Consumer Affairs: Honda Odyssey makes safety history

It's the first minivan to earn the IIHS "TOP SAFETY PICK+" award

by James Limbach of www.consumeraffairs.com

For the first time ever, a minivan has earned the top safety designation given by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The 2014 Honda Odyssey scored well in all five IIHS crash evaluations, including the challenging small overlap front test. Vehicles are rated good, acceptable, marginal or poor based on performance in the moderate overlap front, small overlap front, side, rollover and rear crash evaluations.

Structural changes highlighted

The 2014 Odyssey is the first minivan to be evaluated in the small overlap front test. Honda asked the institute to test the vehicle to highlight structural changes the automaker made to improve occupant protection in a small overlap front crash. When tests are conducted at a manufacturer's request, the automaker reimburses IIHS for the cost of the vehicle.

Honda introduced the upgraded Odyssey as a 2014 model. While there are no major styling changes, the new model has advanced high-strength steel in the front door frames, floor pan and front wheel wells for a more rigid occupant compartment.

The side curtain airbags extend farther forward to offer comprehensive head protection in both a side crash and a small overlap front crash. Even with these modifications, the Odyssey's weight didn't change much because Honda engineers were able to reduce it elsewhere to compensate for the strengthened structure.

The test

The small overlap test was added to the IIHS lineup of vehicle safety evaluations last year. It replicates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle strikes another vehicle or an object like a tree or a utility pole. In the test, 25 percent of a vehicle's front end on the driver side strikes a 5-foot-tall rigid barrier at 40 mph. A 50th percentile male Hybrid III dummy is belted in the driver seat.

In the Odyssey test, the driver's space was maintained reasonably well. Injury measures on the dummy indicated a low risk of injury in a crash of this severity. Because the structure helped keep the steering column stable, the front airbag stayed in front of the driver dummy during the crash to provide good protection. The side curtain airbag deployed and had sufficient forward coverage to protect the head from contact with the side structure and outside objects.

High priority

"Safety is high on the list for parents when it comes to shopping for a family vehicle," says IIHS President Adrian Lund. "Consumers look for models with the highest safety ratings. Honda is ahead of many of its competitors in building state-of-the-art crashworthiness into its vehicles."

Honda and Acura brands have earned six TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards among 20 current models that the Institute has rated. They are the Honda Accord 2-door and 4-door, Civic 2-door and 4-door, Odyssey and Acura TL. Winners must earn good ratings for occupant protection in 4 of 5 evaluations and no less than acceptable in the fifth test.

Source;
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