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.
