Did GM CEO say he wouldn't let his daughter drive an SUV?

Question

I was thinking about buying a Subaru Tribeca. A friend of mine says that they are not safe because they roll over. He said that the ANCAP assessment I showed him only assesses impact, not roll over. And his punch line is: "The head of GM is on record as saying that he would never let his daughter drive an SUV-too dangerous-this is from the head of a company which makes a million SUV's a year. I think you cant get a better disendorsement than that." I googled the statement and couldn't find anything - anyone heard of it before - any evidence that he actually said it?

Answer 1

If he said it or not the suv is not the problem, it is the way that the driver drives and uses it.

About 85 percent of my customers have never read the vehicles owners manual and have no idea what a vehicle can or cannot do.

If he did say it then it would be a very stupid thing to say.

I also have hundreds of customers that have all type of suv's and not one has rolled over.

I have spent time teaching them how to drive and handle them in all types of conditions.

Answer 2

Consumer Reports also has roll-over reports for every vehicle that they review. These are different than the regular crash-test ratings.

According to the Consumer Reports '08 review of the Subaru Tribeca, all of the crash test ratings rate 4/4 (excellent), while the rollover test rates 3/4 (very good). This rating is really good for an SUV.

I think that the safety advantages to being in a larger car outweigh the risk of rollover. Only if drivers don't drive according to manufacturer advice, will they be at risk for rollover. Being a speed demon around tight corners put you at higher risk for rollover. But please, please, do not rule out SUVs simply because your friend said something about "some head of GM"... not to mention the GM Chevy Tahoe only rates a 2/4 on the rollover test.... (buying domestic isn't always the greatest idea... perhaps the head of GM meant that he won't let his daughter drive any GM SUV's)