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Subaru Legacy/Outback 2005+

10833 messages,  Last post on Feb 26, 2013 at 5:40 AM

You are in the Subaru Legacy & Outback Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru, Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback, Sedan, Wagon




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Messages Page 317 of 1084

#3161 of 10833 Legacy second-worst rating possible by mylegacy

Jul 26, 2004 (9:40 am)

The new Legacy earned the rating of "Marginal," the second-worst rating possible, for side-impact protection. It earned a "Best Pick" rating for frontal-impact protection.
 
The 2005 Legacy was actually tested twice for side-impact safety. The Institute's first side-impact test on the car revealed that the side airbag was folded in a way that prevented it from deploying quickly to protect occupants' heads. In early June, Subaru recalled all 2005 Legacy's to correct the problem and the car was retested by the Institute on May 18.
 
Although the crash test dummy's head was better protected in the second test, the test still revealed a high likelihood of rib fracture, internal organ injuries and the possibility of pelvic fractures, resulting in the car's "Marginal" rating.
 
http://money.cnn.com/2004/07/26/pf/autos/iihs_rav4_legacy/

#3162 of 10833 A few things by alpha01

Jul 26, 2004 (10:09 am)

Before we have any others post the results of the Side Impact test performed by the IIHS, lets bring to light that there have been AT LEAST 3 such postings in the last 10 doing so. Please read or skim the postings of other members prior to posting yourself.
 
frankw- The Outback may or may not perform slightly better than the Legacy due to the fact that it stands taller than the Legacy, and therefore has a higher beltline in relation to the IIHS barrier. For what its worth, the Car and Driver article you quoted is erroneous, since the IIHS does not issue a star rating. That is from NHTSA, and I'd bet it will be true (the Legacy/OB will get 5 stars).
 
mylegacy- Although the Legacy is rated "Marginal" by the side impact by the IIHS, it is the ONLY car in its class whose standard model earns better than a POOR. This may change for 2005 when/if Honda makes side airbags/curtains standard on the Accord.
 
anchoe- I think the alloys on the new Legacys and OBs are awesome! That gold stuff on old OBs, for example was awfully gaudy, and very ugly, IMO.
 
~alpha

#3163 of 10833 Re: Surprised and disappointed [glycinemax] by zoomer1

Jul 26, 2004 (10:12 am)

Replying to: glycinemax (Jul 26, 2004 8:05 am)
Yes. Surprised and Disappointed is right. The 05 Legacy advertised an improved reinforced ring structure (on their web site) in addition to the airbags. These results, to me, look like more than just an airbag issue. Subaru, may have to re-engineer the design including the kinds of metals they use to allow for dissipation of forces as well as protection of the occupant. I don't believe you can resolve this issue with airbags. Still a good car with desirable, but not unique, capabilities...Now with this issue the price point becomes a little problematic for SOA. Let's see what SOA has to say!

#3164 of 10833 IIHS test by krzyss

Jul 26, 2004 (10:13 am)

IIHS test simulates truck hitting tested vehicle so I suspect all higher suspended cars will fare better. It would be interesting to compare results of Legacy and Outback when Outback is tested.
 
I would expect sedan and wagon results similar but Legacy and Outback might be different because of where the impact is. Just thoughts.
 
Subaru's response:
 
http://vocuspr.vocus.com/VocusPR30/DotNet/Newsroom/Query.aspx?Sit- eName=Subaru&Entity=PRAsset&SF_PRAsset_PRAssetID_EQ=87101- &XSL=PressRelease&Title=Releases&Cache=True
 
Krzys

#3165 of 10833 Re: A few things [alpha01] by aaykay

Jul 26, 2004 (10:51 am)

Replying to: alpha01 (Jul 26, 2004 10:09 am)
mylegacy- Although the Legacy is rated "Marginal" by the side impact by the IIHS, it is the ONLY car in its class whose standard model earns better than a POOR. This may change for 2005 when/if Honda makes side airbags/curtains standard on the Accord.
 
I think both the Accord and the Camry rated the highest possible rating of "Good", when models equipped with the side/curtain airbags were tested. The test done with the Subaru was done with side/curtain airbags, since it is standard. The Accord/Camry had the negative ratings for models that were tested without the curtain airbags. Just to clarify.

#3166 of 10833 IIHS Test by luck11

Jul 26, 2004 (10:53 am)

Not only am I disappointed with the results (safety being #1 criteria for my new vehicle) but I am also disappointed with SOA's response. Talk about taking the high-road:
 
"Although the overall results of the side impact test did not match those of the frontal testing, the 2005 Subaru Legacy exceeds all of the Federal government’s stringent safety standards, including the standard for side impact protection.....The safety of our customers is of the utmost importance to Subaru."
 
They have essentially ignored the marginal side impact rating....this just doesn't cut it.
 
I recall the Legacy/Outback coming out of the Australian tests with record high ratings. I thought for sure safety was a non-issue. I hope the wagons fare as well here as they did in Australia, else, I may get off the Subaru fence all together.
 
Luck.
00' Outback
Considering Legacy GT Ltd or OB XT

#3167 of 10833 Re: IIHS Test [luck11] by zoomer1

Jul 26, 2004 (11:02 am)

Replying to: luck11 (Jul 26, 2004 10:53 am)
.....Although the overall results of the side impact test did not match those of the frontal testing, the 2005 Subaru Legacy exceeds all of the Federal government’s stringent safety standards, including the standard for side impact protection....
 
Standard response by manufacturers to state that the car meets ALL MINIMUM government criteria....(therefore) injuries are your responsibilities. Actually, SOA is correct, in that they designed a car that MEETS Government criteria. They are mistaken that this is a sufficient criteria and standard to meet. It is not the Gov't' job to have car builders exceed the criteria--that job belongs to the MARKETPLACE. So if VW and Honda and Toyota and Mazda introduce a car with similar capabilities at a lower price point that EXCEEDS SOA's crash ratings (that meet the Gov't minimum standards) then we would, in most circumstances, create a condition where the public will walk away from this particular SOA product.
 
So yes SOA is correct in their statement but, in my opinion, show a lack of understanding with this statement. SOA works on safety and reliability as a core message as they sell their products. This rating dilutes that core message and hurts their market strategy. They need to do better before someone else comes in...like the RAV 4...not the same product or the same marked but I bet you one cent that some will look at the RAV 4 and think twice about buying anything else in that market segment...

#3168 of 10833 by kens

Jul 26, 2004 (11:15 am)

I'm sure Subaru is just as surprised and disappointed at the results too. Given that they had the 05 Legacy tested so early on (what other brand new 05 models have been tested?) indicates to me that they were betting on getting good results that would help push their marketing efforts.
 
The one thing that disappointed me was that it's now clear that the side airbag recall was triggered not by an internal QC check, but from the IIHS test.
 
Ken

#3169 of 10833 by aaykay

Jul 26, 2004 (12:24 pm)

I expected 5 stars all around from the Government tests and a "best pick" from the IIHS tests for the new legacy/OB. But since I have a lot of leeway with the timing of the purchase, I am willing to wait for a year for the re-test, since I really like the cars.
 
Hopefully, this is not a kiss of death for such a promising model. If it is an airbag issue, then they should correct it pronto. The Accord scored badly when tested without the airbag but gained the highest possible rating when tested with the side-curtain equipped model (All EX model Accords - 4/6 cylinder - come standard with side-curtains).

#3170 of 10833 aaykay by alpha01

Jul 26, 2004 (12:52 pm)

Nope- the Accord EX 4 cylinder comes standard with a seat mounted side airbag (chest) ONLY. The curtain side airbag is a stand-alone option on the the Accord 2004 Accord EX 4 door. The ONLY Accord model with the Side Curtain standard is the EX V6.
 
~alpha

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