As the nation’s most closely watched auto show gets under way in Detroit, the challenge facing automakers isn’t just wowing consumers with shiny new models. It’s about winning back their trust.

The North American International Auto Show, opening Monday, represents a chance for the auto industry to explain how it will deal with a series of scandals — from Volkswagen’s diesel emissions lies and General Motors’ deadly ignition-switch debacle to industry supplier Takata’s failure to fix exploding air bags. Although skepticism about the honesty of auto dealers is nothing new, now consumers are shifting their gaze to the top of the industry for truth about whether cars are safe and clean.

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“In one horrific scandal after another, multiple car companies have promoted sales over safety,” said Stanford University law professor Nora Freeman Engstrom, who specializes in corporate liability and ethics. “We’ve seen this tremendous willingness to dupe regulators and play fast and loose with legal obligations.”