Chevrolet Corvair Ralph Naders 1965 Assessment
In 1965, Ralph Nader burst upon the political scene with the publication of his book "Unsafe At Any Speed." Although the book covered multiple car industry safety issues, it became best known for its first chapter which was dedicated to the Chevrolet Corvair. During subsequent Congressional hearings, Nader evencalledthe Corvair "the leading candidate for the un-safest-car title."
The Chevrolet Corvair
When it was introduced in 1960, the Chevrolet Corvair was considered a revolutionary compact. It is the only American-made mass-produced car ever to feature an engine in the "trunk." In 1962, the Corvair became the first mass-produced car model to offer a turbocharger as a factory option. Chevrolet continued to make Corvairs until 1969.
The first generation of Corsairs had a swing axle rear suspension. The combination of this axle, the removal of the sway bar for cost reasons, and the back-heavy load of the rear-mounted engine caused the Corvair to have different handling and vehicle maintenance requirements than other American-made cars. This resulted in hundreds of accidents and over 100 lawsuits against GM.
In particular, the critical role of tire pressure in stabilizing the Chevy Corvair was not clearly understood at the retail level. In the Corvair, specialized tire pressures with narrow spec ranges and differences between front, back, hot, cold, and sometimes even number of passengers were needed in order to substitute for the absence of the sway bar. However, neither Corvair salesmen nor Corvair owners understood why tire pressure was so important.
Ralph Nader's role
As part of a theme of cost-cutting through safety negligence, Nader researched and publicized the Corvair's suspension problems in the first chapter of his 1965 book "Unsafe At Any Speed." He even tracked down George Caramagna, the Chevrolet suspension mechanic who had argued unsuccessfully with management for keeping the sway bar.
Nader did not mention that the swing axle was not a problem in the European cars which used it, such as the Porsche 911. European cars which used the swing axle without issues ranged all the way down to Volkswagon Type 1 Beetles.
Results
EvenbeforeNader's book was published, Chevrolet had already started to make some design changes to its Corvair. The 1962 model made the sway bar available as an unpublicized option, along with aftermarket kits, such as the EMPI Camber Compensator. By 1964, the roll bar became standard, along with a heavy duty suspension.
In 1965, the second generation Corvair was rolled out. In this model, the controversial swing axle was replaced with an independent rear suspension. This, combined with the changes after 1963, completely eliminated the problem.
GM also attempted to silence the issue throughnegative spin against Naderand active surveillance and harassment of Nader. The attempts to monitor Nadar backfired twice. In 1966, GM President James Roche was required by a U.S. Senate subcomittee to apologize to Nader for the harassment. When that harassment continued, Nader successfullytook GM to courtfor intimidation tactics and invasion of privacy.
However, the damage had already been done. After Nader's revelations, Corvair sales plummeted. After only 3 years, they were at less than 10% of the 220,000 in 1965. Half of those sales were lost in the single year after the book's publication.
Legacy
In 1972, the government released its ownstudyof the Chevrolet Corsair's safety. This and other subsequent safety studies concluded that drivers of Corvairs made between 1960 and 1963 were not more likely to lose control under extreme conditions than drivers of other comparable cars. Yet none of those studies looked at handling under standard conditions, and all of them were careful to follow the exact specs for tire inflation. In his 1979 book "On A Clear Day You Can See GM," former GM executive John DeLorean states that Nader's concerns were valid.
Although Nader's comments came too late to affect the Corsair in any way except to hasten its demise, his revelations in "Unsafe At Any Speed" did have a strong impact on subsequent safety law. The royalties from that book also allowed Nader to lobby for other consumer and environmental issues, which would eventually lead to legislation such as the Clean Air Act.
