Tag: safety

Autoblog gets seat and simulation time with Toyota’s newest safety technology [w/video]

Filed under: Hybrid, Japan, Safety, Technology, Videos, Lexus, Toyota

Inside Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji tech center – Click above for high-res image gallery

Sitting in the shadow of Mount Fuji, Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji technical center is part proving grounds and part engineering center. But unlike most facilities, Higashi-Fuji includes an array of engineering and research offices employing over 3,000 employees, and an assortment of non-track test facilities.

The Higashi-Fuji campus opened back in 1966 and has grown to encompass nearly 2.7 millionsquare feet of facility floor space. We were given the rare opportunity to visit the facility where we witnessed one unique crash test, tried out one of the world’s most advanced driving simulators and sampled an assortment of new safety features, including a brake override system, enhanced pre-collision braking, pedestrian detection and updated ABS calibrations for the Prius. Make the jump for the full report.

Gallery: Inside Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji tech center

Continue reading Autoblog gets seat and simulation time with Toyota’s newest safety technology [w/video]

Autoblog gets seat and simulation time with Toyota’s newest safety technology [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 BMW 5-Series nabs IIHS Top Safety Pick laurels

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Safety, BMW, Luxury

2011 BMW 535i – Click above for high-res image gallery

The 2011 BMW 5 series can stick another feather in its jaunty Alpine cap. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has awarded the German automaker’s middle child the coveted Top Safety Pick accolade. The newest generation of the 5er managed to nab the highest ratings possible for front, side, rear and rollover crash protection, becoming the first 5 Series to win the Top Safety Pick in the model’s history. Surprisingly enough, the 2011 5 Series is also the first BMW to take the award since the IIHS incorporated its new roll-over test.

The institute says that BMW has made up impressive ground in the area of side impact protection. Last year’s car only managed a “marginal” rating during that section of testing, while the new car was granted the highest rating possible. The institute goes on to say that its test replicates an impact from a larger vehicle, such as an SUV of a pickup truck, to accommodate for the higher number of these vehicles on the road today. Full details at the link below.

Gallery: 2011 BMW 5 Series IIHS Crash Test

[Source: IIHS]

2011 BMW 5-Series nabs IIHS Top Safety Pick laurels originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford: Aftermarket replacement parts can be inferior, possible safety hazards

Filed under: Aftermarket, Safety, Ford

Today’s autos are chock-full of safety equipment that vastly improves your chances of survival in the event of a crash. And if an automaker wants to achieve the best crash test scores, it has to ensure that parts like bumper beams, air bag sensors and radiator supports perform properly during a collision. But while automakers are concerned about their safety record, in some cases, aftermarket parts makers are more concerned with keeping costs down.

USA Today reports that Ford has called out some some aftermarket parts inferior, as the Dearborn, MI-based automaker’s internal testing has shown that some non-OEM parts are made of cheaper materials that may not perform adequately in the event of an accident. Parts marketing manager Mike Warwood says the company was “surprised at the gap between original manufacturer equipment and aftermarket parts,” adding that the gap was larger than anticipated. The easy way to avoid this issue is to demand OEM parts when your vehicle is in the shop for repairs, but unfortunately, some insurance companies insist that cheaper aftermarket replacement parts are used.

It makes sense for Ford push its factory-made parts, as the company makes lots of money selling in excess of 24,000 different replacement components. Ford insists that it is merely looking for aftermarket parts standardization to ensure the safety of its customers, along with stickers warning consumers that non-standard parts are being used. Insurance companies and aftermarket shops likely wouldn’t be too happy if a standardization process is initiated, but it’s hard to argue with oversight in the name of safety. After all, automakers test and build parts like bumpers for optimal safety, and consumers purchase those vehicles in part because of the safety ratings those vehicles earn.

[Source: USA Today]

Ford: Aftermarket replacement parts can be inferior, possible safety hazards originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mitsubishi Lancer earns Top Safety Pick award, first small car Mitsubishi to pass new rollover test [*UPDATE]

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Safety, Mitsubishi

2010 Mitsubishi Lancer ES – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has named the Mitsubishi Lancer one of its top safety picks. The four-door sedan managed to be the first small car Mitsubishi that the Institute has tested to pass the new roll-over test with a “good” rating. As much as we like entertaining ourselves by thinking about the researchers flipping a bevy of cars and SUVs from 9-to-5, that isn’t quite how the institute tests for rollover strength.

Instead, a large metal plate exerts a steady force on the roof of a vehicle until the crash structure deflects by five inches. At that point, the boffins measure the amount of force it took to bend the roof and compare it to the overall weight of the vehicle. From there, a strength-to-weight ratio can be established. Currently, the federal government requires a vehicle’s roof to be able to withstand 1.5 times the weight of the car, and in order for a vehicle to earn a “good” rollover rating from the IIHS, the roof needs to be able to stand up to four times the weight of the vehicle.

Gallery: 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer ES

[Source: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]

Mitsubishi Lancer earns Top Safety Pick award, first small car Mitsubishi to pass new rollover test [*UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota ‘victims’ urge passage of Motor Vehicle Safety Act

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Technology, Toyota

No one can accuse our legislative process of being particularly swift. Even in the midst of one of the most productive congressional sessions in years, it takes plenty of hemming and hawing to push a bill all the way from committee to law. Unfortunately, a group of individuals affected by the recent rash of runaway Toyota vehicles must not have gotten that memo. A group of family members of those who died in instances of unintended acceleration recently met with members of congress to discuss the obstacles facing the Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2010.

The bill specifically addresses the need for brake override systems on all new cars as well as so-called black boxes, or event data recorders, but it also ensures that federal investigators will be able to quickly access information stored on a vehicle in case of a widespread safety emergency. Meanwhile, the bill has run into some opposition. Most automakers have come out in favor of EDR’s, but have found issue with other portions of the legislation.

Other potential snags include worries about the cost of the added technology. As such, proponents of the bill have decided to underscore the need for such a law for fear that the topic will grow cold in the public’s memory. Hit the jump for the full press release.

[Source: Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety | Image: Kevin Burkett | CC2.0]

Continue reading Toyota ‘victims’ urge passage of Motor Vehicle Safety Act

Toyota ‘victims’ urge passage of Motor Vehicle Safety Act originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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