Is there any good information on which vehicles do not have the embedded chip problem? Since GM, Ford, and others are busy fixing there mainframes and factory equipment (non compliant chips), I wonder if they thought to put compliant chips into their products. If so, what years and models are Y2k

-- Jim (jamesfw@earthlink.net), March 24, 1999

Answers

Jim,

This issue has come up a number of times. I responded at length in the thread "No Chip Vehicles" which is in the archive at:

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0007uL

GM has announced that its vehicles are y2k-ok, as has the auto manufacturer that I work for. There may or may not be any gas available, but you can expect your vehicle's onboard computers to be fine....

-- Randy Jones (randyjones@techie.com), March 24, 1999.

just a click away

-- Call me (innocent@bystander.edu), March 25, 1999.

I must of missed the article about GM. Is there a link?

-- maji (majiWI@yahoo.com), March 25, 1999.

Gary North mentioned that GM had apparently announced compliance based on an article attributed to REUTERS:

~SNIP~

The company said it reviewed all microprocessors installed in cars and trucks it assembles over the last 15 years and none will be affected by any problems.

~SNIP

at: http://www.canoe.ca/Year2000Crisis/mar11_gm.html

GN piece (3/12/99) "GM Says No GM Cars Have Embedded Chips Problems" at:

http://www.garynorth.com/y2k/detail_.cfm/4047

-- Randy Jones (randyjones@techie.com), March 25, 1999.

Try this:

FAQ about Y2K and vehicles

-- info. about (automobiles@turn.ofcentury), March 26, 1999.

Y2k a non-issue for vehicles, Ford says

by Bob Golfen..The Arizona Republic...3/27/1999

Y2k and the millennium computer bug are just around the corner, and everyone with personal computers or bank accounts is wondering what apocalyptic things will happen when the clock strikes 00.

People also are wondering about their cars and the computerized systems that regulate everything from engine timing to pollution control.

Car dealers and mechanics report numerous call from worried drivers. Here's what they say to do about the computers in your car:

Nothing.

John Clinard, a national Ford spokesman, called y2k a "non-issue" for cars and trucks.

"Fords customer-service people said there is absolutely nothing in Ford's production run that is Y2k-sensitive," Clinard said. "The cars don't care what year it is."

Sun City auto mechanic Dave Lansbury noted that there is nothing about a vehicle computer that would be affected by a date. "There are no dates involved in it," he said.

Still, there are reports of some mechanics trying to gouge customers who call in seeking advice on the potential Y2k problem. One northwest Phoenix retiree said a Phoenix car dealer's service representative offered to install a "special chip" to ward off automotive disaster. Price tag: $295.

"That's an interesting concept," Lansbury said of such scams. "I'm sure somebody will make a lot of money on it."

-- ronbanks (phxbanks@webtv.net), March 27, 1999.

To answer your question... ZERO... Big fat goose egg... No date sensitive gear in an automobile. GOT IT? OK.

I hear this piece of nonsense everywhere I go. The computer systems in cars base time on the ODOMETER reading, and odometers have been rolling over for almost 100 years, with no issues. Forget worrying about your car electronics, and worry about if you have enough water, food, heat and shelter. Get those four taken care of and if you still have a bug about your wheels, go buy an old pickup truck... 1974 or older... GEEZ...

The Dastardly Dog

-- Dog (desert dog @sand.com), March 29, 1999.