GM will not allow fleet vehicle shoppers to skip side airbags on 2010 models

General Motors Company said that it will not allow fleet vehicle buyers to skip buying side airbags on 2010 models. The Detroit automaker previously allowed fleet buyers to save $145 per vehicle by choosing to opt out of buying side airbags on tens and thousands of 2006 and 2009 models.

Since then, many of those fleet cars have ended up for sale and have been marketed as having standard air bags. GM said that it promises to take steps to prevent dealers and others from advertising those vehicles with standard side airbags.

According to Sean Kane, president of Safety Research & Strategies, Enterprise Rent-A-Car alone bought 66,000 Chevrolet Impalas that didn’t have side air bags and tens of thousands of other purchased by other fleet users. Kane said that the total of vehicles without airbags could be more than 220,000.

The vehicles include 2006-2008 Chevrolet Impalas and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Cobalts.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: Detroit News