grand am crash saftey

[dev]

Well I got in an accident today going about 20-25 mph. I hit a toyota pickup without thier headlights off running a stop sign, only the left front of the car (where the headlight is) was damaged. What concerns me was that even though the damage was on a small part of the front, I couldn't open the drivers side door after even though it was nowhere near the damage. The pickup was also going faster than me when it colided and the airbag didn't deploy either. I know there is alot of variables that could happen in a wreck and i dont mean to make a degrading post but this kinda made me think twice about the cars saftey.

[gagt98driver]

That kind of thing is to be expected with any car that is uni-body construction - meaning that the body is part of the frame as opposed to the traditional body on frame construction of older vehicles (and the type that trucks and most SUVs still use).

The fender was probably pushed back a bit (although it may not be visible without a very close inspection) causing the hinges and latch to bind.

[SpecialFX]

This isn't entirely safety, but my car was in (by previous owner) a 5-7mph accident in a parking lot in which it rear ended a luxury car. While no one was hurt, the minor accident did approximately $3000 worth of damage! This is why I have one new shiny looking headlight and one old yellowed one, for those of you who have seen pics of my car.

I can't imagine after seeing the results of that, that my GA would do very well in a serious head-on collision. I love my GA, but I have to admit to having some concern for its safety.

[Artic]

Grand am's are not known for having great crash testing yano?This has been discussed many times gotta take the good with the bad.

[2001GAGT]

You also have to remember that cars are ment to "Crumpel" now. And it dosen't take much to rack up a bill. There is a car sitting at work whe I first walked by it it looked like a few thigs needed to be done and would be fixed. YEAH RIGH. The hit the passengers front corner and broke the Tranny, and foled the intake needs a hood both air bags etc. Added up to the point of right off. But they Walked away.

[PFloyd2002]

I don't know about front-end collisions, but I'be been rear-ended twice (both at around 20mph and centered) and my GA held up wonderfully. Since it wasn't my fauly, insurance covered it, and it's good as new...twice. BTW...when it was in the shop after the second incident, they gave me an '03 Jetta as a loaner. My 2.3L GA could smoke that car! I was surprized at how much I've heard about Jettas vs. how poorly it performed. I think I'll stick to GA's.

[master]

Well, actually all the new cars are designed for one thing in mind - keeping the passengers alive. How? By having the car absorb more of the impact, less will be transmitted to the people inside. So of course the car will sustain more damage.

[Night Wolf]

my car got 5 stars for both driver and passenger....... I can only assume, just by looking at the car and how it is designed hat all the people inside, considering they are wearing their seat belt, will be very safe in a crash......especally the drive, since it has a driver side airbag...which only works for head-on collisons, even though my car is uni-body, front fenders are fiberglas, and it "only" weighs 3500lbs, it has a very soild feel to it, and sure drives like a big boat.......of course my mothers '89 Brougham which was pretty much unchanged since '77 is 2 feet longer, 1000lbs more heavy, body on frame, RWD etc.... even yet as, and does have a much bigger feel, safty is one of the things I don't worry about in my car, becuase I know I am safe in it.

But yes, crumple zones are designed o make the car take the impact, but in a impact that isn't very bad, the car will be conserably damaged while it dosn't look like their is muchvisably to it........ with my car the front bumper is mounted with shocks, and is alone, so if the front bumper is hit, and the impact isn't too bad, it will get pushed in, then whent he force is not applied to it anymore, it will go back out on it's own, and since it isn't mounted to the body or anything, it will not to and sheetmetal damage.....the rear chrome bumper is also mounted by shocks, and on the back, the quarter panel extensions are made of this rubbery-plastic stuff, so that if the back get's hit, the bumper goes in, and the rubber extensions will just bend and crack.....then the bumper goes back out...sure you now have to get a new filler piece and have it paint matched etc....but it is a hell of alot cheaper then doing body work to the rear quarter panel and stuff....... my moms car is the same way, although her filler poeces all broke and fell out over time and sun, we have the new pieces, just have to be painted and put on.

my friend has a '98 Jetta GLS, has the 2.0 4banger......... he really trashes that car though, it's not even his, his father lets him drive it, but he takes sharp turns really fast, always mashes the gas etc...... I do not like to drive with him at times beucase of the way he drives, so usually we take my car, and I drive.....but he really thought his car was faster then mine, but I even showed him a few times, and once we were at a stop light, I was behind him, he floored it, tires chirped a vtiny bit, and I kept about 1/2throttle, spun tires and even under 1/2 throttle stayed with him............ he tells me his car handles better then my car, which is does, but the car is just very cramped and tiny inside, noisy from road noise and the overworked 4banger, and not very comfortable on exteneded periods of time, plus when he hits the gas, the tach jumps around a lot, but the general speed dosn't increase too much.....stil a funa nd nice litle car that he tears up and is fun to drive with because I get to go fast and not have to worry about being the one that get's the ticket ;) He actually wants to go to LVD next time they have a test and tune day, and I would love to go back and race again, but he was like, I might stay with you, I was like, first, my car is crazy off the lone, that is where I would get you, and if you were to get me at all, which you won't it would be o nthe very top end, which the 1/4 just isn't long enough for.......... even if our times were the same, which they won't be, I know i'd get to the end first, which in a street race, means I would be the winner (gotta love massive amounts of tourqe when you hit the gas)

[dearim]

I'm sure at least a few of you have noticed my avatar: a picture of my old car, a 1997 Acura Integra LS 4-door... In the case of my Integra, given the damage done, the police officer who came to the scene guessed that had someone been in the passenger seat, they'd likely have gone to the hospital with massive head injuries or might have simply died on the spot; my Integra got hit by a guy in a Pathfinder doing about 35-40 MPH.

After I got in that wreck, my supervisor where I work told me about a wreck his sister-in-law had in an Alero. Her wreck was very similar to mine in that the passenger side was t-boned, except in her case, there was someone in the passenger seat during the collision. She was hit by a compact truck doing about 50-55 MPH, and her passenger walked away with cuts and bruises.

I'd say N-bodies may not do well in frontal collisions, but they apparently do very well in side collisions.

[mikem220153]

I have been in 2 front end collisions in N body cars. The first was a Ford F150. The pickup was going in the opposite direction when the driver lost control and crossed into my lane. He hit me at about 35mph. I walked away with only minor abrasions from the airbag when it deployed. The car, a 1994 Skylark, sustained $6000.00 in damage. Basically, the F150 climbed right on to my hood. Considering what could have happened, I think the car protected me pretty damn well.

My 2nd accident was again in the same Skylark about a year later. This time a guy was pulling out of a gas station when he over corrected and hit me dead on the front end. He was driving a Ford Tauraus. He hit me at about 15mph. The air bag did not deploy this time because the speeds were low enough not to set it off. In any case the car took about $2000.00 in damage. Again, it protected me and I walked away.

The cars with the lowest safety rating in the GM stable is the Cavalier/Sunfire.

As for airbag deployment. Air bags are not meant to deploy unless you have a head on collision above about 20mph. If you get swideswiped, hit from the rear, or a glancing blow on the front, the airbags, are not meant to deploy.

[Loopy]

As for the non-deployment of the airbags, I don't think they go off on lateral impacts. Seems to me the sensors are only on the front and rear of the vehicle. If he hit you on the corner or side of the car, the air bags won't trigger because that's not the type of impact they are designed to deploy in. As for the door not opening - your frame is bent, most likely. Happens in alot of accidents. The car is designed to bend AROUND the passenger compartment so that nothing intrudes into where the people are sitting and cause injury.

Loopy

[LoneRangers15]

I have hit my mailbox (broke the 4X4 cedar post off flush with the ground), my deck (took out about 15 rails), a fire hydrant at 30 mph, a pole that is used in parking lots to keep carts from rolling into cars, another car, and many other things that I can't remeber now. The only damage is so scratched paint and a broke grille that I fibreglassed back together. I always wear my seatbelt and I don't have airbags but I'm sure if I did they would have went off by now.

[mikem220153]

LoneRangers15 wrote:

I have hit my mailbox (broke the 4X4 cedar post off flush with the ground), my deck (took out about 15 rails), a fire hydrant at 30 mph, a pole that is used in parking lots to keep carts from rolling into cars, another car, and many other things that I can't remeber now. The only damage is so scratched paint and a broke grille that I fibreglassed back together. I always wear my seatbelt and I don't have airbags but I'm sure if I did they would have went off by now.

Damn Dude!!! Remind me not to ride with you!! j/k:P

[Gimli]

Originally posted by LoneRangers15
I have hit my mailbox (broke the 4X4 cedar post off flush with the ground), my deck (took out about 15 rails), a fire hydrant at 30 mph, a pole that is used in parking lots to keep carts from rolling into cars, another car, and many other things that I can't remeber now. The only damage is so scratched paint and a broke grille that I fibreglassed back together. I always wear my seatbelt and I don't have airbags but I'm sure if I did they would have went off by now.

Remember man, BRAKE on the LEFT, GAS on the RIGHT! :D