Furthermore, the show went to great lengths in showing a "doctored" Audi 5000, set up to "lunge" forward on its own. Set up? To be clear, William Rosenbluth, an automotive consultant retained by plaintiffs in a suit against Audi, stated he drilled a hole in an Audi transmission and funneled fluid into it. The resulting filmed sequence, which featured the accelerator pedal moving downward on its own, provided 60 Minutes with critical visual "evidence" needed to cite the Audi 5000 with dangerous vehicle status. Rosenbluth said that 60 Minutes requested to film one of his tests, and that the show was fully aware of what he was doing. "My objective was to demonstrate that you could get an [unintended] acceleration," commented Rosenbluth. Through manipulating the transmission, he managed to get the Audi 5000 to move on its own, but the 60 Minutes feature never brought to light that the car in question had been manipulated. "We were appalled that 60 Minutes put this thing on the air," stated John Pollard, a principal investigator hired by NHTSA for its study. "It was a stunt.... It does not represent a real-life situation."
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| After nearly facing bankruptcy from the aftermath of the corrupt TV show scandal, how will Audi fair when current investigations by the NHTSA are over? (Photo: Audi Canada) |
While the 60 Minutes debacle is interesting history, it represented a crushing reality to the Audi brand, nearly driving it into bankruptcy. Even after the brand was vindicated by the NHTSA, and Audi told the world the truth via full-page ads in newspapers and magazines throughout North America, it took over a decade for a return to the sales levels it enjoyed pre-60 Minutes.
It looks likely that the nightmare is recurring, but this time it's not a corrupt TV series making up stories for ratings, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) heading up the investigation.
Just like in the 5000 incidents, automakers are stating that driver error is the culprit in the majority of cases. But current plaintiff lawyers allege that the high level of electronic devices and sensors are the reasons behind the recent resurgence of sudden acceleration cases. Either way, incidents involving Ford, GM and Toyota cars will be soon forgotten while those surrounding the Audi brand will long be remembered.