Honda and ESC – Safety for Everyone?

Honda has been using a slogan of "Safety for Everyone" for several years now. While this strategy has driven some major improvements, recently in some ways it seems to ring hollow.

First the good news: all current Acura and Honda vehicles have standard ABS and side-curtain air bags (except the S2000 roadster). The company’s vehicles do very well in crash tests, and they’ve been a leader in designing for pedestrian safety in this market. (See how more than 250 cars perform in crash test videos.)

The subject of electronic stability control (ESC) gets a bit stickier. By 2007, all of Honda’s SUVs had standard stability control. Some carmakers had ESC earlier, particularly European manufacturers and Toyota, which added ESC on all of their SUVs for 2004.

Honda’s passenger car implementation of ESC has been slower. The company didn’t get a sedan with ESC until the V6 Accord and S2000 in 2006 (the company added ESC on Acuras earlier). On the plus side, Honda gave all Accords standard ESC for 2008, one factor that led to the Accord being our "Top Pick" sedan for that year.

The 2009 model year sees ESC spread to more models of the Civic, and it shows up on the Fit for the first time. But contrary to the "Safety for Everyone" mantra, the approach seems to be "Safety for everyone—if you buy leather, a navigation system, or the sports model." While higher-end Civics, including the sporty Si, the hybrid, and the EX with leather, have ESC, the mass-market models don’t get it.

Availability is even more limited on the redesigned Fit; as noted in our previous blog ("Preview: 2009 Honda Fit"), you can only get ESC on the top-line Sport, and then only with the optional navigation system. As configured, a $20,000  Fit seems like a whole lot of money for a small car, no matter how clever the packaging.

Honda’s done this before. All of Honda’s luxury Acura line (except the defunct NSX sports car and RSX coupe) since 2004 had ESC. The first version of the Pilot with ESC was the most expensive leather-equipped 2005 EX-L. Only six-cylinder Accords had ESC for 2006-2007. And Honda certainly isn’t alone in bundling safety equipment with luxury trim levels. (I’ve complained about Subaru doing this in a previous blog ("Stability control - Doing the right thing"), but now for 2009, almost every Subaru model has standard ESC.)

But it seems to me that a company which advocates and markets "Safety for Everyone" should have standard ESC on all of its cars. The market is heading that way, and ESC is mandated for 2012 on all cars – whether or not they have sports packages, leather seats, or navigation.

—Tom Mutchler

Learn more about automotive safety.

Comments

[Andy]

I had to laugh when Honda rolled out the whole "safety for everyone" campaign years ago. When my mom bought her CR-V in 2003, she had to upgrade to the top model with a sunroof just to get ABS.

Now, it might not be strictly fair to compare Mercedes-Benz and BMW with Honda, but both of those carmakers had made stability control standard on all models by calendar year 2000. Also, my 1989 Mercedes 190E, which was the cheapest model at the time, had standard ABS.

[shirin]

Honda is actually a nice company,Honda's auto's are very comfortablt to use.

[jt]

The comments made by CR have some merit in 2008.

However when Honda was marketing the "Safety for Everyone" three to four years ago, it was one of the first companies to promote the fact all its cars had ABS, Front and Side Airbags and Side Impact Beams on all four doors. It's also with noting most of their vehicles usually do well with 4-5 star ratings.

[IFCAR]

Four years ago, you couldn't get ABS on any Civic but an EX, and I'm pretty sure side airbags were still optional. Side airbags weren't standard on the Element until 2007 either.

[Doug Nichols]

Instead of comparing Honda with Mercedes, let's take a look at Hyundai and Kia. In 2006, we bought a brand new Sonata for under $13,000 . It came with standard ESC, Anti-Lock Brakes, and Air Bags everywhere (along with auto trans, power everything, CD, cruise, tilt, etc. It has an enormous trunk, a huge rear seat, and gets great gas mileage (four cylinder motor). For this price, you might be able to buy a Fit. People should seriously consider Kia and Hyundai as alternatives to Honda, Toyota, and Nissan if they want the most car for the money. Don't forget about their superior warranties as well.

[David]

I am glad to see CR make a fair criticism of Honda. I know Honda does well in crash tests.

One issue I would like CR to address is the extent to which manufacturers design for the crash test rather than to be a really safe car. Are Audis and Hondas (they often get IIHS top safety picks) really safer than many other cars or do they just design them to do well in a specific crash test. IIHS even takes Honda's word for it sometimes without independently testing the vehicle. This makes me wonder.

[JohnDrake]

I second the recommendation to take a look at Hyundai's cars. I recently test drove a used 2007 Elantra and was blown away. It's much, much nicer than a new 2007 Civic or Corolla, costs thousands less and comes with a fantastic warranty (which is transferable even on a used car, if you buy from a Hyundai dealer). Hyundai hasn't just caught up to the Japanese - they've surpassed them. I think the Jetta and Passat are now Korea's benchmark, not the Civic and Corolla. Give them a few years and they may best VW's offerings, too (for thousands less - and I'm sure they'll be far more reliable).

[Gosu]

For all the Korean sycophants I have some bad news. They haven't caught up to the Japanese or European cars, but maybe the American ones. A car isn't just defined by its amenities, warranty and cost.

The best car companies in the world have been working for years to develop the lightest weight for their cars, and on this front, Korean cars are still heavier than BMWs, Hondas, Lexuses, etc.

Fit and finish may be comparable between Honda and Korean cars, but the quality of materials are not. Korean cars must cut costs by adding certain 'cheap' parts here and there.

I could go on but no one would read a lengthy argument, so I shall stop.

[Ed]

How much does ESC cost? I'd rather have ESC than power seats, sunroof, leather or navigation. Honda should at least make it an option. Then they'll see that more people will pay for ESC over any other option. But maybe they know that...putting ESC only on luxury editions is taking advantage of people's concern for safety to get more money out of them. By the way, I'm a Honda fan and not too happy with their motives in this area.

[Jeff Bartlett - Consumer Reports]

Good question, Ed. Really, not that much.

From "Electronic stability control to be standard by 2012": "NHTSA reports that the average cost for adding ESC is estimated to be $111 per vehicle on those that already include antilock brake systems. "

[Derrick G]

As with most things, smart consumers avoid sweeping, general statements. Hyundai-Kia has more than caught up with some Japanese makers, such as Mitsubishi or Suzuki. But people buy individual cars, not companies, so smart consumers look at the vehicles in the class they're considering.

Indeed, some of the older designs, such as the Tucson/Sportage are overweight and underpowered. Some of the newer ones, such as the Genesis, are right in range with the competition.

As far as materials, again it depends on the vehicle. The Sonata has now caught up with the Camry and Accord, for example. Also, unfortunately, it seems that Honda to a degree and especially Toyota are more and more cutting corners. As for cheap parts, H-K rigorously controls design and other costs so it doesn't necessarily follow that many if any parts need to be of low-grade quality.

Smart consumers will indeed consider and research all alternatives and on many fronts, including safety more and more, Hyundais and Kias meet or beat the competition and for most consumers are worth a serious look.

[Mike G.]

I am a Honda fan and have owned several Hondas including:Civic, Accord and the Odyssey. I have also noticed this and feel that even though Honda designs cars that do well in crash tests they have not honored their slogan "safety for everyone" well.

I am sure they will include ESC on all civics once they are redesigned in 2011 but they should have done that by now. They finally added them to all accords in 2008.

[Tom Mutchler]

David, IIHS frontal tests are now frequently run by manufacturers (not just Honda). They're subject to verification by the IIHS, who may run their own test. This was done to give the IIHS more resources to conduct side-impact tests as well as do other research.

From http://www.iihs.org/ratings/frontal_test_info.html

"Verification ratings are based on 40 mph frontal offset crash tests conducted by manufacturers for vehicles meeting requirements established by the Institute. Manufacturers supply information on basic vehicle and test parameters, measurements of intrusion into the occupant compartment, injury data recorded on a dummy representing an average-size man in the driver seat, and video of the tests. Institute engineers review this information and rate vehicles based on the same evaluation parameters used for the Institute's frontal offset test. To ensure manufacturers' good faith participation, the Institute is conducting audit tests.

Only redesigned vehicles with immediate predecessors that earned the top rating of good in previous Institute tests are eligible for the verification approach. Substantially redesigned vehicles with significant changes in size, weight, or body style aren't eligible. The Institute will continue testing these vehicles."

[Dan F]

I was planning on buying a new Civic this fall because of the availabily of ESC. I wanted an EX because of the sunroof, but I refuse to buy a car with leather seats. I would consider a Fit, but no sunroof/skyroof option. Now I am thinking about ordering a Mini Cooper or Clubman. They have ESC standard and get better gas mileage anyway.

[CDM]

I agree with CR on this issue. I was in the market for a mid-sized sedan in 2005-06. Being a Honda aficionado (Ever since my first car out of college, I had always driven Honda!), I was leaning towards Accord -- but having totaled my previous Honda in a car accident that could have easily been prevented if it had ABS and/or ESC, I was not going to buy another car without ESC. My only choice was to buy Accord V6 with Sunroof (which I did not want). So, I waited until Toyota redesigned Camry in 2006 spring/summer (as 2007 model) which offered ECS as part of an option package. Unfortunately, in the five Gulf Coast states, Toyota did not think ESC was necessary and hence the option was not available!! I had to spend almost $6,500 more and order the Hybrid version, which had the ECS standard.

The only silver lining has been that I am getting recovering some of the premium by getting 10+ MPG higher fuel economy, so it does ease the pain of paying through my nose to get the ECS -- a safety feature that saves life.

So, not only Honda, but Toyota is also guilty of the same sin!!

[vanessa rose]

i just have a question about my honda.ive looked and cannot find this info any where. i need to know how much pressure it takes to break a passenger side window on a 1992 accord. i was assaulted and my window was broke with a mans elbow. i need to prove that its extremly hard to do. if anybody knows this info or where to find it i would b most appreciative. thanks

[Josh Maleeff]

Honda's safety claim angers me right now. I have been a loyal Honda owner for years, but I've had a frustrating week. Yesterday I emailed the CEO of Honda USA the following letter:

Mr. Iwamura-

Presently, my wife and I each drive a Honda Accord. We have each been driving Honda or Acura vehicles for the the majority of our adult lives. We continued to return to Honda when it was time to get a new car because the cars were safe and reliable. We put our trust in your company. Sadly, I now feel that trust has been betrayed.

I am writing to you as I was unable to resolve my issue with your customer service department. The issue revolves around my 2000 Honda Accord. In 2002, I purchased this vehicle at a Honda dealership as a certified used car. I was willing to pay extra for the knowledge that I was buying a certified car. I also purchased an extended warranty at that time. In the last 6 years I have driven almost 100,000 miles and have faithfully completed all scheduled maintenance on the car including returning to a Honda dealer for the 30, 60, 90 & 120,000 mile tune up. I know that I could have had the same services completed at a local mechanic at a lower cost, but I chose the dealer because I wanted the best care for my car. I made the assumption that would make a difference.

Last week, my check engine light came on so I brought it to the dealer. I was due for the 120,000 mile check up and I told my service manager that I wanted to make sure that the everything was ok with the car before I invested any more money into it. I was considering trading in the car if there were any major repairs. I was told that all of the codes were clear and the car was fine. So, I proceeded with a $300 service.

Less than a week later, my transmission failed in the middle of the road while driving home. I had my car towed back to the same dealer. Upon inspection, I was told that the transmission needed to be replaced. I was quoted a cost of $2,600 for this repair.

I was able to discover that transmission problems are a known issue with this model. This issue led your company to extend the warranty on transmissions far past the original warranty. Despite the fact that I purchased this vehicle at a Honda dealer and had several service visits to multiple Honda dealers, I was never informed of this flaw. I was told earlier today by your case manager that there was a class action suit related to this issue. Again, I was never notified. Had I known, I would have insisted on a thorough inspection. Doing so would most likely have detected the issue during the extended warranty. Several months ago, I was considering trading this car in for a new one. I decided to keep this vehicle and continue to maintain it because I thought it was still safe to drive and it was a more economical decision.

Fortunately, my car failed at a stop light. If this had happened earlier in the evening while on the expressway I could have been seriously injured. I think it is disgraceful that NONE of the Honda technicians that worked on my car over the past 6 years attempted to rectify this issue.

The service manager at my dealership has been very helpful and contacted your District Manager, Turk McFadden. They requested a discount for the repair due to the circumstances. I have been told that Mr. McFadden has the authorization to pay for some or all of a repair in this situation. He only approved 20% leaving me with a large repair bill. Given the circumstances, I'm requesting complete coverage of at least the replacements parts.

If you do not grant this request, I will never again purchase a car or services from Honda. I will be forced trade my car for a new vehicle from a different manufacturer. Since I still have another 16 months left on the lease for my other Accord I will take it to an independent mechanic for all services. However, I remain hopeful that you can assist a loyal customer.

I await your response. (Case #N032008-11-1701528)

Thank you