GM hired private investigators to dig up dirt on the man who said its cars were unsafe

Seat belts, recalls you can look up by VIN, federal crash standards — all of it feels like it's always been there. It hasn't. It took a young lawyer, a book, and a car company that overplayed its hand.

The book

In November 1965, a 31-year-old lawyer named Ralph Nader published Unsafe at Any Speed. Its argument was simple and explosive: American carmakers knew how to make cars safer and were choosing style and cost over lives.

Its most famous chapter went after the Chevrolet Corvair, a General Motors car, and its handling.

The surveillance

General Motors didn't just argue with the book. It hired private investigators to look into Nader himself.

According to Nader's later lawsuit, investigators interviewed his friends and acquaintances, asking about his political, social, racial, and religious views; had him followed; and tapped his phone. He also alleged that women were sent to approach him in an attempt to set him up.

It backfired

The surveillance came out. On March 22, 1966, GM's president, James Roche, appeared before a U.S. Senate subcommittee and publicly apologized to Nader.

The scandal made Nader famous and made his book a bestseller. That same year, Congress passed the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, which for the first time let the federal government set mandatory safety standards for cars. The agency now known as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) grew out of it.

Nader sued GM for invasion of privacy, and in 1970 settled for $425,000 — which he used to fund consumer advocacy work, including keeping watch on the auto industry.

What this means for you

The system that came out of this fight is free and most people never use it.

• Look up recalls on your car at nhtsa.gov/recalls using your VIN (it's on your registration and at the bottom of the windshield). Recall repairs are done free by the dealer.
• Report a safety problem at nhtsa.gov too. Complaints from regular drivers are how investigations start.
• If your new car keeps going back for the same defect, your state's lemon law may require a buyback. How lemon laws work.

Quick reference

• Unsafe at Any Speed (1965) accused carmakers of ignoring safety
• GM hired investigators to dig into Nader's private life
• GM's president apologized to a Senate subcommittee in 1966
• The 1966 National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act created federal car safety standards
• Check your car for open recalls free at nhtsa.gov/recalls