Opinion ID: 782173
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: July 1988: Article Publication

Text: CU's negative rating of the Samurai was detailed in an article entitled, Warning: The Suzuki rolls over too easily, published in the July 1988 issue of Consumer Reports. The article was initially written by Landau, although drafts were reviewed by Pittle, Knoll, the ATD staff, CU's President Rhoda Karpatkin, CU's Technical Department and Library, and legal counsel. The article described the steps CU took to test the Samurai, Jeep Wrangler, Isuzu Trooper II, and Jeep Cherokee. It began by recounting the incident in which an ATD staff member rolled the Samurai over on its side during the evaluation and break-in process. After detailing other evidence of the Samurai's safety problems, the article then described the long-course testing, noting that Pittle, a staff member who does not normally drive the course, tipped the Samurai at 45 miles per hour after making a slight steering misjudgment that should not have put daylight under the tires of any car. The article continued by highlighting the results of both short-course tests, concluding that that Suzuki Samurai is so likely to roll over during a maneuver that could be demanded of any car at any time that it is unfit for its intended use. We therefore judge it Not Acceptable. On June 2, 1988, CU submitted to NHTSA a copy of the article, the videotape from the press conference, and a diagram of its short course in support of a petition to establish a minimum stability standard to protect against unreasonable risk of rollover.