[RAUSTER181]

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2001-11-05-airbags.htm

 

[CPSDarren]

Thanks for the link! Hopefully, the ball is rolling on this subject.

 

[moonatics]

A perfect example of a safety feature that sounds so safe yet still may injure. As a five foot tall woman, I have always been very wary of driver's side airbags due to their force when activated. They have killed short drivers. When I got my 97 Caravan, I was so excited as it was the first auto I had with airbags. Then I saw studies the following year that said my year and make of van had the most forceful and potentially deadly airbag on the road. So I spent four years barely reaching the pedals and keeping my arms outstretched as I was as far away from that steering wheel as I could be. What a relief to get the Ody and not have to be so worried about that anymore.

I have the 01, so no side bags. Since it already had the top rating for side impacts without the added bags, I feel safe. Hopefully, the 02 Ody side bags are not going to be a problem for anyone. I would hate to worry about my kids in the way I worried about myself in the Caravan.

 

[CPSDarren]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by moonatics:
A perfect example of a safety feature that sounds so safe yet still may injure. As a five foot tall woman, I have always been very wary of driver's side airbags due to their force when activated. They have killed short drivers. When I got my 97 Caravan, I was so excited as it was the first auto I had with airbags. Then I saw studies the following year that said my year and make of van had the most forceful and potentially deadly airbag on the road. So I spent four years barely reaching the pedals and keeping my arms outstretched as I was as far away from that steering wheel as I could be. What a relief to get the Ody and not have to be so worried about that anymore.

I have the 01, so no side bags. Since it already had the top rating for side impacts without the added bags, I feel safe. Hopefully, the 02 Ody side bags are not going to be a problem for anyone. I would hate to worry about my kids in the way I worried about myself in the Caravan. </font>

The side airbags in the Odyssey have a fairly rare automatic disable feature which prevents them from deploying if a passenger is sitting out of position, like leaning on the door or window.

The top side impact rating is nice, but airbags will be an improvement. This is especially true for vehicles which hit higher than those in the test, like tall SUVs. Side impact airbags for the head are especially important, and well documented in tests by the IIHS. Hopefully, more vehicles including Odyssey will have side impact airbags for the head very soon.

 

[Maugham]

The article says is that if a 3 year old child is leaning against the side air bag, not wearing a seat belt, the child could be flung across the car.

What they heck is a child that age doing in the front seat, anyway? Why isn't he in the back in a car seat or booster?

Let's not panic just yet...

Regards,

------------------
Maugham

"I plan to live forever. So far, so good"
'02 RP EXL
'85 Prelude
'01 Ninja folding aluminum scooter
'00 New Balance Model 658 Shoes w/ Green Grass stains and '01 White Laces w/ Frayed Tips

 

[moonatics]

Good point. My lack of 02 Ody knowledge led me to think that the side bags would be at the sliding doors. Now that I think about it, how could that be? Sadly, however, I have seen plenty of people driving with their children in the front seats. If they do not care enough to secure them in back, I am sure these kids possess enough control to stand up and get away with it.

I am glad that the Ody has improved upon its already stellar safety record. I, however, am in an 01 but will continue to know I'm safer than most on the road. It's almost like buying a computer - one week, it's the top of the line, state of the art, and a week later, prices are slashed and an even better one comes in and takes its place. I can't buy a new computer every week, so I must wait until I can not only afford another one, but wait until the new one really has enough new features to make the change worthwhile. Of course, safety is the key, so if the new features are proven to be that much more effective, I guess I'll be in the market for a trade...

 

[CPSDarren]

Maugham-

Kids 12 and under should always be in back. The problem is some vehicles have side airbags for the rear seating positions, too. The biggest risk by far is to children sitting out of position or not in a seatbelt. Children in a carseat are probably rather well protected from side-airbag deployment, but hopefully this finding will prompt more testing.
Moonatics-

Don't fret it I'm happy in my '01 also...When Odyssey adds side airbags for the head and stability control, I'll consider an upgrade.

[This message has been edited by caviller (edited 11-06-2001).]

 

[Canodyssey]

I wouldn't worry about the fact that the 2001 does not have side air bags. There is no conclusive evidence that air bags save more lives than they take. The seat belt is what saves lives.

 

[CPSDarren]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Canodyssey:
I wouldn't worry about the fact that the 2001 does not have side air bags. There is no conclusive evidence that air bags save more lives than they take. The seat belt is what saves lives.</font>

Side airbags have not been around long enough to have the wealth of data that shows how effective frontal airbags are. That is also probably why they are not mandated by law. Also see:

http://www.iihs.org/news_releases/2000/pr121400.htm

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/airbags/factsheets/numbers.html

http://www.highwaysafety.org/safety_facts/airbags/stats.htm
http://www.highwaysafety.org/safety_facts/qanda/airbags.htm

 

[tamisaac]

I'm confused. When we picked up our '02 EX last week, the dealer told us the side airbags would turn themselves off for 4 reasons: 1) a short adult is in the seat 2) a passenger was leaning to the side (sleeping) 3) an unsecured parcel, like my bag, was on the front seat (it could be flung at me forcefully if the airbag deployed) 4) excessive humidity. (??-- but he said running the AC would fix that.) There was supposed to be a light in the dashboard that said Side Airbag to indicate that it is off. When I drove with my pocketbook on the seat, though, I didn't see any light. I thought maybe it wasn't heavy enough?

 

[ninh]

A perfect example of a safety feature that sounds so safe yet still may injure. As a five foot tall woman, I have always been very wary of driver's side airbags due to their force when activated. They have killed short drivers. When I got my 97 Caravan, I was so excited as it was the first auto I had with airbags. Then I saw studies the following year that said my year and make of van had the most forceful and potentially deadly airbag on the road. So I spent four years barely reaching the pedals and keeping my arms outstretched as I was as far away from that steering wheel as I could be. What a relief to get the Ody and not have to be so worried about that anymore.

I have the 01, so no side bags. Since it already had the top rating for side impacts without the added bags, I feel safe. Hopefully, the 02 Ody side bags are not going to be a problem for anyone. I would hate to worry about my kids in the way I worried about myself in the Caravan.

My wife is five foot tall and she was injured when our 02 Ody
side airbags inadvertently deployed. I no longer trust the Honda airbags and Honda's concern about passenger safety. See my post at 2002 Discussion:
http://www.odyclub.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5642

 

[CPSDarren]

My wife is five foot tall and she was injured when our 02 Ody
side airbags inadvertently deployed. I no longer trust the Honda airbags and Honda's concern about passenger safety. See my post at 2002 Discussion:
http://www.odyclub.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5642

I assume you've reported this to the NHTSA? If not, here's the link:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/ivoq/default.htm