ther be turbo-charged, super-charged, hybrid or electric, and that matters,” Moore said. He shared charts showing hybrid vehicles have higher collision and property damage liability losses
Electric vehicles, which Moore said will soon outnumber hybrids, have lower frequencies but higher severity. And turbo- or super-charged vehicles are also associated with increases in severity.
The percentage of registered vehicles vehicles equipped with auto-emergency braking will grow over the next two decades, but the 50% mark is not expected to be reached until about 2030
than their conventional engine counterparts. “This is, in part, because these hybrid vehicles are heavier,” he said. “More complex to repair, more parts.”
“For collision losses, about a 4% increase,” Moore said. “You take an already crowded engine compartment, and jam a whole lot more stuff under that hood as you would with a
GM Vehicles Recalled for Airbag Warning Lights by David A. Wood, CarComplaints.com
More than 301,000 General Motors vehicles are recalled because the airbag warning lights may stay illuminated and fail to provide warnings if the airbags fail. However, the warning lights stay activated only on alternating ignition cycles in these vehicles. 2021 Buick Envision 2021 Cadillac CT4 2021 Cadillac CT5 2021 Cadillac Escalade 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe 2021 Chevrolet Corvette 2021 Chevrolet Suburban 2021 GMC Yukon 2021 GMC Yukon XL The airbag warning light stays illuminated because the communications gateway module incorrectly processes a loss of communication with the sensing diagnostic module. GM learned in April about a possible problem and in May engineers opened an investigation to review field and warranty data, find-
ing 19 warranty claims possibly related. This caused GM to issue the recall, but the automaker says it’s unaware of any crash or injury reports. The U.S. GM recall includes 285,622 vehicles, while in Canada, about 16,071 GM vehicles are recalled. Recall notices will be mailed July 19, with details about dealerships updating the communications gateway module software. Owners who have accepted the terms and conditions will be able to receive the software changes using wireless over-the-air (OTA) technology without having to bring their vehicles to dealerships. However, owners may schedule to have the updates performed at GM dealers. Buick owners may contact Buick customer service at 800521-7300, Cadillac customers may call 800-458-8006, Chevrolet owners can call 800-222-1020 or GMC customer service can be reached at 800-462-8782. GM’s recall reference number is N212338110.
38 JULY 2021 AUTOBODY NEWS / autobodynews.com
turbocharger or supercharger, and you increase the amount of damage it’s going to have when those crashes occur.” Claims have also been impacted by a steady growth in vehicle horsepower over the past four decades, and increases in speed limits over the past 20 years.
A 1983 Toyota Camry had 92 horsepower; the 2019 model had either 203 or 301 horsepower. A 1983 Jeep Grand Cherokee had 180-220 horsepower; the 2019 model had 285-360 horsepower. The 1981 Ford F-150 had 115-165 horsepower; the 2019 model has 250-370.
The Highway Loss Data Institute projects hybrid, electric and turbo- or super-charged vehicles will continue to grow in relation to vehicles powered by conventional gasoline engines
“In 1981, most vehicles had less than 100 horsepower,” Moore said. “These days you can’t buy a vehicle with that little power.”
“More horsepower at any age nets you higher insurance losses,” Moore said. “The faster a vehicle is, the faster people are going to drive it.”
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