Hello
I am a new member and currently shopping for a 2015 fit. I drove an EX and fell in love! But, I really care about safety and took some time to read the IIHS safety results to see how the fit was rated. What I read was a bit of a deal breaker for me.
The dummy's head rolled off the airbag and hit the steering wheel. The fit was a top safety pick by IIHS standards but this seems like a serious infraction, possibly a result of too much play in the seat belt tension. Would love to hear your comments or if you know if Honda has 'fixed' this particular problem.

Taken from the IIHS web site:
Injury measures
Forces on the dummy's head when it hit the steering wheel through the airbag indicate that head injuries would be possible in a crash of this severity. Measures indicate that injuries to the left lower leg also would be possible.

Restraints and dummy kinematics
The dummy’s face remained in contact with the frontal airbag, but its head still rolled around the left side of the steering wheel toward the A-pillar because the seat belt allowed excessive forward excursion of the head and torso. The side curtain airbag deployed and had sufficient forward coverage to protect the head from contact with side structure and outside objects. The side torso airbag also deployed.

 

The purpose of the airbag is not to keep you injury free, but to keep you dead free. The airbag itself can injure in any car. The
Fit has a good rating. A whole lot of cars do not.

 

After the '13 Fit failed the small-offset test, Honda promised that the next generation Fit would get the top rating of "good" in all categories.

The new Fit only achieved a second-tier "acceptable" rating on the small offset test, and that was on the second try. According to the IIHS, this means that you are about 10% more likely to experience a fatal outcome in a small-overlap crash over a vehicle that scores "good."

It isn't an unachievable goal, either, as the 2015 Kia Soul did it after experiencing similar poor performance in 2013

This is disappointing from Honda who typically deliver on their engineering promises.

That said, if you are so sensitive over safety to let this small deficiency cause you concern then you should be looking at larger cars with more safety equipment like the CRV with the Collision Mitigation Brake System.

 

I too was concerned over the safety of the car. Obviously the 2013 model failed completely; however the new model has improved significantly. This crash test simulates hitting a rigid structure at a 20%? overlap at 40mph, taking a toll on the structure. Seeing that the fit has minimal crush zone, the impact is transferred to the driver, resulting in the airbag not being inflated enough to prevent the steering wheel impact. You wouldn't become seriously injured from this impact.

Note that a head-on collision with a larger car has a significantly higher chance of killing you compared to you being in a larger car due to the laws of physics.

The fit is tied in this type of test so far for its class.

 

Unfortunately, no.

The Mazda 3, VW Golf, and Kia Soul all beat the Fit in the small overlap test. The first two have automatic braking so they earned the higher "Top Pick +" rating.

 

I'd like to point out that none of the three listed above are in the subcompact category- something one needs to consider here.

 

The categories are skewed due to the way IIHS defines them. All of these cars are direct competitors in the marketplace.

 

All of the "minicars" hover right around 2450lbs (Fit 2550lbs) and have similar structures. The "small cars" vary in weight (Golf 3200lbs, Soul 2900lbs, Madza3 2900 lbs) and structure.

Yes, they are competitors, but the size and structure of the car are factors that make it a bit harder to get the "good" rating in the small overlap.

I do, however, expect a car in the minicar category to get a "good" rating in the small overlap test once the IIHS changes the top safety pick to require a "good" rating.

 

I agree that the other vehicles weigh more, but since they all offer similar passenger and cargo capabilities they should also offer similar levels of safety. Nobody should get a pass for weight reduction. The Fit LX they tested was at 2557 pounds when most Fits sold are the heavier EX and EX-L versions that weigh over 100 pounds more and probably wouldn't earn an "acceptable" if tested at the higher weight.

I am mostly annoyed by the fact that Honda promised that they would achieve a small-overlap "good" rating in a press release and settled for "acceptable," and that only on the second try with the lightest possible car. Honda usually doesn't miss their marks on engineering and this episode has "just barely good enough" written all over it.

IIHS is also playing fast and loose, awarding "top safety pick" to cars that don't hit the higher standards.

 

You must be thinking about the last generation. This one is alone in a class of two that are IIHS top safety picks before you go a class up.

 

No, I'm thinking of the current generation of cars with similar passenger and cargo capabilities, those that a buyer would typically shop between. The IIHS places an arbitrary barrier between small cars and mini cars that doesn't reflect the reality of the marketplace.

I'd really rather see them assign numerical ratings to the vehicles so that all vehicles will be judged by the same standards. As it is, a "good" rating on a Fit is not the same as a "good" rating on a Kia Soul. More harm could have been done to the Fit's occupants in a crash and it would still get a "good" rating. Unfortunately, Honda couldn't even achieve that.

A uniform grading system would help people make informed decisions about the relative hazards of smaller cars versus larger cars. Such a rating system would eliminate the useless argument of "but that car is a mini car, not a small car"

 

I don't understand what the arguing is for. You said it's a deal breaker. What can anyone here possibly add that you don't seem to have an answer for already. Fine. Deal breaker. Move on to a different car then and stop arguing.

 

i rather just die in a crash than drive around in a kia. the irony.. kia yet not killed in action. or perhaps they were talking killing someone's self worth.

 

Agree. OP posted only once. Guess he is a troll and just wanted to make a useless vent. Now he must choose another less than perfect vehicle.

 

Here's an idea, hone your driving skills, pay attention and don't get in a crash.

 

That will certainly help, but with all the distracted drivers out there nowadays, it may not be enough.

 

Does that save you from the drunk driver who plows into you when (s)he runs a red light at an intersection? Or the drunk/distracted driver that crosses the median and strikes you head on? You can be the best driver in the world and can still get unlucky.

That said, I'm not worried about the Fit's safety ratings--it's about as safe as you can get in a car this small. I've watched a LOT of the IIHS small overlap tests, and the Fit fared pretty well. OP, if you think the dummy's head rolling off the frontal airbag slightly was a problem, you haven't watched many of these videos! On many cars, the head barely contacts the airbag before moving completely to the left. Also, if you look at the subratings in the small overlap test, the Fit got no scores below "acceptable." That indicates that it was a solid "acceptable," edging more toward "good" than "marginal."

Don't forget to look at the NHTSA tests, too. The Fit nailed those.

But if you do truly want a small car and it has to be safe, the Kia Soul is a solid alternative. Not only did it perform extremely well in all of the safety tests, it's a great car that offers a lot more features than the Fit. The only real downsides are the higher cost if you can't resist piling on the options and the mediocre fuel mileage. Also, if you're like kenchan and stuck 15 years in the past, the brand reputation. ;-)

 

I feel very safe in my FIT. You can view the full test here: Vehicle details

 

I'm looking at the Fit because it would be a step up in size from what I'm currently driving (2012 Scion iQ). At the time I leased that, TBH, I never really thought about safety. It was cute and that was what I wanted. I've been in my first accident since leasing this car. It was a front overlap impact (which they are just starting to do crash tests for!). Going only 20mph when the guy hit me - the amount of damage to my car was unreal to me. The front literally crumbled off. I didn't have engine/transmission damage but body, tire and arm damage. His car, hardly any damage and he got to drive away while I was without a car for 2 weeks.


Now, I'm looking for a little larger car. It would be too much of a shock to jump into an Accord! The fit is almost 4ft longer than mine. I also think the Fit is just adorable and is available in my favorite color - purple. Its ranked #1 in Affordable Small Cars and also tied for #1 in Hatchbacks with the US News Rankings. I've watched a ton of reviews comparing this car to the Fiesta, etc.


This car isn't going to be a "Oh it's so cute I want it" decision.

 

You do realize that modern cars are intentionally designed to crumble around you in an accident, right? The options are the car structure absorbing the energy of the impact (by crushing), or you absorbing the energy. Also, if the other vehicle was substantially larger than yours and/or going faster, the collision is more severe than driving into a fixed object at 20 mph. (This boils down to an application of the law of conservation of momentum.)

Car safety ratings and crash tests are only designed to measure the ability of a vehicle to protect the occupants in a collision, not to measure the damage that is done to the vehicle itself. It sounds as though your car did just fine in that regard.