Nhtsa Crash - Test Results

[Old Man River]

The US's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tests a vehicle's crashworthiness in front and side impact collisions and rates them. In the US these are very useful when buying a car. Apart from the steering being on the other side and occasionally different engines used for vehicles in Thailand, does anyone know whether the NHTSA test results are reflective of the safety of similarly badged models in Thailand?

[tom yum goong]

i could be wrong, but i think the mandatory safety equipment standards in the US are a lot higher than in Thailand.

however, i suppose it gives u an idea.

check out the European NCAP results too.

[Old Man River]

i could be wrong, but i think the mandatory safety equipment standards in the US are a lot higher than in Thailand.

however, i suppose it gives u an idea.

check out the European NCAP results too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In retrospect, I am sure you are correct that safety standards would be much greater in many countries than here. No real liability suits to speak of in the courts, hence, no incentives.

Thanks,

[tom yum goong]

u also need to factor in costs, especially with imported models.

high import duties often mean features which would be standard are stripped out to keep prices competitive.

[jbowman1993]

But since many of the vehicles made in Thailand are shipped to Europe and the UK, I would think they would have to meet those other countries safety standards.

The Vigo sold here and the one sold in the UK come of the same assembly line. Would figure they have the same safety features. Is that correct?

[tom yum goong]

jbowman1993 - thats a good point. if they come off the same production line and have exactly the same safety features (airbags, ABS etc.) then i can' t think of any other reason why they wouldn't be as safe as each other.

I was more thinking along the lines of imported cars and cars that are manufactured locally for the local (or ASEAN) market.

In the case of the latter, certain safety features are often only included with the top trim levels (Toyota Vios S for example comes with airbags and ABS while the mid-range and entry models don't ), and also only with Auto gear boxes as some trim levels aren't available with a manual transmission.

[jbowman1993]

That makes sense. Thanks soup!

I mentioned the vigo, because my wife and I are going to the Toyota dealer tomorrow to order a Hilux Vigo Prerunner. It looks amazing, and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

Sure glad it comes with ABS, airbag, side impact, etc..!

[Thaiboxer]

I suppose if the vehicle that you're looking at here is also used in the UK or other European countries, you can look at the European crash test data and get an accurate account of how safe the vehicle rates. So many of the vehicles made here would probably never meet the standards set in the US and Europe. ABS, airbags, and other safety features which come standard in the States are considered major options here and add A LOT to the price which discourages having them in a vehicle. This is also coupled with the fact that vehicles here are priced much higher than in many other countries in proportion to living costs. The top end cars like Accord and Camry and well beyond what most people here can really afford. I still believe that the best buy from a purely financial point of view is one of these diesel pickups. Barring safety standards, they run forever and the maintenance costs are pretty low. The problem is that they don't make the best family vehicles and the four door models are taxed through the roof. Buying a used one is very risky since most of them have been driven into the dirt and probably won't hold up for very long. Many of these tired old trucks end up in those tents on the side of the road.

Edited December 2, 2005 by Thaiboxer

[Erwin1011]

The fact that the cars roll off the same assembly line does not mean they are necessarely identical. Export cars on the line are intersected between others and marked as such and therefore it is quite possible to have them supplied with different parts and features.

[Thaiboxer]

The fact that the cars roll off the same assembly line does not mean they are necessarely identical. Export cars on the line are intersected between others and marked as such and therefore it is quite possible to have them supplied with different parts and features

Good point. I can see where a factory may even run two lines; one for local sales and one for exports. The Ford Focus is due to be introduced here in Thailand sometime in the near future. I think they'll assemble them here just as they do with the Ford Rangers. The Focus looks like a nice little car. Not sure how much they'll charge for them though. I once sat in one of the top Nissan Sunny Neo models and I wasn't impressed with the interior. I figure for 800,000 baht you would get a lot more.

[tom yum goong]

The fact that the cars roll off the same assembly line does not mean they are necessarely identical. Export cars on the line are intersected between others and marked as such and therefore it is quite possible to have them supplied with different parts and features.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i understand that obviously features such as airbags, ABS, stability contral etc. could be left out of models that come off the same production line for different markets.

obviously, some features are standard in some markets and optional in others (as already discussed).

but what about the safety features of the chassis design?

but what about things like Honda's GCON. wouldn't the chassis be built to the same standards and perform in the same way during impact?

features that may be standard or optional in different countries aside, do u mean that cars off the same production line could still differ?

just trying to get a better understanding.

cheers.

[jbowman1993]

Tom Yum Goong - Conversation Assassin

[tom yum goong]

its not my fault no one wants to carry on the conversation.

didn't mean to kill it, although i think it was on its last legs anyway.

[jbowman1993]

Sorry, just a joke.

[grahamb]

i understand that obviously features such as airbags, ABS, stability contral etc. could be left out of models that come off the same production line for different markets.

obviously, some features are standard in some markets and optional in others (as already discussed).

but what about the safety features of the chassis design?

but what about things like Honda's GCON. wouldn't the chassis be built to the same standards and perform in the same way during impact?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Admittedly anecdotal evidence from my last driver was that the safety features in Thai-sold cars were definitely lower than in exported cars. That is the reason (according to him) why hi-so Thais buy imported cars.

I don't know how far that extends but I did notice that a seatbelt feature (to lock it in position) that should be fitted to our (old model) Honda Accord is not even fitted to the current Honda Accord that I checked in the showroom in Bangkok. Based on the research I did, if we'd got our Honda in e.g. the US, that feature would have been present.

It would not be cost-effective to redesign the chassis but in the NHTSA tests many of the results are dependent on the additional safety features like pre-tensioning seatbelts, multiple airbags, etc. Those tests are credited with getting many of those features fitted more widespread. Therefore, (unfortunately) I don't think you could reliably use them to compare safety in Thailand unless you know the differences in specifications (and even then you'd be surmising)