Car washes unfairly target Jeeps as dangerous
The Chrysler Group's Jason Vines is not one to bite his tongue when he discovers reports about his company that a lack a certain degree of truthiness. Today Vines has called out the International Carwash Association (ICA) on the company's media blog for alleging that Jeeps are more prone than other vehicles to suddenly accelerate as they move near the end of the car wash process.No doubt the ICA is recalling the controversy surrounding the alleged tendency for certain Chrysler products to suddenly accelerate when being shifted into Reverse or Drive. In fact, its own internal investigation and inquiries made by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that almost all reported cases of vehicles experiencing unintended acceleration were due to pedal misapplication rather than mechanical defects.
Of the 41 incidences of sudden acceleration reported to the NHTSA, the Jeep Grand Cherokee against which these allegations have been predominantly charged was involved in five. The Toyota Camry was also involved in five and many other makes and model comprise the remaining 31.
Despite finding no mechanical fault with its vehicles, DCX did offer to retrofit Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee models back in 1997 with a 'brake-park' shift interlock that would prevent pedal confusion while shifting.
Vines then turns the mirror towards the car wash industry itself, pointing out that its workforce is comprised mainly of unskilled laborers who often drive customers' vehicles wearing big boots with one ass cheek on the seat while hanging out the door. Clearly no vehicles are intended to be operated that way.
You can check out Vines' fulmination in full after the jump and make up your own mind.
[Source: DCX]
Sudden Exaggeration
by Jason Vines
The International Carwash Association (ICA) is attempting to pull a stunt that stinks as strong as those pine tree scented air "fresheners." The organization, which represents the nation's thousands of car washes, is singling out Jeep® Grand Cherokee, alleging it is more prone than other vehicles to suddenly accelerate as they move near the end of the car wash process.
That's hogwash. If a vehicle suddenly accelerates in a car wash, it's generally because some dude "workin' at the car wash baby" is dancing with two left feet-stepping on the gas pedal instead of the brake. That's not my opinion, that's the conclusion reached in studies conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other government and independent agencies.
In fact, claims of sudden acceleration have been leveled at virtually every make of vehicle.
Of the past 41 incidences of (alleged) sudden acceleration at car washes reported to NHTSA, five involved the Grand Cherokee. A lot? Not if you look behind the unusual hype coming out of the ICA. You know what other vehicle was the subject of five sudden acceleration reports? It wasn't even an SUV, but the Golden Child Toyota Camry! The other 31 incidents involved many other makes and models. (Psst, there's nothing to Camry sudden acceleration claims either, by the way.)
Instead of looking realistically inwardly at the hiring and training of its members, the ICA would rather close its eyes while pointing a misguided finger outwardly toward the dirty vehicles that provide income for carwash operators.
In a July 10th letter to one of our engineering specialists, the ICA executive director Mark Thorsby informed him that the industry has launched an initiative they call "We Care," which is really nothing but a synonym for unwarranted hysteria (and abbreviated, WC, reminds me of what it really is.)
"We Care" calls for the following steps to be taken when a Jeep enters a car wash, according to an attachment to Thorsby's letter:
1-Notify all employees once a Jeep arrives by honking the horn and activating hazard lights.
2-Have only experienced employees operate Jeeps.
3-Have employees wear seatbelts when operating Jeeps.
What this comes down to, quite seriously, is a transfer of blame in order to cover up inadequate employee training, the hiring of illegal workers and a disturbing increase in crime at carwashes.
What do we know about this that allows me to make such charges?
Consider this: isn't it interesting that all of these alleged sudden acceleration stories sound the same?
"The car just took off by itself. I tried to hit the brake, but it wouldn't stop!"
"The harder I pushed on the brake, the faster it went!"
There are a few immutable truths in life. One is that the brakes always win. You could be standing on the gas, but if your other foot is on the brake the car is going nowhere. No kidding, do it yourself.
Need more proof? Consider just a small sampling of what we found out about car wash industry from carwash industry journals.
A story in "Professional Carwashing and Detailing Magazine" points out how a "full service carwash requires a lot of unskilled workers," causing the industry to rely on unskilled and often illegal labor. That scenario can lead to a situation where vehicles are not operated in a safe and professional manner.
Here are some other recent news stories illustrating how the actions of car wash workers who were apparently poorly trained or simply out of control, led to injury or death.
· North Plainfield, New Jersey – A car wash employee moving a van hit and dragged his co-worker, killing the man.
· Tampa, Florida – A car wash owner was in critical condition after being run over by an employee driving a Lincoln Navigator, which also hit a Walgreens store. Charges are pending against the carwash worker.
· Syracuse, New York – A car wash employee driving a van equipped for a driver with disabilities crashed through the front glass doors of the car wash offices. According to the Post Standard, the employee accelerated instead of braking.
· Longmont, Colorado – A car wash worker moving a customer's Ford F150 pickup truck leveled a bank sign and careened off an SUV carrying a holiday-bound family before plowing into the bank itself.
· Fairfield, Connecticut - A Jaguar sedan accidentally left in drive was sent careening through a carwash injuring three employees who tried to stop it along the way, police said.
We could go on and on. A simple Internet search doesn't take long to find a laundry list. Interestingly, investigations have shown what many of these car wash crashes have in common – big boots on the driver and half a butt cheek on the seat with the operator basically riding the vehicle side saddle.
The fact is no potential product defect allegation has been as exhaustively investigated as sudden acceleration. Allegations years ago almost put a fine company out of business. In every case, whether or not it occurred in a carwash, it was operator error, not a mechanical defect that triggered the incidents.
It's a big mistake for the car wash industry to white wash its failings by trying to blame the vehicles its customers pay good money to clean.
Make no mistake, DaimlerChrysler offers its sincere sympathy to the victims and their families, but it's important they know their injuries were not caused by any mechanical failure on the part of a vehicle.
We are asking the ICA to direct its members to stop unfairly singling out Jeep or any other brand without any credible facts and for goodness sakes, train and supervise their employees.
Since the ICA's smear campaign against Jeep doesn't appear to be reaching the end of the line, we had no choice but to wring out the situation in public through this blog. I encourage you, as journalists, bloggers and industry analysts to dig in and see for yourselves that the car wash industry is attempting to muddy the reputation of dozens of well-made vehicles in order to hide its own dirt.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Stapler 5:34PM (8/08/2006)
Washing jeeps is the same dangerous as in formula 1? Yikes!
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Tim UF 6:01PM (8/08/2006)
Long live The Colbert Report!
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epp_b 6:23PM (8/08/2006)
Hey geniuses of the car wash association: use the brake pedal when shifting an automatic into gear.
America just keeps getting dumber and dumber.
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Jim 6:34PM (8/08/2006)
Good. And I notice he calls it operator error instead of using some euphemism like pedal misapplication.
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TheClasic 7:03PM (8/08/2006)
I remember noticing on more than one occasion that the Grand Cherokee (previous model) had the gas pedal where one might expect a brake. Because of the large transfer case hump it seemed like the gas was almost directly beneath the steering wheel.
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GMS 7:23PM (8/08/2006)
Er....how does a car suddenly accelerate on level ground in neutral?
Maybe these car washes have a giant electomagnets near the end and the jeeps tend to accelerate more because they actually still built with substantial metal components?
I use a carwash regularly and often do see big SUVs suddenly accelerate out the end before the track pushes them out and down the incline....because the soccer mom or 'me too' guy drops it into gear and steps on it rather than wait.
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risingsun 12:29AM (8/09/2006)
I think there's a big thing people are missing here. People who own a vehicle thats more expensive than average are probably more likely to have their car washed FOR them due to their investment in it and the image they wish to convey with it, (plus sheer laziness) and the Grand Cherokee (especially the Limited) fits that profile for most Americans. The Camry on the other hand, is probably due more to sheer volume, being the number 1 selling mid size sedan, it's probably the most commonly washed car in America. So because these cars are being washed more than most, they are probably the most likely to be the victim of an idiot employee.
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Brian Cordell 8:38AM (8/09/2006)
My 99 Gr. Cherokee only accelerates when I intend it to! The number of total cases of issues with any car at a car wash should tell us that no car has this problem. I agree with the note about Camry volume. I also note that Jeep spends more money than anyone else telling you to get your car dirty, so that would send drivers more frequently to the carwash.
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Doug Newman 8:12PM (8/09/2006)
I own multiple conveyor car wash locations and have washed a few million cars over my 18-year career...we have experienced just four incidents of sudden unintended acceleration and all four involved the Jeep Grand Cherokee at the exit-end of the conveyor...a statistical impossiblity. We wash far more Honda Accords, Ford Tauruses and Toyota Camrys than Jeep Grand Cherokees, probably 10 to 1. If operator error, and it could be, than how come I have not had one incident with an Accord, Taurus or Camry?
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brett benderson 9:01AM (8/10/2006)
Hey Jason, We thank you for your very professional remarks about jeeps and the carwash industry. Please explain the two incidents at my carwashes where it was the owner of the jeep who was behind the wheel when the incidents happened? How about the incident at a Connecticut carwash several years ago, when someone was killed because the owner was behind the wheel. How about the lady that was at a drive thru bank with her own jeep and it took off across the street and killed someone. How about the jeep that the owner was driving in wisconsin and crashed thru a hospital entrance and the engine was still accelerating when it was against the solid block wall and the driver was out of the jeep by then. How about the jeep that accelerated off of a pier in Florida into the water and someone drowned. How about the most recent incident at a cincinnati intersection when the jeep took off into the car in front of them. I could go on and on but the point is their is an issue with jeeps idleing at a high level when they are in neutral or park. I know it is very hard to believe unless you see it personally. I have video of an incident at my location that common sense tells you that it is not driver error. About 8 years ago ABC's 20/20 did an investigation. There are just too many incidents with jeeps to just say it is driver error. When you hear about the incidents at carwashes, the employees that are behind the wheel swear they had their feet on the brake trying to stop. I do not have all of the answers but there is just too many incidents for me to pass it off as driver error. Maybe it is something when part of the engine gets wet and that would explain the high number of incidents at carwashes.I dont know but it is a very scary issue.
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Joel Wollin 7:02PM (8/10/2006)
Sudden acceleration is caused by malfunctioning cruise controls. That is why you have seen it happen in virtually every make and model of vehicle on the market. I experienced it several times in an early 90's Dodge Ram while stopped at intersections, and the only thing that prevented an accident was my foot hard on the brake. Maybe someone in your industry should wake up and look at the cruise control.
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Doug Newman 2:12PM (8/11/2006)
Regarding cruise controll malfuction/SUA, visit,
www.antony-anderson.com/Cruise/cruise.htm
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Mark Thorsby, Executive Director, International Carwash Association 6:06PM (8/11/2006)
As you might expect, I have a reaction to Jason Vines' blog. Please go to www.carcarecentral.com to read the complete text.
Mark Thorsby
Executive Director
International Carwash Association
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Mark Thorsby, Executive Director, International Carwash Association 6:09PM (8/11/2006)
As you might expect, I have a reaction. Please go to www.carcarecentral.com to read the entire text.
Mark Thorsby
Executive Director
International Carwash Association
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Mark Thorsby, Executive Director, International Carwash Association 6:34PM (8/11/2006)
The International Carwash Association regrets Jason Vines' comments do little to advance a solution to a commonly understood and accepted safety issue. Empirical evidence and data collected over the past decade, which has continuously been shared with DaimlerChrysler, clearly suggests that an overwhelmingly disproportionate number of sudden unintended acceleration incidents involve Jeep Cherokees and Jeep Grand Cherokees. In fact, the Association has worked in cooperation with DaimlerChrysler over the last ten years to develop sound advice and counsel to car wash operators and employees to help prevent incidents. At no time during the past decade has DaimlerChrysler ever claimed that the Association was "singling out" the Jeep Cherokee and Jeep Grand Cherokee in advising car wash operators and employees about how to prevent these incidents, nor has that ever been our intent.
In fact, thanks to ongoing collaboration and input from DaimlerChrysler, the Association has been able to proactively provide additional safety guidelines to car wash operators and employees who are servicing Jeep Cherokees and Jeep Grand Cherokees to ensure the safety of customers and car wash employees. This is the intention of our "We Care" program which has been a key safety training initiative of the Association.
The professional car wash industry with its 105,000 location in the United States employs more than 900,000 workers who are committed to superior service and safety. Education and training are in fact an important aspect of what we provide our members and the industry at large. Mr. Vines disparaging comments are an insult to the hard-working people who own and operate car washes and regularly provide service to two thirds of the American motoring public.
Mr. Vines' attack is truly unfortunate and takes away from what we believe should be at the ongoing focus of the sudden unintended acceleration dialogue -- safety. Lashing out at business owners and employees and pointing fingers at other automobile manufacturers does little to improve safety. We will continue to focus our attention, energy and resources on preventing these incidents from occurring, which includes training and raising awareness among car wash employees. We hope that DaimlerChrysler will return soon to collaboratively working with the car wash industry to ensure the safety of car wash customers and employees.
Mark Thorsby
Executive Director
International Carwash Association
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Jason Voelker 10:47AM (8/12/2006)
Mr. Vines
I am an owner operator of a full service Carwash for the past 27 years. Just this year in Febuary I personally was driving a vehicle off the line that was not a Jeep. This vehicle (Lexus SUV) accelerated out of control and killed one of my employees. I have driven over 100,000 vehicles off of our conveyor and have never had a problem. Why don't you tell the family of the victim about your ignorant comments. If you would like a report on the determination of cruise control malfunction I could provide that for you. At some point you have to take some responsibility. 41 times all stepped on the wrong pedal?
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Jeff K. 11:25AM (8/12/2006)
Mr. Vines:
I agree. The Iternational Carwash Association is a trade group with an agenda.
That agenda includes informing members about issues which can effect customer and employee safety, vehicle care and damage prevention.
If you would take the time to view some of the other forums and issues concerning different vehicles and manufacturers, you would quickly come to the conclusion that the "agenda" is not to tarnish the image of a vehicle manufacturer (most of whom appear to work cooperatively with the ICA to address vehicle issues) but to inform carwash owners and employees on commonly found problems between vehicle design and carwash equipment and operation.
Reading the association's communications to it's members, I fail to see a "smear campaign" against the Jeep Cherokee as you suggest, but rather a decade long frustration with the manufacturer's lack of response and inaction ragarding this serious product defect.
As a DaimlerChrysler retiree and stockholder and a current carwash owner/operator, I find it incomprehensible that your diatribe is actual, sanctioned Corporate communication from DaimlerChrysler concerning an important issue. Phrases such as "That's hogwash..", "the Golden Child Toyota Camry.." along with your deviation from the actual issue by your inclusion of unsubstantuated slanderous claims concerning "...inadequate employee training, the hiring of illegal workers and a disturbing increase in crime at carwashes" only serves to further the perception that the manufacturer has something to hide.
The suggested steps to be taken when a Jeep enters a carwash are reasonable, would not unfairly single out a Jeep vehicle to persons unfamilar with the issue (other than carwash employees) and are far from your inference that they are "unwarranted hysteria".
As a person with a vested interest in both sides of this issue, I find, after reading your communication and those of the professional association, that the ICA is being far more professional and proactive in a positive manner than DaimlerChrysler.
I eagerly await a more researched, comprehensive and proactive response from an informed DaimlerChrysler professional as oppossed to this misconceived blunder.
In closing, insert the keys into your older model Jeep Cherokee or Grand Cherokee, turn the ignition, and listen as the engine ROARS to life and the tachometer nears its peak, all the while with your foot firmly and securely on the brake pedal, then begin to form your perception.
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Bill Sartor 1:23PM (8/12/2006)
Why would the VP of communications of Chrysler-Daimler, Mr. Jason Vines, ever send out a communiqué without the blessing of superiors? He wouldn’t! Therefore we can assume his blog posting had the blessing of the very top brass at Daimler-Chrysler.
Why would they be so defensive? No one has any need to be defensive unless they have something to hide. So what do they have to hide? I have no idea, but I will tell you that I WAS of the opinion that the Jeep Cherokee incidents possibly were operator error until I read Mr. Vine’s post…but no more. I become extremely suspicious and overly skeptical when I read something like the post to the blog from Mr. Vines…which by the way, I would wager that we won’t hear from him again. I would also submit that Mr. Vines may soon be, as he so ineptly put it, just:
“some dude "workin' at the car wash baby"”.
When you read Mr. Vines’ posting to the blog for the 2nd time you see the innuendo that is so racially biased that it makes you shudder when you consider that he is an officer of a major publicly traded corporation…and I quote:
“If a vehicle suddenly accelerates in a car wash, it's generally because some dude "workin' at the car wash baby" is dancing with two left feet-stepping on the gas pedal instead of the brake.”That was a racially biased movie about black people at a car wash.
And he goes on to say:
“the hiring of illegal workers and a disturbing increase in crime at carwashes.”
“the industry to rely on unskilled and often illegal labor”
While there are car wash operators who do employ illegal employees (make no mistake they are out there), it is inane to characterize the car wash industry, in general, or the International Carwash Association, in particular, as either racist or incompetent is ludicrous.
And finally I absolutely agree with Mr. Vines:
“Since the ICA's smear campaign against Jeep doesn't appear to be reaching the end of the line, we had no choice but to wring out the situation in public through this blog. I encourage you, as journalists, bloggers and industry analysts to dig in and see for yourselves that the car wash industry is attempting to muddy the reputation of dozens of well-made vehicles in order to hide its own dirt.”
Let those of you who have the power find out where the dirt is find out where the dirt is! You have an open invitation from an officer of Chrysler Daimler to investigate.
I, for one would really like to know. Not for myself, but rather for the safety of my customers, my employees, and my insurance company.
Workin’ at the car wash…proudly
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Terry T. Wiens 4:07PM (8/13/2006)
To the writing staff of the International Car Wash Association and any other interested person--especially ICA members:
Concerning your (the ICA's) response to Mr. Vine's nailing the ICA about the "sudden acceleration" problem: Unless you put a name to the response it should not be considered. I have read all the articles concerning this matter and no one seems to want to be called out on an individual basis.
NO GUTS!!!
Any writer that has to hide behind the "company skirts" (ICA's) to respond to something, doesn't deserve to be read. If you (whomever you are) are going to call someone out--stand up and do it right. Don't hide. It seems as though you are inebriated with your own verbosity--well learned lessons from Mark Thorsby, ICA's "snow everybody" man.
Unless you take credit for your editorials and supposed facts, do it openly like every other newspaper, magazine or other organization does it. Till this is done, Mr. Vine's response stands.
TTW
ICA Member since 1996.
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Daniel Heacock 9:11PM (8/13/2006)
Mr. Vines,
With 25 years experience as an Employee, Supervisor, Manger and finally an Owner of a car care facility, I was disappointed at your sarcastic response to a valid concern.
I have never perceived the ICA as taking a position on damage control, only on sharing information regarding incidents that we have reported. It seems most experienced operators have had sudden acceleration problems. Why do the the majority of our sudden acceleration complaints involve Jeeps?
I personally have had 3 vehicles out of control at my operations, 2 of them have been jeeps. Jeeps seem to have a tendency to rev very high when you start them, maybe that’s the problem. You start the auto -- high rev! You put it in gear, panic! {The third vehicle was an '85 Cavalier driven by an 89 year old customer.}
We report damages we have so that we can look for a correlation and, hopefully, identify possible equipment problems or vehicle defects. This should be of as much or even more interest and concern to Chrysler or any other manufacturer as it is to Professional Car Wash Operators.
I’m not sure of your capacity at Chrysler, Mr. Vine, but its time for all of us to take a step back and look at the problem. As wash professionals we share experiences, good and bad. We have no prejudices or agendas against Jeep. I, for one, would like to know why you responded to a scary and dangerous situation involving Jeeps by denegrating car wash personnel instead of providing a professional, reasoned response.
Daniel Heacock II
Owner
Bumper 2 Bumper Car Care
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