Submitted by SD Transplant on July 22, 2009 - 6:18pm
A family member was involved in an accident and the airbags of a pretty new Toyota (2005 w/ only 32K miles) did not deploy. The front is pretty much trashed. What would you do?
It takes a pretty good hit to get an airbag to deploy in some cases. I've been in two accidents where my car looked like I was hit by a train and the bags didn't deploy. The accidents were not high speed impacts though. Still gave me a good whack and did over $10k in damage in both cases. But the airbags would not have done any good had they deployed. Heck they might have hurt me worse than the seat belt did. The thing is that with modern cars even a moderate accident looks like a train wreck.
Other than Bob, I think these are all pretty good answers!
You obviously have a lot of different options, but your family needs to handle the situation according to what their gut instinct tells them. Personally, I would stay away from the whole lawsuit mentality unless someone in the family was really hurt.
Do a little research and detective work and maybe you can assess the combined impact speed and then check to find out at what speed the airbags should deploy. Toyota makes some of the safest cars in the industry. If it was a GM or Ford I would be highly skeptical:).
Submitted by paramount on July 22, 2009 - 10:01pm.
The stats I review strongly suggest American cars are safer than Asian based cars.
Asian cars are tin cans.
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
The stats I review strongly suggest American cars are safer than Asian based cars.
Asian cars are tin cans.
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
Even when you compare apples to apples (Silverado vs F150 vs Ram vs Tundra) the Toyota loses. The Tundra is the only one of those that didn't get a 5 star rating:
The stats I review strongly suggest American cars are safer than Asian based cars.
Asian cars are tin cans.
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
Even when you compare apples to apples (Silverado vs F150 vs Ram vs Tundra) the Toyota loses. The Tundra is the only one of those that didn't get a 5 star rating:
Really depends...If you compare the passenger sedans apples to apples it's all over the map..Ditto with suv's
Actually, part of the reasons why I drive european is for the longest time, european crash standards were more stringent than U.S. And the european makers have always been the one pushing the envelope for new safety tech....Now if they would just work on their reliability/serviceability....
As far as the airbags not deploying, depends on how the impact was....However, assuming this was frontal impact at a signficant speed, yeah I'd file a complaint with NTSB and with the manufacturer.
But hands down, a smackdown between a small car and a large truck/suv...large truck/suv wins.
The stats I review strongly suggest American cars are safer than Asian based cars.
Asian cars are tin cans.
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
Even when you compare apples to apples (Silverado vs F150 vs Ram vs Tundra) the Toyota loses. The Tundra is the only one of those that didn't get a 5 star rating:
The stats I review strongly suggest American cars are safer than Asian based cars.
Asian cars are tin cans.
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
Even when you compare apples to apples (Silverado vs F150 vs Ram vs Tundra) the Toyota loses. The Tundra is the only one of those that didn't get a 5 star rating:
Really depends...If you compare the passenger sedans apples to apples it's all over the map..Ditto with suv's
Not in the case I quoted. The American trucks clearly come out ahead.
Don't drive a truck, never looked at trucks, so I'll take you're word for it :) The only thing I know about trucks is Tundra's seem like a POS, with rust problems and a tailgate lid that can't stand weight. Personally, if I had to get a truck, it would most likely be a F-150.
The tin can reference to passenger cars/suv's though isn't exactly accurate, except when it comes to some hyundai's.
Anyway, regarding SUVs/Minivan/CUV(partial list). I'll update it when I have more time
GMC Acadia: Good and Top Pick
GMC Envoy: Average (not top pick)
Caddy SRX: Good (but not top pick due to head/neck assessment)
Chevy Equinox: Good (but not top pick...Marginal side impact)
Chevy HHR: Good but not top pick (Acceptable side impact)
Chevy Trailblazer: Acceptable front with marginal side impact
Chevy Traverse: Good and Top Pick
Chevy Uplander: Good but not top pick (acceptable side impact)
Chrysler PT Cruiser:(ok not really an SUV): Good front/poor side impact
Chrysler Town and Country/Dodge Caravan Good/Good (but not top pick)
Dodge Caliber (Good front/Marginal side impact)
Ford Flex: Good and Top Pick
Ford Edge: Good and Top Pick
Ford Ranger (truck, didn't know they still made them in 2009): Acceptable front/marginal side
Ford Taurus X Good and Top Pick
Ford Explorer Good Frontal/Acceptable side (not top pick)
Ford Explorer Sport Trac Good Frontal/no side impact test done yet
Jeep Patriot: Good/Good
Jeep Grand Cherokke: Good/Marginal
Jeep Liberty: Good/Marginal
Saturn Vue: Good/Good Top Pick
Saturn Outlook: Good/Good Top Pick
Acura MDX: Good and Top Pick
Lexus RX: Good and Top Pick
Volvo XC90: Good and Top Pick
VW Toureq: Good and Top Pick
Porsche Cayenne: Good and Top Pick
Honda Pilot: Good and Top Pick
Honda Ridgeline: (yeah I know, this really isn't a "truck") Good and Top Pick
Honda Odessey Good and Top Pick
Honda CRV : Good and Top Pick and I guess if you total it, you can get 25cents per pound...Ha ha ha...
Hyundai Tucson: Acceptable/Acceptable
Hyundai Veracruz: Good and Top Pick
Hyundai Santa Fe: Good and Top Pick...
Kia Sorento: Good/Poor
What? Hyundai safe? Nah, that can't be...My how times have changed.
Infiniti FX: Good frontal (no side impact test done)
Nissan Pathfinder: Good/good not top safety pick
Nissan Xterra: Good/good not top safety pick
Toyota 4Runner: Good/good not top safety pick
Toyota FJ Cruiser: Good/good top safety pick
Toyota sienna: Good/good not top safety pick
Toyota RAV 4: Good/good top safety pick
Toyota highlander Good/good top safety pick
toyota tacoma and tundra: good/good top safety pick (provided it doesn't fall apart from all that rusting :))
I would say it depends on whether your family member was hurt or not. When an airbag goes off, it causes a pretty traumatic impact on the person. I've known 2 people who had their airbags deploy and they both looked like they got mugged (bloodshot eyes, scratches, bruising, etc). One of those guys had his airbag accidently deploy while going over a speed bump and his face still looked trashed. I worked with the group that invented airbags and they had all kinds of horror stories about the damage it could do.
Over time, technology has gotten better and cars have gotten smarter about deploying airbags. So if your family member wasn't hurt, its likely that the airbag didn't go off by design. The car computer may have figured that the airbag would have hurt your family member more than the accident would. But if your family member's head hit the steering wheel, then that's a different story.
The airbag will trigger when the sensor measures a decelleration over a specified amount. When the crumple zone crumples, it has two effects. 1) It dissapates alot of energy and dramatically reduces the decelleration encountered by the passenger, thus making it less likely that the airbag was needed 2) It makes the car look like it was hit by a train.
I'd have to guess this is a case where the crumple zone makes the accident look worse than it was, especially if nobody was hurt.
We were talking about airbags deploying. That's usually discussed in reference to a frontal crash.
Here are the specifics for truck, small SUV, large SUV, large car, and small car (5 different categories)
Ford/Chev win 4 categories, and tie in one.
Now, how is it that Toyota is better?
Large truck winner: Ford and Chevy
2009 Chevrolet Silverado: driver 5 star passenger 5 star
09 Ford F150: driver 5 star passenger 5 star
09 Toyota Tundra: driver 4 start passenger 4 star
Large SUV winner: Ford and Chevy
09 Chevrolet Suburban: driver 5 star, passenger 5 star
09 Ford Expedition: driver 5 star, passenger 5 star
09 Toyota Sequoia: driver 5 star, passenger 4 star
Small SUV winner: Chevrolet (yes, the HHR was classified as a small SUV)
09 Chev HHR: Driver: 5 star Passenger: 5 star
09 Ford Edge: Driver 5 start Passenger 4 star
09 Toyota RAV 4 Driver: 5 star Passenger: 4 star
09 Scion xB: Driver: 4 star Passenger: 4 star
Full size winner: 3-way tie
09 Chevrolet Impala: Driver 5 star Passenger 5 star
09 Ford Taurus: Driver 5 start Passenger 5 star
09 Toyota Camry: Driver 5 star Passenger 5 star
Small car winner: Ford
09 Chevrolet Cobalt Driver 4 star Passenger 5 star
09 Ford Focus Driver 5 star Passenger 5 star
We were talking about airbags deploying. That's usually a frontal crash.
Here are the specifics for truck, small SUV, large SUV, large car, and small car (5 different categories)
Ford/Chev win 4 categories, and tie in one.
Now, how is it that Toyota is better?
Large truck winner: Ford and Chevy
2009 Chevrolet Silverado: driver 5 star passenger 5 star
09 Ford F150: driver 5 star passenger 5 star
09 Toyota Tundra: driver 4 start passenger 4 star
Large SUV winner: Ford and Chevy
09 Chevrolet Suburban: driver 5 star, passenger 5 star
09 Ford Expedition: driver 5 star, passenger 5 star
09 Toyota Sequoia: driver 5 star, passenger 4 star
Small SUV winner: Chevrolet (yes, the HHR was classified as a small SUV)
09 Chev HHR: Driver: 5 star Passenger: 5 star
09 Ford Edge: Driver 5 start Passenger 4 star
09 Toyota RAV 4 Driver: 5 star Passenger: 4 star
09 Scion xB: Driver: 4 star Passenger: 4 star
Full size winner: 3-way tie
09 Chevrolet Impala: Driver 5 star Passenger 5 star
09 Ford Taurus: Driver 5 start Passenger 5 star
09 Toyota Camry: Driver 5 star Passenger 5 star
Small car winner: Ford
09 Chevrolet Cobalt Driver 4 star Passenger 5 star
09 Ford Focus Driver 5 star Passenger 5 star
09 Toyota Corolla Driver 4 star Passenger 4 star
Well, I thought you were talking about overall car safety, from which includes not just airbag deployment, but ensuring passenger/driver compartment remained intact and that passenger injuries were minimized. There are numerous reasons why/why not an airbag would/will not deploy at a given time depending on many factors. Don't get me wrong, I'm not vouching for why this particular case the airbag didn't deploy...But it's not the first time I've heard a frontal impact and an airbag didn't deploy...Happens all the time across all makes/models.
IIHS provides a comprehensive test of frontal,side, and rear impact test and soon to be evaluated roof strength.
Well, I thought you were talking about overall car safety, from which includes not just airbag deployment, but ensuring passenger/driver compartment remained intact and that passenger injuries were minimized. There are numerous reasons why/why not an airbag would/will not deploy at a given time depending on many factors. Don't get me wrong, I'm not vouching for why this particular case the airbag didn't deploy...But it's not the first time I've heard a frontal impact and an airbag didn't deploy...Happens all the time across all makes/models.
IIHS provides a comprehensive test of frontal,side, and rear impact test and soon to be evaluated roof strength.
Fair enough. I had just done research prior and knew that American cars and trucks do superior in frontal crashes.
I haven't expanded that out to other aspects of safety...don't have the time. :0)
IIHS provides a comprehensive test of frontal,side, and rear impact test and soon to be evaluated roof strength.
Talking about roof strength reminds me of a rental minivan I rented in Oahu. I rented a Chevrolet Uplander (not sure about the model) few years ago there. When I picked it up at the airport I didn't notice any damage. However during the week I noticed that the roof of the minivan was caved in. It looked like someone had loaded a heavy suitcase or something onto the roof and caused the external roof to cave in. I noticed it only because the root of the minivan was below my line of sight as I was coming into the parking lot.
The cave-in wasn't noticeable from inside of the van.
The rental agency workers probably didn't notice the damage either because your eye level has to be well above the roof to see it. I assume they usually look for damages around bumpers, sides etc, not the roof of a minivan.
I wonder which unfortunately soul got blamed for the damage.
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
True but this kind of idea troubles me. I mean I do respect you wanting to protect your family from harm but what about the other families driving in Camry (or similar)?
How would you feel if your 5,500lb SUV got tangled up with a smaller car and caused serious injury/death to a small child in the smaller car?
Submitted by Diego Mamani on July 23, 2009 - 10:39am.
I was going to reply the exact same way that Itokuda did. If your friend wasn't injured, then there was no need for the airbag to deploy in the first place.
I did hear of a Mercedes's airbag going off minutes after an accident. Friend's friend's Mercedes was in a minor accident. After taking care of paperwork etc, he started driving away from the scene when the airbags went off unexpectedly. That was like 5 - 7 years ago.
I also agree that if the driver didn't hit the steering wheel than the airbags did its job, in this case NOT deploying.
Submitted by paramount on July 23, 2009 - 11:04am.
dbapig wrote:
paramount wrote:
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
True but this kind of idea troubles me. I mean I do respect you wanting to protect your family from harm but what about the other families driving in Camry (or similar)?
How would you feel if your 5,500lb SUV got tangled up with a smaller car and caused serious injury/death to a small child in the smaller car?
just a thought.
How someone 'feels' is really not the issue - the mean streets of Southern California are brutal - almost law of the Jungle.
Take my advice: Drive the largest car/SUV you can afford to drive, never mind how other people feel. It's no guarantee, but it does improve your chances.
The point is not to save gas, the point is to survive.
BTW, I have zero accidents and zero tickets and I'm not an aggressive driver at all. I drive to survive and have great consideration for other drivers as well.
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
True but this kind of idea troubles me. I mean I do respect you wanting to protect your family from harm but what about the other families driving in Camry (or similar)?
How would you feel if your 5,500lb SUV got tangled up with a smaller car and caused serious injury/death to a small child in the smaller car?
just a thought.
How someone 'feels' is really not the issue - the mean streets of Southern California are brutal - almost law of the Jungle.
Take my advice: Drive the largest car/SUV you can afford to drive, never mind how other people feel. It's no guarantee, but it does improve your chances.
The point is not to save gas, the point is to survive.
BTW, I have zero accidents and zero tickets and I'm not an aggressive driver at all. I drive to survive and have great consideration for other drivers as well.
How about a morality issue? There are young adults or poor family that can't afford to buy a large suv. I am not saying you or anyone else shouldn't drive an suv. I just wanted to throw out there the morality question about SUV versus smaller cars.
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
True but this kind of idea troubles me. I mean I do respect you wanting to protect your family from harm but what about the other families driving in Camry (or similar)?
How would you feel if your 5,500lb SUV got tangled up with a smaller car and caused serious injury/death to a small child in the smaller car?
just a thought.
How someone 'feels' is really not the issue - the mean streets of Southern California are brutal - almost law of the Jungle.
Take my advice: Drive the largest car/SUV you can afford to drive, never mind how other people feel. It's no guarantee, but it does improve your chances.
The point is not to save gas, the point is to survive.
BTW, I have zero accidents and zero tickets and I'm not an aggressive driver at all. I drive to survive and have great consideration for other drivers as well.
I would agree except I would add.. Drive the largest car you as an individual can handle...My relative is 5'0". No way I would recommend a expedition for that person.
Submitted by paramount on July 23, 2009 - 11:20am.
dbapig: It really isn't a morality issue the way I see it. It's kind of like walking across a street on a walk signal and then getting hit by a car that blows through a red light. You may have had the right away, but now your either dead or injured. Morality doesn't get you much here does it?
IMO, you have to deal with the world the way it is, not the way it should be.
Be thankful said family member was wearing a seatbelt.
file a complaint with NHTSA
Buy a different car next time.
It takes a pretty good hit to get an airbag to deploy in some cases. I've been in two accidents where my car looked like I was hit by a train and the bags didn't deploy. The accidents were not high speed impacts though. Still gave me a good whack and did over $10k in damage in both cases. But the airbags would not have done any good had they deployed. Heck they might have hurt me worse than the seat belt did. The thing is that with modern cars even a moderate accident looks like a train wreck.
I would call my insurance company.
Other than Bob, I think these are all pretty good answers!
You obviously have a lot of different options, but your family needs to handle the situation according to what their gut instinct tells them. Personally, I would stay away from the whole lawsuit mentality unless someone in the family was really hurt.
Do a little research and detective work and maybe you can assess the combined impact speed and then check to find out at what speed the airbags should deploy. Toyota makes some of the safest cars in the industry. If it was a GM or Ford I would be highly skeptical:).
I hope the family is ok!
Apparently Toyotas are known to have airbag problems.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/recalls04...
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotiv...
The stats I review strongly suggest American cars are safer than Asian based cars.
Asian cars are tin cans.
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
I have heard that airbags only deploy if you are hit directly head on.
I completely agreed with bob! Buy the GM car next time, it is built in Mexico!
Asian cars are tin cans.
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
Even when you compare apples to apples (Silverado vs F150 vs Ram vs Tundra) the Toyota loses. The Tundra is the only one of those that didn't get a 5 star rating:
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/16/toyot...
Asian cars are tin cans.
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
Even when you compare apples to apples (Silverado vs F150 vs Ram vs Tundra) the Toyota loses. The Tundra is the only one of those that didn't get a 5 star rating:
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/16/toyota-tundra-fails-to-score-five-stars-in-nhtsa-frontal-crash-t/
Really depends...If you compare the passenger sedans apples to apples it's all over the map..Ditto with suv's
Actually, part of the reasons why I drive european is for the longest time, european crash standards were more stringent than U.S. And the european makers have always been the one pushing the envelope for new safety tech....Now if they would just work on their reliability/serviceability....
As far as the airbags not deploying, depends on how the impact was....However, assuming this was frontal impact at a signficant speed, yeah I'd file a complaint with NTSB and with the manufacturer.
But hands down, a smackdown between a small car and a large truck/suv...large truck/suv wins.
Asian cars are tin cans.
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
Even when you compare apples to apples (Silverado vs F150 vs Ram vs Tundra) the Toyota loses. The Tundra is the only one of those that didn't get a 5 star rating:
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/16/toyota-tundra-fails-to-score-five-stars-in-nhtsa-frontal-crash-t/
Really depends...If you compare the passenger sedans apples to apples it's all over the map..Ditto with suv's
Not in the case I quoted. The American trucks clearly come out ahead.
Asian cars are tin cans.
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
Even when you compare apples to apples (Silverado vs F150 vs Ram vs Tundra) the Toyota loses. The Tundra is the only one of those that didn't get a 5 star rating:
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/16/toyota-tundra-fails-to-score-five-stars-in-nhtsa-frontal-crash-t/
Really depends...If you compare the passenger sedans apples to apples it's all over the map..Ditto with suv's
Not in the case I quoted. The American trucks clearly come out ahead.
Don't drive a truck, never looked at trucks, so I'll take you're word for it :) The only thing I know about trucks is Tundra's seem like a POS, with rust problems and a tailgate lid that can't stand weight. Personally, if I had to get a truck, it would most likely be a F-150.
The tin can reference to passenger cars/suv's though isn't exactly accurate, except when it comes to some hyundai's.
I just looked up the SUVs...
2009 Chevrolet Suburban: driver 5 star, passenger 5 star
2009 Ford Expedition: driver 5 star, passenger 5 star
2009 Toyota Tundra: driver 5 star, passenger 4 star
2009 Chevrolet Suburban: driver 5 star, passenger 5 star
2009 Ford Expedition: driver 5 star, passenger 5 star
2009 Toyota Tundra: driver 5 star, passenger 4 star
um, tundra aren't suvs..
I just looked at IIHS website. Not sure where the discrepancy is, but seems like both the F-150 and Tundra are rated as Top Picks.
http://www.iihs.org
Chevy Silverado is "Good", but not a top safety pick because of the poor side impact
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyser...
Also, Dodge Ram 1500 (Good front/Marginal side impact)
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyser...
Anyway, regarding SUVs/Minivan/CUV(partial list). I'll update it when I have more time
GMC Acadia: Good and Top Pick
GMC Envoy: Average (not top pick)
Caddy SRX: Good (but not top pick due to head/neck assessment)
Chevy Equinox: Good (but not top pick...Marginal side impact)
Chevy HHR: Good but not top pick (Acceptable side impact)
Chevy Trailblazer: Acceptable front with marginal side impact
Chevy Traverse: Good and Top Pick
Chevy Uplander: Good but not top pick (acceptable side impact)
Chrysler PT Cruiser:(ok not really an SUV): Good front/poor side impact
Chrysler Town and Country/Dodge Caravan Good/Good (but not top pick)
Dodge Caliber (Good front/Marginal side impact)
Hummer H3: Acceptable Front and Acceptable Side...Hmm, I guess the H3 isn't as safe as people think...
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyser...
Ford Flex: Good and Top Pick
Ford Edge: Good and Top Pick
Ford Ranger (truck, didn't know they still made them in 2009): Acceptable front/marginal side
Ford Taurus X Good and Top Pick
Ford Explorer Good Frontal/Acceptable side (not top pick)
Ford Explorer Sport Trac Good Frontal/no side impact test done yet
Jeep Patriot: Good/Good
Jeep Grand Cherokke: Good/Marginal
Jeep Liberty: Good/Marginal
Saturn Vue: Good/Good Top Pick
Saturn Outlook: Good/Good Top Pick
Acura MDX: Good and Top Pick
Lexus RX: Good and Top Pick
Volvo XC90: Good and Top Pick
VW Toureq: Good and Top Pick
Porsche Cayenne: Good and Top Pick
Honda Pilot: Good and Top Pick
Honda Ridgeline: (yeah I know, this really isn't a "truck") Good and Top Pick
Honda Odessey Good and Top Pick
Honda CRV : Good and Top Pick and I guess if you total it, you can get 25cents per pound...Ha ha ha...
Hyundai Tucson: Acceptable/Acceptable
Hyundai Veracruz: Good and Top Pick
Hyundai Santa Fe: Good and Top Pick...
Kia Sorento: Good/Poor
What? Hyundai safe? Nah, that can't be...My how times have changed.
Infiniti FX: Good frontal (no side impact test done)
Nissan Pathfinder: Good/good not top safety pick
Nissan Xterra: Good/good not top safety pick
Toyota 4Runner: Good/good not top safety pick
Toyota FJ Cruiser: Good/good top safety pick
Toyota sienna: Good/good not top safety pick
Toyota RAV 4: Good/good top safety pick
Toyota highlander Good/good top safety pick
toyota tacoma and tundra: good/good top safety pick (provided it doesn't fall apart from all that rusting :))
Like I said, it's all over the map
I would say it depends on whether your family member was hurt or not. When an airbag goes off, it causes a pretty traumatic impact on the person. I've known 2 people who had their airbags deploy and they both looked like they got mugged (bloodshot eyes, scratches, bruising, etc). One of those guys had his airbag accidently deploy while going over a speed bump and his face still looked trashed. I worked with the group that invented airbags and they had all kinds of horror stories about the damage it could do.
Over time, technology has gotten better and cars have gotten smarter about deploying airbags. So if your family member wasn't hurt, its likely that the airbag didn't go off by design. The car computer may have figured that the airbag would have hurt your family member more than the accident would. But if your family member's head hit the steering wheel, then that's a different story.
The airbag will trigger when the sensor measures a decelleration over a specified amount. When the crumple zone crumples, it has two effects. 1) It dissapates alot of energy and dramatically reduces the decelleration encountered by the passenger, thus making it less likely that the airbag was needed 2) It makes the car look like it was hit by a train.
I'd have to guess this is a case where the crumple zone makes the accident look worse than it was, especially if nobody was hurt.
I typed Tundra, should have said Sequoia.
We were talking about airbags deploying. That's usually discussed in reference to a frontal crash.
Here are the specifics for truck, small SUV, large SUV, large car, and small car (5 different categories)
Ford/Chev win 4 categories, and tie in one.
Now, how is it that Toyota is better?
Large truck winner: Ford and Chevy
2009 Chevrolet Silverado: driver 5 star passenger 5 star
09 Ford F150: driver 5 star passenger 5 star
09 Toyota Tundra: driver 4 start passenger 4 star
Large SUV winner: Ford and Chevy
09 Chevrolet Suburban: driver 5 star, passenger 5 star
09 Ford Expedition: driver 5 star, passenger 5 star
09 Toyota Sequoia: driver 5 star, passenger 4 star
Small SUV winner: Chevrolet (yes, the HHR was classified as a small SUV)
09 Chev HHR: Driver: 5 star Passenger: 5 star
09 Ford Edge: Driver 5 start Passenger 4 star
09 Toyota RAV 4 Driver: 5 star Passenger: 4 star
09 Scion xB: Driver: 4 star Passenger: 4 star
Full size winner: 3-way tie
09 Chevrolet Impala: Driver 5 star Passenger 5 star
09 Ford Taurus: Driver 5 start Passenger 5 star
09 Toyota Camry: Driver 5 star Passenger 5 star
Small car winner: Ford
09 Chevrolet Cobalt Driver 4 star Passenger 5 star
09 Ford Focus Driver 5 star Passenger 5 star
09 Toyota Corolla Driver 4 star Passenger 4 star
Check yourself. I'm not lying.
http://www.safercar.gov/
We were talking about airbags deploying. That's usually a frontal crash.
Here are the specifics for truck, small SUV, large SUV, large car, and small car (5 different categories)
Ford/Chev win 4 categories, and tie in one.
Now, how is it that Toyota is better?
Large truck winner: Ford and Chevy
2009 Chevrolet Silverado: driver 5 star passenger 5 star
09 Ford F150: driver 5 star passenger 5 star
09 Toyota Tundra: driver 4 start passenger 4 star
Large SUV winner: Ford and Chevy
09 Chevrolet Suburban: driver 5 star, passenger 5 star
09 Ford Expedition: driver 5 star, passenger 5 star
09 Toyota Sequoia: driver 5 star, passenger 4 star
Small SUV winner: Chevrolet (yes, the HHR was classified as a small SUV)
09 Chev HHR: Driver: 5 star Passenger: 5 star
09 Ford Edge: Driver 5 start Passenger 4 star
09 Toyota RAV 4 Driver: 5 star Passenger: 4 star
09 Scion xB: Driver: 4 star Passenger: 4 star
Full size winner: 3-way tie
09 Chevrolet Impala: Driver 5 star Passenger 5 star
09 Ford Taurus: Driver 5 start Passenger 5 star
09 Toyota Camry: Driver 5 star Passenger 5 star
Small car winner: Ford
09 Chevrolet Cobalt Driver 4 star Passenger 5 star
09 Ford Focus Driver 5 star Passenger 5 star
09 Toyota Corolla Driver 4 star Passenger 4 star
Well, I thought you were talking about overall car safety, from which includes not just airbag deployment, but ensuring passenger/driver compartment remained intact and that passenger injuries were minimized. There are numerous reasons why/why not an airbag would/will not deploy at a given time depending on many factors. Don't get me wrong, I'm not vouching for why this particular case the airbag didn't deploy...But it's not the first time I've heard a frontal impact and an airbag didn't deploy...Happens all the time across all makes/models.
IIHS provides a comprehensive test of frontal,side, and rear impact test and soon to be evaluated roof strength.
IIHS provides a comprehensive test of frontal,side, and rear impact test and soon to be evaluated roof strength.
Fair enough. I had just done research prior and knew that American cars and trucks do superior in frontal crashes.
I haven't expanded that out to other aspects of safety...don't have the time. :0)
Take care.
IIHS provides a comprehensive test of frontal,side, and rear impact test and soon to be evaluated roof strength.
Talking about roof strength reminds me of a rental minivan I rented in Oahu. I rented a Chevrolet Uplander (not sure about the model) few years ago there. When I picked it up at the airport I didn't notice any damage. However during the week I noticed that the roof of the minivan was caved in. It looked like someone had loaded a heavy suitcase or something onto the roof and caused the external roof to cave in. I noticed it only because the root of the minivan was below my line of sight as I was coming into the parking lot.
The cave-in wasn't noticeable from inside of the van.
The rental agency workers probably didn't notice the damage either because your eye level has to be well above the roof to see it. I assume they usually look for damages around bumpers, sides etc, not the roof of a minivan.
I wonder which unfortunately soul got blamed for the damage.
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
True but this kind of idea troubles me. I mean I do respect you wanting to protect your family from harm but what about the other families driving in Camry (or similar)?
How would you feel if your 5,500lb SUV got tangled up with a smaller car and caused serious injury/death to a small child in the smaller car?
just a thought.
I was going to reply the exact same way that Itokuda did. If your friend wasn't injured, then there was no need for the airbag to deploy in the first place.
I did hear of a Mercedes's airbag going off minutes after an accident. Friend's friend's Mercedes was in a minor accident. After taking care of paperwork etc, he started driving away from the scene when the airbags went off unexpectedly. That was like 5 - 7 years ago.
I also agree that if the driver didn't hit the steering wheel than the airbags did its job, in this case NOT deploying.
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
True but this kind of idea troubles me. I mean I do respect you wanting to protect your family from harm but what about the other families driving in Camry (or similar)?
How would you feel if your 5,500lb SUV got tangled up with a smaller car and caused serious injury/death to a small child in the smaller car?
just a thought.
How someone 'feels' is really not the issue - the mean streets of Southern California are brutal - almost law of the Jungle.
Take my advice: Drive the largest car/SUV you can afford to drive, never mind how other people feel. It's no guarantee, but it does improve your chances.
The point is not to save gas, the point is to survive.
BTW, I have zero accidents and zero tickets and I'm not an aggressive driver at all. I drive to survive and have great consideration for other drivers as well.
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
True but this kind of idea troubles me. I mean I do respect you wanting to protect your family from harm but what about the other families driving in Camry (or similar)?
How would you feel if your 5,500lb SUV got tangled up with a smaller car and caused serious injury/death to a small child in the smaller car?
just a thought.
How someone 'feels' is really not the issue - the mean streets of Southern California are brutal - almost law of the Jungle.
Take my advice: Drive the largest car/SUV you can afford to drive, never mind how other people feel. It's no guarantee, but it does improve your chances.
The point is not to save gas, the point is to survive.
BTW, I have zero accidents and zero tickets and I'm not an aggressive driver at all. I drive to survive and have great consideration for other drivers as well.
How about a morality issue? There are young adults or poor family that can't afford to buy a large suv. I am not saying you or anyone else shouldn't drive an suv. I just wanted to throw out there the morality question about SUV versus smaller cars.
I'd much rather put my family in a 5,500lb Ford Expedition than a Toyota Camry. An Expedition will generally smoke a Camry (or similiar) any day of the week.
True but this kind of idea troubles me. I mean I do respect you wanting to protect your family from harm but what about the other families driving in Camry (or similar)?
How would you feel if your 5,500lb SUV got tangled up with a smaller car and caused serious injury/death to a small child in the smaller car?
just a thought.
How someone 'feels' is really not the issue - the mean streets of Southern California are brutal - almost law of the Jungle.
Take my advice: Drive the largest car/SUV you can afford to drive, never mind how other people feel. It's no guarantee, but it does improve your chances.
The point is not to save gas, the point is to survive.
BTW, I have zero accidents and zero tickets and I'm not an aggressive driver at all. I drive to survive and have great consideration for other drivers as well.
I would agree except I would add.. Drive the largest car you as an individual can handle...My relative is 5'0". No way I would recommend a expedition for that person.
Maybe we should all drive Ford Excursions and H2s...oh wait we've done that
dbapig: It really isn't a morality issue the way I see it. It's kind of like walking across a street on a walk signal and then getting hit by a car that blows through a red light. You may have had the right away, but now your either dead or injured. Morality doesn't get you much here does it?
IMO, you have to deal with the world the way it is, not the way it should be.