| rdhaddock |
I noticed that the MDX for 2007 just won a safety award - but only for the ones manufactured after May 2007.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/d...rticleId=120775
Does anyone know if Acura will retrofit the older 2007 models with the new headrest? Or, if we can buy the newer headrest design?? |
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| Nimrod |
| If Acura is going to be credible, it should be automatic to retrofitting ALL 2007 MDX's. Otherwise, they should have just waited until 2008 model. It's obvious that they are very conscious of 3rd party reviews, so make all 2007's with the same quality. |
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| tazdevl |
Contact corporate and complain. This is a mid-first year design change which is VERY suspect when you think about it. This has class action written all over it. Might be worth it to drop the fact that the words "class action" are being bandied about among pre-May 2007 owners.
Supposedly they made minor changes to get a better rating. If it was so minor... why bother changing? Also, it went from Marginal to Good. That's two steps... Acceptable is in between the two. It's a bigger deal than they're letting on.
They need to fix pre-May 2007 models. |
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| huntpsu1 |
| I contacted Acura through their 800 number and it does not look good for a retrofit. The party line I received is that a Marginal rating is acceptable and a retrofit is not cost effective--he explained there was more to it than a simple head restraint replacement. I was not satisfied with his response given Acura's commitment to safety pushed by the sales staff and brochures. I have a written letter in to Acura, but I'm sure I will receive a like response----unless there is a ground swell of support from other Acura MDx owners. |
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| deanking |
This is the second thread I have seen on this and it is really starting to bug me to find out exactly what changed. I have a theory.
Apparently a lot of the manufacturers complain about this test because they set the headrest at the middle position. The manufacturer's claim that most people will adjust the headrest appropriately for their height. This middle position setting has to affect the test if you think about it. In fact, a really smart manufacturer would design a system so that the middle position would work perfectly for the test dummy (whose dimensions are well known). Being 6'4" I don't put much stock in standard dimensions and always am adjusting headrests.
I guess what I am suggesting is that perhaps a well positioned headrest really isn't that "marginal" and that the fix was changing what constituted "middle". Doing that may very well have changed the seat itself.
Theories aside, if anyone knows what the change was, I would love to know. |
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| tko-rock |
quote:
Originally posted by deanking
This is the second thread I have seen on this and it is really starting to bug me to find out exactly what changed. I have a theory.
Apparently a lot of the manufacturers complain about this test because they set the headrest at the middle position. The manufacturer's claim that most people will adjust the headrest appropriately for their height. This middle position setting has to affect the test if you think about it. In fact, a really smart manufacturer would design a system so that the middle position would work perfectly for the test dummy (whose dimensions are well known). Being 6'4" I don't put much stock in standard dimensions and always am adjusting headrests.
I guess what I am suggesting is that perhaps a well positioned headrest really isn't that "marginal" and that the fix was changing what constituted "middle". Doing that may very well have changed the seat itself.
Theories aside, if anyone knows what the change was, I would love to know.
Ditto for me. I made my purchase in late December, 2006. Pictures would be great as well. |
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| alsea |
| Seems like this is a great opportunity for a "class action" type of response to Acura. If enough owners blog/post forum comments/call their dealers & regional managers/contact the media, they may reconsider. I've been on the other side of this type of movement and experienced it's power. Trust me, they don't want to be the subject of a CBS 60 Minute/NBC Dateline or major auto publication type of story for what could be a simple concession to '07 purchasers. |
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| AZ07MDX |
I've always believed in waiting for the second year of a new model or redesign and now I see why. I waited to get a 2005 TL instead of a 2004, but this time decided not to wait and purchased a MDX in early April. It really does piss me off that they would make a change like this 9 months into the model year. Here's what I found regarding the change...
"Rear crash protection is another area of improvement. When the 2007 MDX was introduced, its seat/head restraints were rated marginal overall, the second lowest rating. The head restraints are attached to a lever arm that moves the restraint up and forward as an occupant's back pushes into the seatback during a rear-end crash. Honda engineers changed the design of the lever mechanism so the head restraint moves toward the head earlier in a crash. The Institute tested a seat/head restraint with the new design, and it improved to an overall rating of good. TOP SAFETY PICK award applies to MDXs with the new seat design built after May 2007."
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/.../21/048576.html |
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| alsea |
"Honda engineers changed the design of the lever mechanism so the head restraint moves toward the head earlier in a crash. The Institute tested a seat/head restraint with the new design, and it improved to an overall rating of good. TOP SAFETY PICK award applies to MDXs with the new seat design built after May 2007."
So, how many catastrophic injuries/deaths will the Acura actuary's determine are acceptable before they recommend a retrofit? Seems that one high profile/income death or injury law suit would exceed the cost & negative PR value of a voluntary correction. |
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| deanking |
First, thanks for the info on what actually changed.
Second, I don't think there will be any catastrophic injuries/deaths from a headrest redesign. I think there will be less whiplash.
I bought mine 7 days ago knowing this information. I still felt it was the best vehicle in it's class. |
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| JL_SS |
quote:
Originally posted by alsea
"Honda engineers changed the design of the lever mechanism so the head restraint moves toward the head earlier in a crash. The Institute tested a seat/head restraint with the new design, and it improved to an overall rating of good. TOP SAFETY PICK award applies to MDXs with the new seat design built after May 2007."
So, how many catastrophic injuries/deaths will the Acura actuary's determine are acceptable before they recommend a retrofit? Seems that one high profile/income death or injury law suit would exceed the cost & negative PR value of a voluntary correction.
Marginal is actually an improvement over the 1st gen MDX.
First you would have to prove that the new headrest would have without a doubt prevented or significantly lessened any of the injuries sustained. Very hard to do when every crash is different and no one really knows what exactly happened during the accident. There are also several vehicles (2007 Lexus RX/Caddy SRX/etc) rated even worse than the MDX, so it can't be argued that they are much worse than everyone else. Acura also is Ok with several vehicles being rated marginal or poor that they haven't changed, so I doubt they will cover any retrofit costs. Retrofit's are usually only done if there is a significant risk like the redesigned Toyota Siennas gas tank leaking after the frontal crash tests. There are a number of reasons to wait for the second year of a new design, actual safety testing is one of them. |
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