPTABLE" TO CONSUMER REPORTS
YONKERS, NY - Consumer Reports®
has rated the 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Limited "Not Acceptable" after
it tipped up severely on two wheels during CU's emergency avoidance-maneuver
tests.
The problem was first found during short-course avoidance-maneuver testing
of the Montero Limited and six other mid-sized SUVs at Consumer Reports' Auto
Test Facility in East Haddam, CT on May 16. None of the other six vehicles
tipped up during the tests. The short-course avoidance maneuver is one of
CU's standard tests for SUVs.
"On that same day, on the same course and with the same drivers, we tested
six other similarly-sized SUVs and none of them exhibited any problems with
tip-ups. We believe that a vehicle that tips up severely in our tests is exhibiting
dangerous behavior," said Dr. R. David Pittle, Senior Vice President
and Technical Director of Consumers Union (CU), the publisher of Consumer
Reports.
The 2001 Montero Limited that Consumer Reports tested on May 16 was a red
vehicle manufactured in May 2000. Of 21 completed runs made in Consumer Reports'
short-course avoidance-maneuver test on that date by its three test engineers,
the red Montero tipped up on two wheels in 8 out of 9 runs at 36.7 mph or
faster. In one run at 37.7 mph, it tipped up so far that the safety outriggers
contacted the ground. Because of this behavior, CU's Auto Test Center purchased
a second sample, a silver Montero Limited, manufactured in March 2001. Along
with some other vehicles in this test group, both Monteros were tested on
the same short course by vehicle-dynamics consultant R. Wade Allen, who also
assessed the previous avoidance-maneuver test results. Both Monteros tipped
up severely, and both, CU believes, would likely have rolled over if not for
the safety outriggers.
It is uncommon for a vehicle to be rated "Not Acceptable" by Consumer
Reports. Of the 118 vehicles Consumer Reports has tested in its short-course
emergency avoidance maneuver during the past 13 years, only the Suzuki Samurai
in 1988; the Isuzu Trooper and its twin, the Acura SLX in 1996, and now the
Mitsubishi Montero Limited have tipped up so severely as to be judged "Not
Acceptable."
Based on the emergency-handling
test results, the article about the Montero advises, "If you're shopping
for an SUV, we advise you not to buy the 2001 Montero Limited until this safety
problem has been corrected. In our opinion, there are safer choices."
Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America was advised of Consumer Reports' findings
and invited to visit its track via a letter faxed and received on May 31.
Representatives of the automaker visited CU's Auto Test Facility in Connecticut
on June 5 to view videotape of the 2001 Montero Limited testing and inspect
the tested vehicles and test course. In response, Mitsubishi said that the
Montero Limited has undergone a full range of tests validating the company's
confidence in the vehicle, and that the company had received no customer complaints
about its stability. Mitsubishi also disputed CU's findings and methodology.
(See "Mitsubishi's Response" on p. 25 of the article.)
The seven mid-sized SUVs were being tested in preparation for reviews in the
September issue of Consumer Reports. The other vehicles tested were the: 2001
Dodge Durango, 2002 Ford Explorer, 2002 GMC Envoy, 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee,
2001 Nissan Pathfinder, and 2001 Toyota 4Runner.
Consumer Reports' "Not Acceptable" evaluation applies only to the
2001 Mitsubishi Montero Limited, and not to previous Montero models or to
the Montero Sport, which are different vehicles. CU did not test the XLS,
another trim line of the 2001 Montero.
Consumer Reports' avoidance maneuvers are designed to simulate real-world
situations in which a driver needs to suddenly steer around an obstacle in
the road. CU auto-test engineers run two types of avoidance maneuvers: "long"
and "short" course tests. In both, a vehicle is driven at progressively
faster speeds so that test engineers can assess its handling characteristics
under emergency-avoidance conditions. The tests are not designed to elicit
a rollover, but CU considers vehicles that tip up severely in its tests to
be exhibiting dangerous behavior. Only the Montero Limited tipped up in this
group of seven SUVs.
Since CU believes that the severe tip-ups in its tests demonstrate unsafe
performance, it considers the vehicle "Not Acceptable."
Consumer Reports urges owners of 2001 Montero Limiteds to always wear a seatbelt,
drive with caution, and not carry cargo on top of the vehicle. Carrying cargo,
and even carrying passengers, raises a vehicle's center of gravity, which
can increase the risk of rollover.
Consumer Reports believes that Mitsubishi should issue a recall and improve
the vehicle's stability. This would follow the example set in 1997 by Daimler-Benz
(now DaimlerChrysler, which owns a 37.3 percent stake of Mitsubishi Motors
Corporation), when that company recalled and corrected the Mercedes-Benz A-Class
after it rolled over in similar tests conducted by a Swedish automotive magazine.
Consumer Reports has found no reports of rollover crashes involving the 2001
Montero, but believes that its test results point to an unnecessary risk.
Taller vehicles such as SUVs have a higher center of gravity, which makes
them more top-heavy and more susceptible to rolling over than lower vehicles
such as sedans. This is why the government requires all SUVs with a wheelbase
of 110 inches or less-including the 2001 Montero-to display rollover risk
warning labels.
Last January, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) implemented
its Rollover Resistance Rating, a five-star system based on static measurements
of a vehicle's dimensions. It is intended to provide an estimate of rollover
risk in a single-vehicle accident.
Consumers Union, which has twice petitioned NHTSA to develop a dynamic rollover
test since 1988, believes the agency's rating system is inadequate because
it isn't based on tests of a moving vehicle and can't account for what could
be critical differences in emergency handling caused by suspension design,
tires, steering response, or the presence of a stability-control system. In
October 2000, Congress directed NHTSA to develop and implement a dynamic rollover
test by November 2002. Currently in the planning stages, this would be based
on actual on-road handling tests. Consumers Union supports this approach.
The test report on the Montero Limited, a sidebar describing CU's avoidance
maneuver, and a sidebar on Mitsubishi's response, will be in the August issue
of Consumer Reports, on its way to subscribers now and on newsstands July
17th. The report, sidebars, and related materials will also be available free
online at www.ConsumerReports.org
by 11 am EDT on June 20.
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The material above is intended for legitimate news entities only; it may not be used for commercial or promotional purposes. Consumer Reports® is published by Consumers Union, an independent, nonprofit testing and information-gathering organization, serving only the consumer. We are a comprehensive source of unbiased advice about products and services, personal finance, health, nutrition, and other consumer concerns. Since 1936, our mission has been to test products, inform the public, and protect consumers
July
2004 NEWS UPDATE: Suzuki and Consumers Union Agree on Dismissal of Lawsuit
We want to thank our readers who have supported Consumers Union throughout
the course of this litigation. The case has been dismissed by joint agreement,
and it cannot be re-filed. We no longer suggest that you write to Suzuki or
General Motors about the case. CU continues to stand fully behind its testing
and report on the Samurai, has issued no retraction or correction, and has
paid nothing to Suzuki. Click on this link to see the full text of the Joint
Public Statement announcing the resolution of the case.
