"Active Head Restraints"?

[fourthmeal]

Oh... sorry. I thought I'd remembered the C30 had a fancy head rest thing... Wrong again!


HAHA! Yeah, maybe the salesperson was reading the MPS manual..?

And for the record, the salesperson pointed directly at the INSIDE of the seets, above the arm rest, and said "airbags come out here".

Yep, some cars do have it there, but not ours. I imagine that was just her not knowing her stuff. They did the same to me. I pointed up by the door frame, and said, "no...HERE". But other cars do have them in the seats, that is true.

For what its worth safety-wise, I've been tapped in the rear at 15-18mph by a minivan Cab driver, and my car has nothing more then a tiny scratch on the rear bumper, and a miniscule (dime sized) hole at the very bottom of the diffuser panel, presumably caused by the cab driver's front license plate bolt. The hit was hard, but neither my wife nor I sustained any appreciable injuries other then a little soreness in the neck. The seats are commendable, IMO. And this car can take a beating.

Amongst the fast, light, and inexpensive sporting cars out there, ours gets high marks for safety.

 

[Mocoso]

MS3 has it in the seat just not to the left of passenger and right of driver in the US... now you have me thinking if they are in fact in doorframe... I could have sworn it was an option and on the seats...

 

[fourthmeal]

Doorframe...

There are pics of it on the forums AFTER deployment.

 

[Hirudin]

Here's something from the mazdaspeed3 website...

Sounds like there are airbags in the seats. Still not in the middle though.

 

[fourthmeal]

Wow, we were both right. And so was the crazy saleslady.

 

[Mocoso]

Doh! one is the side impact airbag the other is the head curtain airbag... forgot the thing had head curtain airbags as well....better to be both right then both wrong

 

[MS3.MAN]

MS3.MAN,

What's stopping you to stop by and actually take a peek at the MS3 model you plan on buying? I have an 08 MS3, and I don't recall anything with a "active head restraint" system, or whatever its called. I'll have to check it out now that you mention it.

-J

Hi ZooMIN3,
Sorry for the delayed reply. I've been out of town.

I have visited our local Mazda dealer to look at the MS3. The 2008 Mazdaspeed3 still does not have Active Head Restraints (AHR) despite the fact that:

* It is the top of the Mazda3 line
* The related Volvo V50 has AHR

Per the window sticker on a 2008, the Mazdaspeed3 still has "whiplash-reducing front seat headrests"* just like the 2007 model.

*Mazda's choice of words might give the casual observer the impression that the car is AHR equipped or that it provides a similar level of protection.

I even inquired if it was possible to order the car with AHR-equipped seats or if there was a possibility of a 2008.5 model with this safety feature. The sales mgr called the Mazda rep and was told that AHR seats were not available.

 

[MS3.MAN]

Ok guys, lets not bash the guy. He has some questions regarding safety... maybe he has had concussions before and is worried about some of the what if's in the future...... you've read the stories on fellow Speeders that lost their Speeds due to an accident. s*** happens. Everyone is entitled to have a "Wild Child" if they so desire. Even if they have safety questions. So if some of you have the time, I don't I'm not near my car, but go take a quick peek and see if your Speed3 has "active head restraint" system anywhere in the manual or on the seat itself. I don't remember seeing anything on the head rest for that matter..... but if its there, I missed it. Lets just help the guy out. (cool)

-J

ZooMIN3 you are very perceptive. We live in a major metropolitan area that continues to become more densely populated each year. Hence, more traffic each year, which = more inconsiderate drivers and tailgating. Add to that many driver's are engaged in some form of "multi-tasking" - driving + talking on a cell phone, text-messaging, etc. = distracted drivers or worse - distracted tailgaters. One family member has already been rear-ended 3 times!

 

[MS3.MAN]

I dont believe the MS3 comes with "active head restraint" systems...didnt see it in owners manual and havent seen it on actual seat... frankly the only cars Ive seen those on tend to be the 2x more expensive luxury brutes: Volvo, MB, BMW, Lexus... I dont expect active head restraints to be making it down to 20K cars (not yet at least... just like everything else... it trickles down once volume goes up)

If cost-effective brands such as Hyundai & Kia can offer AHR as standard equipment, then shouldn't the top of the Mazda3 line also be able to offer this injury-saving safety feature?

The IIHS found the Mazda3 head restraint to be marginal in their whiplash test. In contrast, the IIHS found the Volvo head restraint rated "good" in their whiplash test.

Per Consumer Report:

Many cars don't protect against whiplash injuries
How to save your neck in a rear-end crash

"A rear-end crash occurs every 17 seconds in the U.S."

"Neck injuries are the most commonly reported type of crash-related injury. Whiplash refers to the rapid snapping back of a person?s head during a collision, which hyperextends the neck and damages nerves and ligaments, often resulting in chronic symptoms such as persistent pain and lack of mobility. It can occur at crash speeds as low as 10 mph."

The following economy cars also offer AHRs: Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra & Versa, Subaru Impreza . It's time for Mazda to catch up.

 

[Sierra117]

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123686873

Driver walked away fine. If you are that concerned about whiplash, then don't buy the Mazda, buy one of the other boring cars on the list. Problem solved.

 

[MS3.MAN]

I would appreciate it very much if someone can could assist me in positively answering the following two questions?

1. Since the Mazda3 is built on the Ford C1 platform, the same platform used for the Volvo C30 / C70 / S40 & V50, are any of these Volvo WHIPS-equipped seats interchangeable with the Mazdaspeed3 front seats? Is the seat mount bolt pattern the same?
2. Per Wikipedia, the safety and electrical components are shared among the Ford C1 platform models. If this is correct, shouldn't the Mazda3 control module be compatible with either the Mazda3 or Volvo seat, its weight sensor, and its built-in side air bag? Is the Volvo WHIPS-equipped seat fully compatible with all safety systems in the MS3?

Thanks!

 

[MS3.MAN]

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123686873

Driver walked away fine. If you are that concerned about whiplash, then don't buy the Mazda, buy one of the other boring cars on the list. Problem solved.

Active head restraints prevent whiplash injury in rear end accidents.

 

[Sierra117]

The point being that based on how bad this looks and the driver walking away, I'm sure the car is safe enough. It takes more than just air bags and fancy seat belts to make the car safe for the driver, much of it also goes into the design of the car and the set up. We have above a first hand account of someone getting rear ended at 15mph, and no problems at all.

If this is the only thing keeping you from buying the Mazda, then don't buy it, buy something else.

Oh, and to answer your question, as they say on another forum I belong to...

Google is your friend!

 

[MS3.MAN]

It takes more than just air bags and fancy seat belts to make the car safe for the driver, much of it also goes into the design of the car and the set up. We have above a first hand account of someone getting rear ended at 15mph, and no problems at all.

Agreed. Thanks for alerting me to the earlier post. I must have skimmed over it.

 

[Sierra117]

Understandable. Happens at times when you are looking for something specific. I just did a Google search, and I found something that looks like it might work, but no pictures and it was in Sweedish.

 

[MS3.MAN]

I'm just trying to "think outside the box" especially since the MS3 has so many positive qualities:

• Fun to drive
• A good reliability record
• ABS, brake assist, EBD, ESC, front & side airbags, and side-curtains.
• Adult size rear seats
• Versatile/practical - 4 door hatchback

Perhaps if more people contact Mazda and express interest in AHR-equipped seats they may add them or at least make them optional.
Mazda Contact Us
E-mail
800-945-6000 M - F, 7am - 8pm CT, Sat. 7am - 12pm CT

JD Power.com Preventing Whiplash

 

[fourthmeal]

I'll tell you right now, I feel incredibly safe in my MS3. I got hit, and there is no damage at all to the car other then what I mentioned above. The brakes are phenomenal. I mean only a couple cars (all which cost in the $100,000+ range) beat our cars in a full stop. The car is set up to ideally handle adverse situations like lane-change avoidance. We all know that some accidents are unavoidable, but there are many that can be averted just by acting quickly and having a car that can be trusted to get out of the way of danger. In Vegas, traffic sucks so bad, and people are so super-glued to their cell phone that it is as if everybody was drunk and retarded (which may also be the case, but I digress!) Add this to the very real problem of illegal Mexicans driving around in unregistered trucks and vans, and you've got yourself a virtual moving minefield that you have to tippy-toe around to not get smashed. The MS3 does this beautifully, and I can avoid certain peril on a regular basis. Just yesterday, I had to SLAM my brakes at full pedal to avoid getting creamed by a dually work truck that decided at the very last minute to turn right...two lanes over! He got one of these (fu), but I saved the front left side of the car from forceful rearrangement of metal just because of the brakes being what they are. Literally hundreds of times a month this happens out here, in various forms. This car saves my ass all the time! Add to this an extremely capable airbag system, a smart skid-control system, and one hell of a grip on the road thanks to some fantastic tires, and you've got a safe machine.

And to think, I used to own only a motorcycle around here... (shakes head)

 

[MS3.MAN]

I completely agree that the MS3 is very well equipped for accident avoidance. I simply wish it had all the most recommended crash protection technology as well.

For example: One day my wife was driving along and an accident occurred directly in front of her. She immediately hit the brakes and was able to come to a full stop safely. (FWIW, we always purchase the highest performance tires available for our cars. Excellent tires are cheap insurance.) However, the person behind her was not able to stop in time and he rear-ended my wife which pushed her into the pile in front of her. (Whiplash #2 of 3!)

Unfortunately, on today's crowded roads, there are times when it is not possible to avoid an accident especially if the guy behind you is distracted / multi-tasking or has poorly maintained brakes &/or tires.

 

[Hirudin]

Regarding swapping seats from a Volvo...
I'm no car expert guy, but I think there are sensors in the seats that measure your weight and even position which tweak airbag deployment should you get in an accident. It's hard for me to imagine the interface (I mean the plugs, wires, and software) between the 2 brands would be interchangeable (but anything is possible).

So, if you were to swap seats you might gain AHR but it seems like you might loose some airbag systems.

 

[MS3.MAN]

Agreed. It would not be wise to swap the seats unless they are fully compatible with all safety systems in the MS3.

Per Wikipedia, "the safety and electrical components are shared" among the Ford C1 platform models.

Are there any Mazda mechanics on this forum that can confirm whether this statement is correct?