Honda Car Forum

Overview

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced in October of 2003 plans to apply
advanced safety technologies to the full range of Honda and Acura products over
the next several years in its 'Safety for Everyone' commitment (see
Overview section for full Safety for Everyone information). The goal of 'Safety
for Everyone' is to provide high levels of safety protection for all Honda
and Acura customers and for all road users, by applying Front Side Airbags,
Side Curtain Airbags and Anti-Lock Brakes as standard equipment before the end
of calendar year 2006. Furthermore, all Honda and Acura light trucks, including
all SUVs and the Odyssey, will be equipped with Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA)
and rollover sensors for side curtain airbag deployment before the end of calendar
year 2006. The Odyssey is the first vehicle in Honda's lineup to include
all of the safety features of Honda's Safety for Everyone commitment.

Honda's innovative new Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body
structure, offering enhanced occupant protection with reduced aggressivity toward
other vehicles, will be applied to all new vehicle platforms in the U.S. and
globally over the next six to seven years. The 2005 model Honda Odyssey minivan
and 2005 Acura RL sedan will be the first U.S. models to carry this new technology.
(The first ever Honda vehicle to feature ACE technology worldwide was the Honda
Life, a minicar for the Japan market.)

As a result of Honda's 'Safety for Everyone' commitment,
the 2005 Honda Odyssey is equipped with the industry's highest level of
standard safety equipment for a minivan. In addition to the Advanced Compatibility
Engineering (ACE) body structure (see body section), the Odyssey interior provides
the following active safety equipment as standard on every trim level:

• Advanced Dual Stage, Dual Threshold Front Driver's and Front Passenger's
  Airbags


• Driver's Front Side Airbag and Front Passenger's Side Airbag
  with Occupant Position Detection System


• Three-Row Side Curtain Airbags with Rollover Sensor


• LATCH child seat anchor system


• Driver and Front Passenger Pre-Tensioning Seatbelts with Load Limiters


• Three-Point Seat Belts in All Seating Positions

Three-Point Seat Belts

All of Odyssey's eight seating positions (seven seating positions on
LX and Touring models) have three-point seat belts and head restraints. The
front row seat belts are equipped with load limiters and pre-tensioners. Also,
the front and second row seat belts are adaptable for passengers of various
heights because they have adjustable shoulder belt anchors (in outer seating
positions in second row). For center passengers, ceiling-mounted, retractable
shoulder belts are mounted above the second row (EX and EX with Leather) and
third row center seats (all models).

Advanced Dual Stage, Dual Threshold Front Driver's and Front
Passenger's Airbags

The Odyssey is equipped with dual-stage, dual-threshold supplemental restraint
system (SRS) airbags for the driver and front passenger. These airbags are designed
to minimize the potential for airbag injury while providing head and chest protection
for the occupants in the event of a collision. This front airbag system features
front passenger seat weight sensors and a driver seat position sensor designed
to further enhance occupant protection.

The Odyssey's front airbags can deploy at one of two rates. Deployment
of the driver's front airbag takes into account the severity of the crash,
whether or not the driver's seat belt is fastened and the position of
the driver's seat. During a lower speed collision, the airbag inflators
are triggered in sequence, resulting in overall airbag deployment with less
initial force. The same sequence is also utilized regardless of collision speed
if the driver's seat is close to the full forward position. During a higher
speed collision, if the driver's seat is far from the full frontal position,
both inflators operate simultaneously for full, immediate inflation. Airbag
deployment on the front passenger's airbag is regulated by crash severity,
seatbelt usage as well as the weight of the occupant. Sensors under the seat
gauge occupant weight and if the total weight on the passenger seat is less
than the NHTSA-specified MVSS specifications, the airbag system will not deploy,
minimizing the potential for injury to children (an indicator lamp on the instrument
panel will indicate this situation). Similar to what is available on the driver's
side, the airbags are deployed at the speed appropriate to the speed and severity
of the collision - slower for lower speed collisions, more quickly for
higher speeds.

The driver's airbag is located in the steering wheel hub and the passenger's
airbag is located on top of the dash. As in all Honda vehicles, the front passenger's
airbag is designed to deploy upward toward the windshield and then back toward
the occupant. This provides a large cushion to help protect the front passenger
while reducing the likelihood of injury resulting from airbag deployment.

Driver's Front Side Airbag and Front Passenger's Side Airbag
with Occupant Position Detection System

Like other Honda models, the Odyssey is equipped with seat-mounted side airbags
to help safeguard the driver and front passenger from side-impact injury. An
innovative occupant position detection system is used to assure that the passenger's
side airbag has a clear path for deployment. In the event a child (or a small-statured
adult) leans into the deployment path of the side airbag, a seven-segment antenna
system built within the backrest signals this condition to an electronic control
unit (ECU) also located within the seat. The ECU then deactivates the side air
bag from functioning and triggers a "SIDE AIRBAG OFF" indicator light
in the instrument cluster. After the front occupant returns to a normal seating
position, the side air bag module automatically resumes full-functional status.

Three-Row Side Curtain Airbags with Rollover Sensors

For 2005, all three rows of occupants are protected by Honda's new Three-Row
Side Curtain Airbag with Rollover Sensor System, which is standard equipment
on all Odyssey models - a first for the minivan segment. The side curtain
airbags deploy from modules in the roof in the event of a sufficient side impact,
providing a significant level of head protection in the window area. In the
unlikely event of a rollover, a roll rate sensor, located underneath the front
passenger seat, along with multiple G sensors determine the rate of roll and
deploy the side curtain airbags accordingly.

Like the other airbag systems in the Odyssey, the side curtain system utilizes
sensors located in the front of the vehicle to determine the most appropriate
timing and rate of deployment of the airbags in the event of a rollover.

To provide the optimal level of protection for Odyssey occupants, extensive
testing was performed to determine the most appropriate timing and rate of deployment
in the unlikely event of a rollover. The system uses algorithms to continually
evaluate the situation and determines whether a rollover is eminent. The system
responds to many types of rollover "events" drivers could potentially
encounter including the "curb trip rollover" which as its name suggests,
results when one side of the vehicle hits a curb or like object; the "soil
trip rollover" which can result when one side of the vehicles suddenly
comes into contact with a different surface type, often involving a slight elevation
change; and the "screw rollover." This type of rollover is usually
the steepest and fastest of the rollovers whereby the vehicle comes upon a sharp
angle such as an embankment. The roll rate sensor and multiple G sensors determine
the "scenario" and calculate the angle of roll and the speed of
the vehicle in order to deploy the airbags at the correct stage for optimum
protection. In the case of a rollover, the side curtain airbags on both sides
of the vehicle will deploy. However, in the event of a sufficient side impact
that does not result in a rollover, only the airbags on the impacted side of
the vehicle will deploy. The airbag maintains full inflation for approximately
three seconds after inflation to allow for the increased time duration of a
rollover accident.

Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren (LATCH) System

The Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren (LATCH) system is standard equipment
on the second row captains chairs and on the center position of the third row.
The LATCH system features built-in, ready-to-use anchors and tethers allowing
compatible child safety seats to be installed without using the vehicle's seat
belt system.

Available Body-Colored Front and Rear Parking Sensors

An increasing number of consumers are seeking supplemental technology to assist
in backing up and making sure that people or objects are not in the path of
the vehicle. The Odyssey Touring model is equipped with parking sensors that
indicate (through a visual and audible warning from the Multi Information Display)
that something may be in the path of the vehicle. The parking sensors are integrated
into the front and rear bumpers and are body colored. The sensors can detect
whether an object is directly behind, in front of, or to the right or to the
left of the vehicle.