Convinced that 3/4 of my clients are dumb.

Heck, I don't even need alcohol to do that!

 

Sorry the data I took it from was from this and the actual court records not a pro chevy wiki
http://www.usautoinjurylaw.com/cases/fires/print/fueltanks.htm
here is a good link to one of the lawsuits on it
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=3rd&navby=case&no=951020p
or here
http://lw.bna.com/lw/19980203/962039.htm

It is referencing all the models that were recalled
the court case "General Motors Corp. Pick-Up Fuel Tank Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 961"
and the NHSTA data that was published in 1993 in consumer research magazine
"In 1993, Consumer Research magazine reported:

NHTSA (the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration) found that the fire-related side impact fatality rate per million vehicle years was 2.4 times as high in GM's full-size 1973-87 pickups during 1979-90 as it was in Ford pickups - 2.8 deaths per million in GM pickups compared with 1.2 in the Fords. The Fords have fuel tanks mounted between the frame rails. Counting only the deaths in which vehicle fire was the most harmful crash event, NHTSA concluded "that there may be five or six more burn fatalities associated with damage to the side of these GM pickup trucks in 1993."


​

My brother had one of these pickups that was involved in the recall, it was an 85 and about the most gutless thing I have ever driven
And yes chevy did make a payout be it in means of a rebate certificate or an actual payout.

 

Well i'm sorta mad about this, i thought i was the only one on here that made an ass of myself- hey you guys are taking away my thunder.

 

I have a serious question:

How many (if any) parents of teenage drivers (with no D.U.I.) have this installed?

I know there should be quite a few around here that have them installed! You don't know how many times I have seen high school kiddies pour themselves into cars after a football game around here. It honestly got so bad that there are cops roaming the parking lots at certain schools looking for the under age drinkers. I know for a fact this used to happen at my niece's school as I used to hang out with my adopted brother (who is a local cop) when I would take her and her friends to the school's football game.

-Scott H.

 

That is scary the thought of anyone pouring themselves in a car and going for a drive.

 

Yep, that's why I would drive them to and from the games even though I lost all interest in the local high school games when it became a contest of which school could buy the best players (I'm not joking).

I would also drive my old beat up '86 Chevy van since it was the biggest, ugliest thing I owned at the time and I figured if they hit that rolling brick they would get hurt more than we would.

Besides, I didn't care if something happened to it in the parking lot!

-Scott H.

 

Okay, don't believe the GM wiki. Do you believe Popular Hotrodding? The video on that page is what I wanted you to see... Recall or not, Dateline most definitely rigged the vehicles to explode. They owned up to it and issued an on-air apology to GM.

And if anything, it shows GM was a responsible company at the time for actually going through with the recalls. 2-3 fatalities per million is too many, but it's hardly what the sensationalism made it out to be.

 

Lets see I made a statement about a viable recall related to exploding trucks. You called it a myth and sent me to a GM wiki on an over exaggerated story on NBC even though what I said was true. I refute it with links to actual court cases and links to the original data put out by the NHSTA and what do you do you send me to a link in popular mechanics on the same stupid NBC story.... Guess what I had never seen that story before, I dont watch that much TV and I never have, I knew about the recall because my brother had one of those trucks.

I hate to say it the NBC story may have been over exaggerated to make good tv but according to data by the NHSTA and all of the related lawsuits the trucks still explode.

 

Ah, forget it. it's nothing to get worked up about.

The reason I keep referring to the bogus Dateline story is because that's what gave those trucks the reputation they have, not the recall. Recalls happen all the time, to all kinds of vehicles. Lots and lots of them, every year. Some "journalists" picked up on this particular one and sensationalized it. You never hear about "those '84-'89 baby-killing Caravans with the faulty seatbelts" because it was never hyped up like that. Those trucks don't deserve that reputation any more than that Pinto does.

 

Anything can blow up with enough TNT...

 

Thats what I stated in the first place and this is a common problem between alot of cars ranging from all of the rear impact explosions on the fox body mustangs, to the 72 buick riviera.

Nope they dont, nor did the corvair or any of those other cars. Unfortunitely I made a statement and you took into a tangent sad to say it is like the video on the pinto that was posted, I didnt see much of a fireball did you? But they sure do have that stigma you hit the rear bumper too hard and it will go up looking like a napalm blast.

The only thing I will say about those chevy trucks and I speak from experience is if you get an california emission one with a 305 in the mid 80's there is a definite possibility it is going to be gutless and they like our mavericks they are all going to rot out

 

Double-whammy right there man... 305's were all gutless in every form except the "LB9" TPI version, and even that was no firecracker. I shudder to think what "California emissions" would do to it.

Dude, I'm sorry if you thought I was arguing with you. My brain's been so scattered these past few days it's a miracle I can post a coherent thought. If my posts in this or any other thread lack continuity, I apologize. I'm just mentally exhausted. Maybe when I get the energy I'll start another thread and vent about it.

 

No problem, I am a little out there too right now work is getting ugly being in the aerospace industry. So I am really stressed all the time and my wife and I were blessed with a new baby last week so looking at the possibility of getting laid off is not a happy thought right now. Dont worry though Its all good

 

That's silly.

 

i usually let it roll off my back when they say something like that... most try to compliment the car, they just dunno what the hell it is...

"Hey thats a nice mustang ya got there"
"Yeah, its an even nicer Maverick"