General Motors, Ford to Offer Electronic Stability Control Systems on 1.8 Million SUVs in 2005
DETROIT November 12, 2004; John Porretto writing for the AP reported that General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., the nation's two largest automakers, said Thursday they'll offer electronic stability control systems as standard equipment on 1.8 million sport utility vehicles in 2005, a significant safety enhancement for the popular vehicles.
No. 1 GM said the vehicles include the Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, Avalanche and Trailblazer; GMC Envoy; Hummer H3l Saab 9-7X; and Buick Rainier. The Hummer H2 will get the system in 2006.
The Cadillac Escalade and GMC Yukon Denali already feature standard stability control.
No. 2 Ford said more than 500,000 of its sport utility vehicles will be equipped with the company's anti-rollover system by the end of 2005, and it plans to try to market the technology to other automakers.
Ford said this summer it would add the stability control system as standard equipment to the 2005 Ford Explorer, Mercury Mountaineer, Lincoln Aviator and Lincoln Navigator, but it didn't provide estimates on quantities.
The anti-rollover system also will be standard on the 2005 Volvo XC90 and available as an option on the 2005 Ford Expedition. The Dearborn-based automaker said the equipment will cost $595 on the Expedition. Ford expects roughly one-quarter of Expedition customers to buy it.
Ford began offering the stability control system in 2003 on the Volvo XC90 and expanded it the next year to the Lincoln SUVs.
Last month, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released a study that said stability control systems could save up to 7,000 lives each year if they were standard equipment on all vehicles -- findings that mirrored those of an earlier federal study.
"Except for the growing use of seat belts, we have rarely seen a technology that brings such a positive safety benefit to the driving public," said GM North America President Gary Cowger.
Ford has said the stabilizing technology also will be available on its 15-passenger Econoline vans starting with the 2006 model year -- a step designed to increase the safety of a type of vehicle the federal government and some motorists' lawyers contend has a significant roll-over risk.
GM made electronic stability control standard on 15-passenger vans in 2003.
Ford's Explorer also has been the target of numerous lawsuits that claim the SUV is prone to rolling over.
Ford has more than 80 patents and patent applications pending for its roll stability control system, and it plans to shop the equipment to other automakers, said Sue Cischke, vice president for environmental and safety engineering.
"We feel so strongly about its immediate safety benefits that we'll license this unique technology to other companies," she said.
Stability control systems are marketed under different names, including Ford's AdvanceTrac and Roll Stability Control and General Motors Corp.'s StabiliTrak. They first appeared in Europe in 1995 and now are standard on some luxury brands, including Mercedes, Audi, BMW and Infiniti.
Ford uses technology and software to monitor and control a vehicle's roll motion during extreme maneuvers. It seeks to right the vehicle by automatically slowing the engine and applying the brakes to the appropriate wheels.
Insurance Institute spokesman Russ Rader said the organization believes manufacturers should offer stability control devices as standard equipment on all vehicles but that more testing is needed to determine which type is most effective.
Before Thursday's announcements by GM and Ford, the institute, which is funded by the insurance industry, said 21 percent of 2005 vehicles sold in the United States would have standard stability control systems, and an additional 19 percent would offer them as an option.
