- Other cars lacking stability control include the Chevy Aveo, Lotus Elise and Scion tC.
- The Accent is the only current Hyundai model without ESC.
- Beginning with the 2012 model year, electronic stability control will be required on all light-passenger vehicles.
YONKERS, New York — It's a strange group of bedfellows that includes the pricey Tesla Roadster and the Hyundai Accent, one of the cheapest cars in America. Consumer Reports' online blog tallied the 2010 vehicles without electronic stability control and found it only numbers nine.
The list includes the Chevrolet Aveo, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Dodge Dakota, Dodge Viper, Kia Rio, Lotus Elise and Scion tC. The Hyundai Accent seemed to be an unlikely inclusion, given that Hyundai has touted its embrace of the safety feature, which is in most of its lineup.
But the Accent is next in line, Hyundai spokesman Dan Bedore told Inside Line. "The Accent is our only non-ESC vehicle," he said. "It is also the oldest in our lineup. We continue to roll out new technologies as vehicles are freshened and replaced."
Beginning with the 2012 model year, electronic stability control will be standard on all light-passenger vehicles, including cars, pickup trucks and SUVs, notes the consumer watchdog. That's because of a NHTSA mandate. "The majority of manufacturers have already equipped their vehicles ahead of the mandate," noted Consumer Reports.
Electronic stability control helps prevent a vehicle from skidding or sliding in a turn.
Inside Line says: A handy little list, courtesy of Consumer Reports, whether you're shopping at the top of the market or for a cheap ride. — Maya Elson, Correspondent
Add A Comment »
tbone85 says:
08:21 PM, 04/22/2010
CR is not a division of the federal government.
dg0472 says:
06:10 PM, 04/22/2010
Leave it to someone on here to spew their vitriol against Consumer Reports without checking facts. Their list was titled "2010 models that do not offer ESC," and is therefore totally correct in leaving off the Fit and Elantra, because they do indeed at least offer it. Oh, and by the way, the Elantra Blue and GLS both don't offer ESC. Only the SE does. So looks like that's something else someone on here messed up.
daskiing1 says:
04:03 PM, 04/22/2010
Cars like the Elise don't need ESC. And to be perfectly honest, ESC is a pain in the a** especially in the winter. I understand it helps prevent a slide, but usually your sliding because you were going to fast in the first place. Plus, unless your car is 4WD, it really doesn't help the car move. Every time I try and move it interferes, and I just end up shutting it off anyways.
I'm fine with ESC being standard in most cars, just as long as I can shut it off. The Elise and cars like it, however, don't need ESC.
double_duece says:
03:00 PM, 04/22/2010
Wow, leave the auto industry alone, Uncle Sam. I don't have anything against ESC, but it's getting to the point of nannying. I definitely don't want it in a ball-to-the-wall supercar like the Viper. I think companies need to at least make it fully defeatable. Sometimes you turn it off and it's not really off. It's just in "not so bitchy" mode.
belly1 says:
01:58 PM, 04/22/2010
Nice.
cwmoo740 says:
12:50 PM, 04/22/2010
Yeah, why is it okay to mandate that an Elise must have ESC? Or going even further, will they even mandate that a Caterham have ESC? At least you can turn it off, but the point of something like an Elise is lightweight and simple, and buyers have full knowledge of the danger of these cars before driving them.
isend2c says:
12:27 PM, 04/22/2010
This is a bull list. The list only includes cars that CANNOT come equipped with ESC or VSA or TSC or whatever acronym. The Honda fit is an example, it does not, and cannot come with it unless you get it equipped with the navigation system, and I think that edmunds is the only buyer to do that.
The Elantra does not come with ESC on the base trim either, only the middle and high-spec. Leave it to CR to mess up simple data.
half_ton says:
12:13 PM, 04/22/2010
They may provide some benefit but all the electronis nanies in the world will NEVER replace skilled drivers who actually pay attention behind the wheel.