InfoWorld: Potential Fatal Defect In Battery Powered Automotive Safety Systems

    SAN MATEO, Calif.--June 1, 2001--InfoWorld Media Group, a leading provider of in-depth analysis of enterprise technology and strategies combined to provide insight into vital business solutions through its integrated online, print, events and research channels, today announced that its wireless columnist, Ephraim Schwartz, uncovered a potentially fatal defect in General Motors' OnStar automotive safety system and the Mercedes Benz TeleAid system. In a report in its June 4 issue, InfoWorld magazine reveals that because both OnStar and TeleAid are powered by the car battery and lack a backup power source, neither will be capable of notifying the call center of the driver's location if the battery is destroyed during a collision.
    General Motors' OnStar customers Honda, Acura, Lexus, Audi, and Subaru, as well as Mercedes Benz's TeleAid system, claim to automatically send an alert to their call centers whenever an airbag is deployed. According to the GM OnStar Web site, "in the event that your front air bags deploy, your vehicle will send a signal to the OnStar center. An advisor will attempt to contact you, inquiring whether or not you need assistance. If you can't answer, emergency help will be notified and your exact location will be provided." Mercedes Benz has a similar message regarding its TeleAid service: "If an air bag or seat belt emergency tensioning retractor deploys, TeleAid activates automatically."
    During InfoWorld's research of GM's declaration of an "unsurpassed level of safety" and Mercedes Benz's claim of its TeleAid "lifeline," sources had varying opinions on the integrity of a car battery following a front-end collision. "We see a lot of front-end collisions where the battery is crushed and destroyed," said Tom Foresta, production manager at Supplemental Restraint Specialists in Long Beach, Calif. "Sometimes we can't even get power to the car to diagnose the airbag system. The battery is crushed, cables are severed." But Dan Risley, executive director of Society of Collision Repair Specialists in Pasco, Wash., said that he has not had the same experience. "Never in all my years have I seen a battery cable severed," he said.
    According to Mercedes Benz company spokesperson Fred Heiler, "Our chief telematics engineer says there is a low incidence of battery destruction; nonetheless, a type of backup system which we do not have now is being considered for the next generation of TeleAid, but that is not for two to three years." Heiler noted that the typical location of the battery in a Mercedes is not at the front of the engine compartment. GM also designs some models in which the battery is not located at the front of the engine compartment. A General Motors spokesperson noted that statistics show that it is extremely rare for the battery cables to be sheared off the post in a front-end collision, and that while a severe collision could disable the battery, the timing of when the battery would lose power varies.
    "While we are committed to providing cutting-edge reports on technology that works, we are equally committed to revealing potential problems in the implementations of such technology," said Robert G. Magnuson, president and CEO, InfoWorld Media Group. "It is our charge to maintain editorial integrity, regardless of the trends of the day. Reports such as this reflect our unswerving dedication to providing our readers with the truth about what's out there, enabling them to make the most informed decisions about technology, whether it be for an enterprise application or for an automotive safety system."