SixHondas

I've just started looking at replacing my 2000 EX-L V6 4-door Accord, and was surprised to see that the NHTSA gives the 2010 4-door Accord a pretty dismal three-star side-impact crash rating for rear passengers (http://www.safercar.gov/portal/search?model=8433). The numbers are significantly worse than for my 2000 Accord. I have little ones in the back seat so this rating has particular significance to me.

After digging a bit on the NHTSA website it looks like they may have been testing a 2008 model year car - I don't see raw test data for an Accord any later than 2008. I was wondering if anyone has seen where Honda might have made some minor tweaks in the 2010 models to address this issue.

George Knighton

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=866

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does not go higher than "G" and if a car gets their "G" rating, I would personally assume it is a good buy if safety is what you are looking for.

I will see if there are details of the NHTSA test and why it has a three-star rating for the rear passengers in a side impact. The first thing I wondered was if side airbags were an option in the LX, since that was the model tested...but all models have the side airbags standard now.

George Knighton

Both NHTSA and IIHS seem to have tested a 2008 LX 4 Cyl Sedan.

George Knighton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vxRQNemHCY

Interesting how very well the same car did in the head-on test.

George Knighton

At 0:34 is where you see the recording of the rear seat in the impact.

Something that has always impressed me (in a bad way) is that the very best tethering techniques do not keep an infant in a car seat from being shaken up rather badly in an accident.

:-(

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rXZOjK9AZU

SixHondas

Definitely good results for the front seat occupants. I also hear you regarding the IIHS testing. I think the European results were also acceptable. Conventional wisdom from what I can gather in an hour or two of going through this is to factor in all of the tests.

For NHTSA for the side-impact rear-seat rating it looks like this is based on three derived numbers; the head injury prediction was at the low end of a good rating, but the thoracic and pelvic measurements weren't so good. My 2000 Accord did great on this and the Pilot was even better.

I figure these measurements can potentially be affected by minor changes to door and pillar internal structure, or even something as simple as interior padding. Having owned six Hondas I'm aware of Honda's commitment to safety; I want to see if this is something they've addressed through a tactical design update, or if this has to wait to the next major redesign.

George Knighton

I will see what I can find out.

But if there has been a minor redesign to take the NHTSA side impact three-star rating into account, I am not sure that it was the most intelligent thing to do.

In the first place, NHTSA won't re-test the Accord Sedan until the next total model change.

In the second place, AHM have always maintained that their own tests go beyond what NHTSA and IIHS are doing, and to change something small in a car design just to get a star or two extra out of an individual test might appear to some of us to indicate that they're pandering to the public instead of doing what they really believe is right.

I think that if anything has been established in the past five years or so it is that AHM feel that they want to do what is right, not necessarily what will make them look best in the eyes of the public or even what will sell the most cars in a given scenario.

About the minor interior differences you mentioned, I suppose you must be right. The 4G TL, which is basically just a 300 HP Accord Sedan with SH-AWD, gets a five star rating in the same test.

They're basically the same car, but one's three-star and one's five-star. I haven't been in the rear of an Accord Sedan to even know what is physically different.

SixHondas

Very interesting observation about TL vs Accord .

I agree that they will do what they believe is right rather than pander. I do expect they pay serious attention to all of these test results and that the topic has been discussed and analyzed at length internally, both by engineering and marketing.

Thanks for the reminder about IIHS - also interesting is that there is a huge discrepancy in their rear passenger results for the 2003 Pilot vs. NHTSA. There are apparently significant differences in test methodologies and/or objectives.

GoLowDrew

Going OT. How old is the little one?

I got the 10 Accord for it's size. However, keep in mind where the seat belt buckles are. Because of it's large size, Honda want it to be a legit 3 in the rear car. So they made the middle seat belt buckle farther apart to give it more room vs. G7 Accord. What this means is that the seatbelt buckles for the left and the right is now narrower.

So what am I talking about?

A child booster seat will not sit properly in the left or the right seat (vs G7 Accord). It will be tilted at an angle because the seat buckle will have to be next to the seat. And the thicker side boasters don't help either. It's great for adults, but not so great for car seats.

How could this be?

This would not be a problem if you buck your child in, and then straighten out the seat (where the buckle is now under it). If your child buckles him/herself, he/she will have to be able to reach it. See if that is an issue.

If your child is still LATCH in the middle for rear facing car seat, then Accord is great because it's wider in the middle. However, there is no top anchor for the middle if it's front facing. I guess it's because of the pass-though/armrest.

In summary: G8 Accord is A+++ for adults and teens in the rear. IMO, it took a few steps back for kids and infants.

George Knighton

Thank you very much for the real world observation. :-)

SixHondas

Yes, excellent info, much appreciated.

The four year old is in a Britax Marathon (large LATCH seat, five-point harness); the six year old just got a Britax booster. When the younger one reaches the weight limit on LATCH she'll probably get a booster as well.

I hadn't thought of putting both seats into the 2010 as part of my evaluation, silly me. Great reminder. I wonder what the dealer will say about this in their brand new car...car seats tend to accumulate lots and lots of sticky trash .

GoLowDrew

Since I've gone OT, I'll go OT again. It's hard to say if there are safety improvements between 08 and 10.

My guess is that 08 and 09 are the same. 10's major visible differences are rear passenger vents, and Honda took away the glove box light, and ambient light. If there are visible changes, there perhaps could be other changes that are not visible.

So who knows if there are any changes in safety. Like OP already said, it could just be changes in padding and plastic, that would provide a different score rating.

MSchu

It could even be something as simple as the curtain not filling the same area as before or as other models... but that seem unlikely

TheAsian

This test was performed to new standards and rating scales. It happens all the time when the NHTSA raises their standards, generally cars the following year are back where you expect to see them.

2010AccordV6Nav

Wow.. 3 star for a 2008 accord. Do they test the sedan, coupe and crosstour seperately or lump them in as the same results.

George Knighton

Seperately. The Coupe has a higher score for the rear passengers.

MSchu

Is it three stars on one test only or overall?

George Knighton

The Sedan got a three star rating in the 2008 test for the rear passenger side impact.

The Crosstour and Coupe are five star. No idea what accounts for the difference.