Honda Odyssey awarded Top Safety Pick after crash testing

THE HONDA Odyssey, re-engineered for the 2014 model year, earned a ”good” overall rating.

MINIVANS are intended primarily for transporting families in safety and comfort. So it comes as a bit of a surprise that several of them are not able to cope with a new severe crash test. The minivans that did poorly in the test were the Nissan Quest, and the Chrysler Town & Country and its twin, the Dodge Grand Caravan. The Toyota Sienna earned an “acceptable” rating, while the Honda Odyssey, previous tested, earned a “good” rating.

The crash, developed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS),  a US nonprofit organization, subjects the cars to strong deformation forces by crashing 25 percent of the vehicle’s front end into a fixed barrier at 64 kilometers per hour. This “small overlap test” replicates the results when the front corner of the minivan collides with another vehicle or an object such as a tree or utility pole. Since only a small part of the structure is able to absorb the crash, the test deforms the vehicle structure and may render some safety features such as airbags less effective.

The Honda Odyssey, reengineered for the 2014 model year, earned a “good” overall rating. The Odyssey’s structure held up well, preserving a safe space for the driver. The dummy recorded low risk of significant injuries for this type of crash. The dummy’s head stayed on the airbag until rebound, and the side curtain and torso airbags also kept the dummy away from the van’s side structure.

Toyota modified the structure of the 2015 Sienna but the test still resulted in intrusion into the cabin at the door hinge pillar and instrument panel. The dummy slid off the airbag’s left side, and the seatbelt allowed the dummy to move too far forward. The risk of injuries was recorded as low.

THE ODYSSEY’S structure held up well, preserving a safe space for the driver.

The Nissan Quest’s structure collapsed nearly completely. The front was pushed in nearly 610 millimeters at the lower hinge pillar, and the parking brake moved toward the driver by 406 mm. The IIHS technicians could only extract the dummy by cutting out the seat and using a crowbar to free its right foot. A real person experiencing those forces would not likely walk again.

The Chrysler and Dodge twins also collapsed around the dummy. The parking brake pedal gouged the dummy’s skin, and the door sill and steering column both moved in toward the driver.

The IIHS theorizes that minivans are damaged more in this type of crash because they are built on car platforms but are wider than cars. More of the vehicle is located outside the main protective structure. Minivans are also heavier than cars.

The Kia Sedona is undergoing a redesign and would be tested in the future.