An overview of the automobile field shows a more and more frequent resort to electronic systems on vehicles. Improvement of mechanical functions, comfort, driving information and safety are now some of the current applications. However, functioning of electronic systems can be modified by electromagnetic perturbations generated by sources such as on-board transmitters, AM broadcasting, CB, or radar emissions. The radiated fields produced by the lightning discharges form also intense sources which are apt to disturb the functioning of electronic systems or eventually to destroy them. In such conditions vehicle safety can be altered if systems (e.g. electronic injection units, ABS or future multiplexing systems) are perturbated. Results obtained during different tests performed on two vehicles:​ a passenger car and a truck, disposed on the lightning research station at Saint Privat d’Allier, France are presented and discussed.