want to buy a Prius, concerned about safety

Etel Rose · 04-27-2006, 06:12 PM

hi! I need to replace my big old car that is having too many expensive problems. This will be my first new car, and it's a lot of money for me, but because of the tax incentive, I really want to get a hybrid for the fuel economy and emissions. I'm deciding between the Honda Civic hybrid and the Prius.

I'm most excited about the Prius. However: I have been looking at the safety data by the Institute for Highway Safety and the Honda got top ratings for safety, while the Prius was good except for the "marginal" rating on the rear crash test/whiplash protection. I'm so disappointed because my decision was just about made and I was envisioning myself driving around in a brand new Prius in just a few weeks. Now I'm questioning that. I called Toyota and asked if they were considering retrofitting a headrest or something that would boost that rating (after all, don't they want the safest car for us since now they know it's problematic)? The person I talked to was pretty demeaning to me, and said of course they weren't going to do anything with the 2006 model - the test is already done - and if they do any improvements it will be in subsequent models.

It's hard to buy a car that tests "marginal" on one of the safety features when there's another car that tests better that is also available. I'm kind of disappointed with Toyota and their response too. I'm really sad to think of not buying the Prius - there are certainly things to recommend it over the Honda, and it's also just a strong "feeling" that I'd rather have a Prius - but I'm torn now. It's amazing to get the best gas mileage, but I also have some neck problems already, and the idea of getting bumped/rear-ended (not a rare scenario) in a car that I already know has some issues with that is disturbing to me. I mean, gas mileage is fantastic, but neck problems/headaches can be debilitating (I know).

Any insight, advice, help would be much appreciated. Thanks so much.

(And one more thing: I notice a kind of strange uneven drag when driving on the highway...is that the electric motor recharging)?

savingtheearth · 04-27-2006, 06:38 PM

It got 4 out of 5 stars for safety- pretty good for a car that size. The myth of driving a tank of a car for safety is over rated.

Rancid13 · 04-27-2006, 06:41 PM

Prius shows 'poor' results in a side impact collision only without the side impact airbags.Prius Crash Test Results article

There are many people on PC who have survived crashes in the Prius and were able to walk away virtually injury free from an otherwise bad collision. I'll see if I can find some threads relating to this.

Etel Rose · 04-27-2006, 06:44 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(savingtheearth @ Apr 27 2006, 05:38 PM) [snapback]246332[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

It got 4 out of 5 stars for safety- pretty good for a car that size. The myth of driving a tank of a car for safety is over rated.
[/b]

I'm not driving the tank for safety - that's just what I have now because it was given to me. I am more concerned with buying a new car, and seeing the rear crash test/whiplash rating as "marginal," as I said.

Rancid13 · 04-27-2006, 06:54 PM

Here are some threads from some PCers who were in accidents, both major and minor, in their Priuses. Something I've seen repeated over and over is that in many cases, the people believe that the Prius and its safety features saved their lives and/or saved them & their passenger(s) from major injury. Hopefully reading some real life Prius collision reports and watching the crash test video in the first thread I've linked will ease your mind as to the safety design of the Prius.

Prius vs SUV, Will you survive the onslought?

'05 Prius in Major Accident, Advice Sought

Got into my first major car accident, Sad sad news.

My 05 Prius Broadsided

Has anyone had an accident in their prius?

Totaled

Ever wonder what would happen if a Buick hits a Prius broad?

How does a Prius hold up in a crash?, Are the cars safe?

Emma · 04-27-2006, 07:02 PM

Have you considered the safety feature the Prius has (albeit as an add-on) that the Civic does not? VSC - I don't believe it's an available standard or optional feature on the Civic Hybrid.

longjohn931 · 04-27-2006, 07:03 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Etel Rose @ Apr 27 2006, 06:12 PM) [snapback]246317[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

hi! I need to replace my big old car that is having too many expensive problems. This will be my first new car, and it's a lot of money for me, but because of the tax incentive, I really want to get a hybrid for the fuel economy and emissions. I'm deciding between the Honda Civic hybrid and the Prius.

I'm most excited about the Prius. However: I have been looking at the safety data by the Institute for Highway Safety and the Honda got top ratings for safety, while the Prius was good except for the "marginal" rating on the rear crash test/whiplash protection. I'm so disappointed because my decision was just about made and I was envisioning myself driving around in a brand new Prius in just a few weeks. Now I'm questioning that. I called Toyota and asked if they were considering retrofitting a headrest or something that would boost that rating (after all, don't they want the safest car for us since now they know it's problematic)? The person I talked to was pretty demeaning to me, and said of course they weren't going to do anything with the 2006 model - the test is already done - and if they do any improvements it will be in subsequent models.

It's hard to buy a car that tests "marginal" on one of the safety features when there's another car that tests better that is also available. I'm kind of disappointed with Toyota and their response too. I'm really sad to think of not buying the Prius - there are certainly things to recommend it over the Honda, and it's also just a strong "feeling" that I'd rather have a Prius - but I'm torn now. It's amazing to get the best gas mileage, but I also have some neck problems already, and the idea of getting bumped/rear-ended (not a rare scenario) in a car that I already know has some issues with that is disturbing to me. I mean, gas mileage is fantastic, but neck problems/headaches can be debilitating (I know).

Any insight, advice, help would be much appreciated. Thanks so much.

(And one more thing: I notice a kind of strange uneven drag when driving on the highway...is that the electric motor recharging)?
[/b]

Your too paranoid about this safety issue thing, how long have you been driving your old car and have you ever checked the safety tests for it? If it is an american built car I bet it has numerous marginal or poor tests.
The Prius is an excellent vehicle and with the side airbags will protect you as well as any other vehicle on the market. I can also imagine rear impact collisions that could cause neck injuries in cars with poor marginal or good ratings. A motor vehicle is not a safe place to be and if you are overly concerned then maybe you should consider, though limited, an elevator or escalator, I believe these are the safest means of transportation.

Etel Rose · 04-27-2006, 07:12 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(longjohn931 @ Apr 27 2006, 06:03 PM) [snapback]246345[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Your too paranoid about this safety issue thing, how long have you been driving your old car and have you ever checked the safety tests for it? If it is an american built car I bet it has numerous marginal or poor tests.
The Prius is an excellent vehicle and with the side airbags will protect you as well as any other vehicle on the market. I can also imagine rear impact collisions that could cause neck injuries in cars with poor marginal or good ratings. A motor vehicle is not a safe place to be and if you are overly concerned then maybe you should consider, though limited, an elevator or escalator, I believe these are the safest means of transportation.
[/b]

I know my old car probably doesn't measure up. But now I'm talking about getting a NEW car in which I have the choice of getting better safety ratings.

Look, I saw these results here: http://www.iihs.org/ratings/default.aspx Honda 5-star, Prius 4-star, and "marginal" on the rear crash test. Like I said, I was wondering if anyone had any insight to those tests, or real-world experience (thanks for the links, other poster). Just someone who would take my question and concern seriously and have some good insight. Obviously I'm not going to stop driving and I'm aware that there is risk in being in a car.

jbarnhart · 04-27-2006, 07:41 PM

I can't tell what you want. Either you want to be talked into a Prius, even though it's "unsafe" according to your research; or you want to be talked out of a Prius.

So far there's only one source to the claim that the Prius is unsafe in a rear-end collision. I've often wondered why IIHS doesn't publish actual claims data on the different cars, since they're owned by the insurance companies.

If you read through their very technical exposition of the rear-end ratings, you might come to the conclusion that MOST cars either get "marginal" or "poor" on this test. If you look further into their rating, you might find that it's based on a composite of different criteria. It could be the Prius got "marginal" (which is better than 90% of all Toyotas on the site) because of something called "geometric" parameters. But the dynamic forces actually measured during the crash were not high, but "moderate".

It all seems pseudo-scientific enough for me to not worry too much about it. But my sense is that you want higher-rated "safety" from the IIHS so I'd recommend you get the Honda.

Etel Rose · 04-27-2006, 07:56 PM

o.k. I'm not needing more advice (but of course people can keep the thread going if they want).

04-27-2006, 06:54 PM	#5
Rancid13 Cool Chick with a Black Prius Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Los Alamitos, Orange County, CA Posts: 2,455 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #8 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 2	Here are some threads from some PCers who were in accidents, both major and minor, in their Priuses. Something I've seen repeated over and over is that in many cases, the people believe that the Prius and its safety features saved their lives and/or saved them & their passenger(s) from major injury. Hopefully reading some real life Prius collision reports and watching the crash test video in the first thread I've linked will ease your mind as to the safety design of the Prius. Prius vs SUV, Will you survive the onslought? '05 Prius in Major Accident, Advice Sought Got into my first major car accident, Sad sad news. My 05 Prius Broadsided Has anyone had an accident in their prius? Totaled Ever wonder what would happen if a Buick hits a Prius broad? How does a Prius hold up in a crash?, Are the cars safe? __________________ Jennifer 2006 Black Pkg #8 w/bisque leather "Max" (Prius Maximus)

04-27-2006, 07:41 PM	#9
jbarnhart Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Santa Clara, CA Posts: 628 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 1	I can't tell what you want. Either you want to be talked into a Prius, even though it's "unsafe" according to your research; or you want to be talked out of a Prius. So far there's only one source to the claim that the Prius is unsafe in a rear-end collision. I've often wondered why IIHS doesn't publish actual claims data on the different cars, since they're owned by the insurance companies. If you read through their very technical exposition of the rear-end ratings, you might come to the conclusion that MOST cars either get "marginal" or "poor" on this test. If you look further into their rating, you might find that it's based on a composite of different criteria. It could be the Prius got "marginal" (which is better than 90% of all Toyotas on the site) because of something called "geometric" parameters. But the dynamic forces actually measured during the crash were not high, but "moderate". It all seems pseudo-scientific enough for me to not worry too much about it. But my sense is that you want higher-rated "safety" from the IIHS so I'd recommend you get the Honda. __________________ Super White '06 pkg 8 born on 1/19/06 side moldings :: 3M clear bra :: BT Tech brace :: Comfortreds Coastal EV mod :: Curt (U-Haul) Hitch :: mudflaps :: NuShield

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04-27-2006, 06:12 PM	#1
Etel Rose Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 37 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	hi! I need to replace my big old car that is having too many expensive problems. This will be my first new car, and it's a lot of money for me, but because of the tax incentive, I really want to get a hybrid for the fuel economy and emissions. I'm deciding between the Honda Civic hybrid and the Prius. I'm most excited about the Prius. However: I have been looking at the safety data by the Institute for Highway Safety and the Honda got top ratings for safety, while the Prius was good except for the "marginal" rating on the rear crash test/whiplash protection. I'm so disappointed because my decision was just about made and I was envisioning myself driving around in a brand new Prius in just a few weeks. Now I'm questioning that. I called Toyota and asked if they were considering retrofitting a headrest or something that would boost that rating (after all, don't they want the safest car for us since now they know it's problematic)? The person I talked to was pretty demeaning to me, and said of course they weren't going to do anything with the 2006 model - the test is already done - and if they do any improvements it will be in subsequent models. It's hard to buy a car that tests "marginal" on one of the safety features when there's another car that tests better that is also available. I'm kind of disappointed with Toyota and their response too. I'm really sad to think of not buying the Prius - there are certainly things to recommend it over the Honda, and it's also just a strong "feeling" that I'd rather have a Prius - but I'm torn now. It's amazing to get the best gas mileage, but I also have some neck problems already, and the idea of getting bumped/rear-ended (not a rare scenario) in a car that I already know has some issues with that is disturbing to me. I mean, gas mileage is fantastic, but neck problems/headaches can be debilitating (I know). Any insight, advice, help would be much appreciated. Thanks so much. (And one more thing: I notice a kind of strange uneven drag when driving on the highway...is that the electric motor recharging)?

04-27-2006, 06:38 PM	#2
savingtheearth Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: LA Posts: 70 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	It got 4 out of 5 stars for safety- pretty good for a car that size. The myth of driving a tank of a car for safety is over rated.

04-27-2006, 06:41 PM	#3
Rancid13 Cool Chick with a Black Prius Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Los Alamitos, Orange County, CA Posts: 2,455 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #8 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 2	Prius shows 'poor' results in a side impact collision only without the side impact airbags.Prius Crash Test Results article There are many people on PC who have survived crashes in the Prius and were able to walk away virtually injury free from an otherwise bad collision. I'll see if I can find some threads relating to this.

04-27-2006, 07:02 PM	#6
Emma Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Lake Erie Region - USA Posts: 122 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Have you considered the safety feature the Prius has (albeit as an add-on) that the Civic does not? VSC - I don't believe it's an available standard or optional feature on the Civic Hybrid.

04-27-2006, 07:56 PM	#10
Etel Rose Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 37 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	o.k. I'm not needing more advice (but of course people can keep the thread going if they want).