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5.  The WSJ: A Harbinger of Things to Come?

Generally, what the media has said about motor vehicle reliability over the past quarter century seems to have had little, or nothing, to do with reality. This, almost certainly, was a direct consequence of the large advertising revenues that the Big Three have generated. However, a trend in the opposite direction may have begun.

For a view of the past, we have two quotes. The first is from a January 15, 1996 front page article of the Wall Street Journal by Gabriella Stern. It reads, “Chevrolet’s rebound is the best example of the new GM. Once a marketer of mediocre, unreliable vehicles, it is now competitive with its Blazer sport-utility vehicles….” The second, in the same vein, is from a March 21, 1999 article of the New York Times on the Web by Keith Bradsher, entitled “Behind the Labor Peace at Ford.” It reads, “Peter J. Pestillo, the longtime labor czar of Ford Motor Co. … has helped bring Ford’s quality close to Japanese levels.”

However, in sharp contrast is a summer 2000 Wall Street Journal article entitled “Reputation for Poor Quality Still Plagues Detroit: Ratings Show U.S. Car Makers Lag Behind Foreign Rivals Despite Years of Efforts,” by Robert L. Simison and Joseph B. White. In this article is this quote:

“In most categories, GM is at the bottom of the charts,” observes Gabe Shenhar, Consumer Reports’ senior auto test engineer. He notes that some GM products look fine in the first year and even make the magazine’s “recommended” list. But then reliability problems start to show up, and the cars have to come off the list. Recent examples, he says, include the Oldsmobile Intrigue, the Buick Park Avenue and the Pontiac Grand Prix.

“I really don’t see any sea change in car quality,” adds Clarence Ditlow, the executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, in Washington[, D.C.] ….”

The foregoing (subject to certain qualifications, for example, with regard to our Reliability Index, Chrysler is at the bottom, next Ford and then GM, although they are all roughly of the same ilk) is widely distributed and easily accessible and seems to be well known among the nonintellectually challenged; however, this is the first instance that I have encountered such a direct statement of it in a mass circulation news publication. This may signal a significant shift in U.S. motor vehicle reliability news reporting.

If so, it seems hardly a matter of concern to the Big Three, but would accord an opportunity to benefit to those who could. My experience is that the bulk of Big Three owners, for at least the last decade, either (1) cannot read, (2) if they can read, cannot understand what they read, or (3) if they can read and understand, the information received remains isolated, has no effect upon any other thought and is inconsequential to any action that they may take. This fundamental deficiency or dysfunction in processing information would seem to make any newspaper coverage of motor vehicle reliability, regardless of how stark the contrast between made in U.S.A. vehicles and made in Japan vehicles might be, inconsequential for the bulk of the Big Three clientele; however, for the balance of the Big Three clientele, such newspaper coverage would offer useful information which might otherwise require some research to gather.

Nonetheless, expect the Big Three to fight ferociously any media coverage of a reliability gap, a durability gap, a dependability gap, a noise gap, an operation gap, or a comfort gap, for three reasons. First is imprudence. If these manufacturers are prepared to improve the reliability of their pickup trucks, with attendant losses in annual sales of replacement parts and new vehicles likely well into the billions of dollars, in order to prevent an erosion of their respective shares of the new motor vehicle market, then no measure of improvidence should be put past them. Second is fear of a very long term loss by random distribution. If there is no reason to own a Big Three vehicle, then the bottom, say, 60% of Americans should randomly distribute over lines or manufacturers over the next half century. Third is worry of an even longer term loss by flocking. The concern is: Where persons of solid mental function go, the balance eventually follow, maybe.

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