Cobalt finally gets good news on crash tests - Other Cars Forum

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Cobalt finally gets good news on crash tests
Tuesday, March 08, 2005 10:51 AM
Sort of. Read on.

Many small cars earned poor ratings in side impact crash tests recently conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The tests, which are not required by government standards, simulate the force from the front end of a typical pickup truck or sport-utility vehicle when it crashes into the driver's side of a passenger vehicle at 31 miles per hour, the IIHS says.

In the Institute's side impact test, a moving deformable barrier strikes the driver's side of a passenger vehicle at 31 mph. The barrier weighs 3,300 pounds and has a front end that is shaped to simulate the front end of a typical pickup or SUV. In each side-struck vehicle are two instrumented dummies the size of a small (5th percentile) woman, one positioned in the driver seat and one in the rear seat behind the driver.

According to an IIHS news release, only the Chevrolet Cobalt and Toyota Corolla, both equipped with optional side airbags with head protection, performed well enough to earn the Institute's second highest rating of acceptable. Without the optional airbags, the Cobalt and Corolla are rated poor for side impact protection.

Another 12 small cars also earned poor ratings: Dodge Neon, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Spectra, Mazda 3, Mitsubishi Lancer, Nissan Sentra, Saturn Ion (tested with and without side airbags), Suzuki Forenza, Suzuki Aerio, and Volkswagen New Beetle.

Three more small cars will be tested in side impacts later this year, the IIHS said. The Mini Cooper and Subaru Impreza will have new design features that are intended to improve side impact protection. The Honda Civic will be a completely redesigned model.

The Institute says it also conducted frontal offset crash tests of the Cobalt and Spectra. The Cobalt was tested because it's a new design. Kia requested the test of the Spectra after modifying the design of the airbag system. Before this change, the Spectra was rated poor in the frontal test.

In the frontal offset test, the vehicle strikes a deformable barrier at 40 mph. The vehicle is offset, so only 40 percent of the front end strikes the barrier on the driver side. In offset tests a smaller area of the front end must manage the crash energy, compared with full-width tests. Injury measures are taken from a dummy representing an average-size male (50th percentile) positioned in the driver seat.

Cobalt and Corolla are acceptable with side airbags: Side curtain-style airbags designed to protect the heads of front- and rear-seat occupants are optional on these vehicles (front seat-mounted torso airbags are included with the airbag option on the Corolla). When side airbags are optional, the Institute tests without the option and will conduct a second test with the optional airbags if the manufacturer requests it and reimburses the Institute for the cost of the vehicle. General Motors requested second tests of the Cobalt and Saturn Ion. Toyota requested a second test of the Corolla.

In the Cobalt, forces on the driver dummy's torso indicated the possibility of rib fractures or internal organ injuries. In the Corolla, there was the possibility of a fractured pelvis. Protection for the rear passenger was good in both cars.

In the Institute's frontal offset test, the Cobalt and Corolla are rated good. The Cobalt's seat/head restraints are rated good based on a test that simulates a rear impact, and the Corolla's are poor. Taken together with ratings in the side impact test, the Cobalt and Corolla equipped with optional side airbags now are the highest rated small cars overall in the Institute's crashworthiness ratings.

Neon is the worst performer, the IIHS said in a news release: The Neon has "major problems beginning with its structure. This car is a disaster," says Institute chief operating officer Adrian Lund. "The structure is poor, and both dummies' heads were hit by the barrier during the crash test. High forces were recorded on the head, torso, and pelvis of the driver dummy. If this had been a real driver in a real crash, it's likely it wouldn't have been survivable."




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Re: Cobalt finally gets good news on crash tests
Tuesday, March 08, 2005 10:56 AM
keyword: WITH side airbags.

poor neon





Re: Cobalt finally gets good news on crash tests
Tuesday, March 08, 2005 12:06 PM
I seen this on the news yesterday. Its not really looking good for manufacturs and their small cars









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Re: Cobalt finally gets good news on crash tests
Tuesday, March 08, 2005 12:27 PM
the 3 may suck with side impacts, but front impacts its awesome with



Re: Cobalt finally gets good news on crash tests
Tuesday, March 08, 2005 12:41 PM
I honestly do not know what the government expects when a SUV hits a vehicle half the size of it. I have seen comparible weight vehicles not hold up so well in crash testing. I hit a 97 T-bird with my Mark VIII on 2-1 and ripped the rear 1/4 of the car almost completely off. If it had been in the door area both occupants would have been killed according to police. We had another crash here last year where a Hummer hit a Suburban in the door and killed a 10 year old kid. When you have a small vehicle there is never going to be enough protection in a crash, some larger vehicles are not even that great in side impact collisions.
Re: Cobalt finally gets good news on crash tests
Tuesday, March 08, 2005 12:44 PM
I'd like to see the SMART car tested... especially vs. a Ford Excursion.... big thing here in vancouver... you either have a tiny car... or a huge friggin SUV.

Poor Neon indeed... my g/f drives one

...j




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Re: Cobalt finally gets good news on crash tests
Tuesday, March 08, 2005 3:29 PM
Dont know what to tell you, gm cant be made fun of in this one all of the car companies car did poorly. The cobalt got an acceptable with side airbags, but its front crash rating was picked the best by iihs. I say give it 6 months and all the car companies will do a little tweaking and probably get good tests on side impact for compact cars.
Re: Cobalt finally gets good news on crash tests
Tuesday, March 08, 2005 3:45 PM
Mike GT,
True.

I personally seen 5-star rated car do poorly in real life, which happend a block away from my home (2004 BMW 530i). My neighbor and I tried to open the doors, but the cabin was so bent out shape that it was impossible. The Jaws of Life" had to be used, and woman's left leg was crunched and right arm was bleeding.
Funny thing was, she crashed a punk kid with a 1998 Chevy Malibu which is according to these test conductors is not the best, and came out walking with burns from the air bag, both were offset on a two lane road.
And this was just one of many things I have seen.

Personally I could care less on these tests, since the real world is not as planed as these tests are. Crashes happen in any way shape or form, and if you're destined to get hurt or die in one, it will happen no matter how "safe" or "unsafe" the car or truck you are in. Thats my take on it

I just brought for the 'Balt fans out there could get giddy over.





>>>For Sale? Clicky!<<<
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Re: Cobalt finally gets good news on crash tests
Tuesday, March 08, 2005 7:38 PM
good news to see, GM has never been really known for its saftey in cars



Re: Cobalt finally gets good news on crash tests
Wednesday, March 09, 2005 1:47 PM
too bad gm make you buy onstar in order to have side impact airbags in the cobalt.
Re: Cobalt finally gets good news on crash tests
Wednesday, March 09, 2005 7:38 PM
I know real world accidents are completely different but atleast this test puts in somewhat of a good word in for gm on safety most of the time. I love how the chevy venture/pontiac montana have such a bad crash rating but did u see the pictures of the people that went off the cliff in one. That thing held together beautifully. Like my one family member says the difference is that gm will make a car so people survive and then the people sue them, while honda makes sure your all dead so they cant be sued.

Re: Cobalt finally gets good news on crash tests
Friday, March 11, 2005 7:53 AM
I have been hit head on and also a direct impact from the side. Both times I was in a full size car with a frame and it saved me.
Re: Cobalt finally gets good news on crash tests
Friday, March 11, 2005 11:29 AM
the worste part is the insurance compaies eat up info like this

and figure your rates with the crash tests and your record


oh well







Re: Cobalt finally gets good news on crash tests
Friday, March 11, 2005 7:13 PM
Harsh on the neon... Ouch.

But that is the reason that the SRT-4 was a good idea, but bad in design. Let's make something that is not safe yet is very very quick. Disaster. I agree.

Yea for the Cobalt.

Chevy is running with Toyota in safety. I never thought I'd see the day.


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