2014 Honda Odyssey

THE "STANDARD SEAT ASSEMBLY" AS DEFINED BY FIG-1A OF FMVSS 213 DEFINES SEAT/SEAT-BELT GEOMETRY SUCH THAT A SEATBELT BUCKLE SHALL NOT EXTEND BEYOND175MM (~6IN) FROM THE SEAT BIGHT. THE STANDARD SEEMS TO ALLOW CAR MANUFACTURERS TO UTILIZE SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLIES ANYWHERE IN THE 0 TO 175MM RANGE FROM THE BIGHT. A BIGHT-TO-BUCKLE (B2B) DISTANCE OF 175MM MAKES IT DIFFICULT (OR IMPOSSIBLE) TO PROPERLY SECURE CHILD CAR SEATS, USING THE VEHICLE'S SEAT BELT, IF THE CHILD SEAT DEPTH IS SHALLOWER THAN 175MM. THIS HYPOTHESIS WAS DEVELOPED AFTER I WAS UNABLE TO PROPERLY SECURE A DIONO RADIAN RXT CAR SEAT (FORWARD FACING MODE) IN MY 2014 HONDA ODYSSEY. THE BUCKLES IN THE HONDA (SEE ATTACHED) APPEAR TO BE CLOSE TO THE 175MM THRESHOLD. HOWEVER, I WAS ABLE TO SECURE THE SAME DIONO SEAT IN MY 2007 AUDI A6 BECAUSE THE AUDI'S BUCKLES ARE FLUSH MOUNTED IN THE SEAT CUSHION (I.E. B2B OF ~0MM). I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM IS A "HONDA" PROBLEM, BUT A PROBLEM WITH THE LACK OF SPECIFICITY OF FMVSS-213 WRT HOW CHILD SEATS ARE TO BE TESTED. FMVSS 213 S6.1.2 SIMPLY STATES THAT THE "STANDARD SEAT ASSEMBLY" IS TO BE USED, AND MAKES NO MENTION OF ENSURING COMPATIBILITY OF FIT THROUGHOUT THE B2B RANGE. THE DIONO MANUAL (SEE PG-19, ATTACHED) INDICATES THAT THEIR SEATS ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH "...ANCHOR POINTS FORWARD OF THE SEAT CREASE." I REVIEWED OTHER CHILD CAR SEAT MANUFACTURER INSTRUCTION MANUALS AND FOUND SIMILAR WARNINGS. WHILE THE HONDA SEAT BELTS CONTAIN FMVSS-209 CERTIFICATION TAGS, AND THE DIONO IS LABELED WITH FMVSS-213 TAGS, I BELIEVE THAT THESE TWO STANDARDS ARE NOT COMPATIBLE. RECOMMENDATIONS: (1)UPDATE "STANDARD SEAT ASSEMBLY" OF FMVSS-213 SUCH THAT B2B IS EXPLICITLY FIXED AT 175MM OR (2) FMVSS-209 MUST RESTRICT B2B< 25MM. FMVSS-209 S4.1.E ONLY SPECIFIES, "...BUCKLE OR BUCKLES READILY ACCESSIBLE TO THE OCCUPANT TO PERMIT HIS EASY & RAPID REMOVAL..."

MY DAUGHTER WAS TRAPPED IN THE SEATBELT. WE PARKED THE CAR IN OUR GARAGE AND WHEN SHE SAT UP TO RELEASE HER BELT, THE BELT BECAME TANGLED AROUND HER WAIST. WE TRIED FOR 30 MINUTES TO RELEASE TO SEATBELT BUT ONCE IT RETRACTED THERE WAS NO WAY TO RELEASE IT. FINALLY WE HAD TO CUT THE BELT TO FREE HER. SHE WAS SITTING IN THE THIRD ROW ON THE DRIVERS SIDE.

WHILE DRIVING IN A PARKING LOT GOING NO MORE THAN 10 MILES PER HOUR, I HIT A CONCRETE BLOCK WITH THE FRONT LEFT SIDE OF MY CAR IN FRONT OF THE WHEEL. IT WAS IN A BLIND SPOT. MY 9 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER, WHO WEIGHS 62 POUNDS, WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT ( WHICH WAS NOT ALL THE WAY FOWARD. THE SEAT WAS ABOUT HALF WAY BACK). BOTH OF OUR AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AND ONLY MY SEATBELT LOCKED. HER AIRBAG SHOULD NOT HAVE DEPLOYED AND HER SEATBELT SHOULD HAVE LOCKED.

OUR 2014 HONDA ODYSSEY EXL MINIVAN WAS CONVERTED WITH A BRAUN ABILITY HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE CONVERSION IN FEBRUARY OF 2014. WE HAD DRIVEN THE CONVERSION MINIVAN WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS UNTIL APRIL 30, 2014. WE UTILIZE A POWER MOBILITY CHAIR IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VAN. WHEN THE SEAT BELT WAS RELEASED FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER IN THE POWER MOBILITY CHAIR, IT SOMEHOW BECAME ENTANGLED IN THE ARM OF THE POWER MOBILITY CHAIR. WE WERE UNAWARE THAT WHEN THE SHOULDER PART OF THE BELT IS PULLED ALL THE WAY OUT, IT CAUSES A SAFETY FEATURE TO ACTIVATE, AND THE BELT MUST FULLY RETRACT TO ALLOW THE PASSENGER TO MOVE ABOUT FREELY. APPARENTLY, THIS BELT WAS FULLY EXTENDED WHEN INITIALLY PLACED AROUND THE FRONT SEAT PASSENGER IN THE MOBILITY CHAIR. WHEN THE BELT WAS RELEASED, WE COULD NOT MOVE THE PASSENGER FORWARD DUE TO THE SAFETY FEATURE, AND WE COULD NOT MOVE THE POWER CHAIR BACKWARD DUE TO THE BELT ENTANGLED IN THE ARM OF THE POWER MOBILITY CHAIR. WE NEEDED TO HAVE THE BELT COME FURTHER OUT IN ORDER TO DETANGLE IT, HOWEVER, THE SAFETY FEATURE WOULD NOT ALLOW THAT, AND THERE IS CURRENTLY NO OVER-RIDE EMERGENCY RELEASE BUTTON FOR THE SAFETY FEATURE ONCE IT IS ENGAGED. THE PASSENGER WAS TRAPPED IN THE POWER MOBILITY CHAIR IN THE MINIVAN. WE WERE ALONE, OVER 60 MILES FROM HOME, AND STRANDED IN A PARKING LOT. WE WERE UNABLE TO DRIVE ANYWHERE, AS WE COULD NOT MOVE THE POWER MOBILITY CHAIR FORWARD ENOUGH TO LOCK IT IN WITH THE Q-STRAINT SYSTEM. FORTUNATELY, MANAGEMENT OF THE LOCAL HONDA DEALERSHIP ALLOWED THEIR SERVICE PERSONNEL TO DRIVE TO OUR LOCATION AND ASSIST US. THEY TOOK APART THE SEAT BELT RETRACTION DEVICE AND DETANGLED THE BELT. WE REPORTED THIS TO HONDA SO THAT THEY MIGHT CONSIDER DESIGNING A SAFETY OVER-RIDE BUTTON. THEY PROVIDED US A CASE NUMBER. WE ALSO CALLED BRAUN ABILITY SO THAT THEY MIGHT WORK WITH HONDA.

AFTER RETURNING FROM AN ERRAND, MY FAMILY AND I WERE PARKED IN OUR DRIVEWAY. MY FOUR-YEAR-OLD SON WAS SITTING IN THE THIRD ROW PASSENGER SIDE AND BUCKLED USING THE CAR'S SEATBELT. HE WAS SITTING IN HIS TODDLER CARSEAT, PER GUIDELINES. IN TRYING TO UNBUCKLE HIMSELF, HE BECAME INEXTRICABLY ENTANGLED IN THE SEATBELT. THE MORE HE OR I TRIED TO FREE HIM; THE TIGHTER THE SEATBELT BECAME AROUND HIS TORSO, EVEN MAKING INDENTATIONS AND ABRASIVE RED MARKS ON HIS SKIN. SINCE I COULD FIND NO WAY TO RELEASE THE TENSION IN THE SEATBELT AND SINCE IT ONLY BECAME TIGHTER BECAUSE OF MY EFFORTS TO FREE HIM, I DECIDED TO SEVER THE SEATBELT, EFFECTIVELY RESOLVING THE TENSION AND ALLOWING HIM TO GET OUT OF THE SEAT. THE INCIDENT LASTED APPROXIMATELY 40 MINUTES FROM THE REALIZATION THAT HE WAS ENTANGLED TO THE DECISION TO CUT HIM OUT OF THE SEATBELT. I COULD NOT LIFT HIM OUT OF THE SEATBELT BECAUSE IT WAS TOO TIGHT, AND HE COULDN'T WIGGLE HIS WAY DOWN THE SEAT TO FREE HIMSELF WITHOUT THE BELT WRAPPING AROUND HIS NECK. GIVEN THE SITUATION, SEVERING THE SEATBELT WAS THE BEST AND SAFEST CHOICE TO FREE HIM. THERE NEEDS TO BE A WAY TO RELEASE THE TENSION OF THE SEAT BELTS IN THE THIRD ROW OF HONDA ODYSSEY MODELS, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE THEY ARE FAMILY VEHICLES RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN. I HAVE REGISTERED THIS CONCERN WITH HONDA, AND IT HAS BEEN A CASE NUMBER. *TR

ON SATURDAY JULY 19TH MY SON ALMOST CHOKED TO DEATH ON THE MIDDLE ROW SEATBELT. I HAVE THREE YOUNG KIDS OF 7,6 AND 4. THE 7 AND 6 WERE PLAYING AND SUDDENLY THE SEATBELT WRAPPED AROUND MY SONS NECK. MY WIFE QUICKLY ATTEMPTED TO UNATTACHED AND UNTANGLE AND SHE COULD NOT. THE SEATBELT JUST GOT TIGHTER AND TIGHTER AND THERE WAS NO EMERGENCY RELEASE BUTTON EITHER FROM THE TOP OR BOTTOM OF THE SEATBELT. I QUICKLY HELD HIM UP IN THE AIR SIDEWAYS TO GIVE HIM A LITTLE AIR WHILE MY WIFE RUN TO A STRANGER'S HOUSE TO BORROW SCISSORS. THE ONLY WAY FOR US TO RELEASE HIM FREE WAS TO CUT THE SEATBELT. WE ARE FORTUNATE THAT NOTHING SERIOUS HAPPENED TO MY SON, ONLY BRUISES AROUND HIS NECK. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE THAT HONDA CORPORATION SHOULD BE AWARE OFF AND TAKEN CAREFUL INVESTIGATION. I HAVE CONTACTED HONDA CORPORATE OFFICE AND THEY REALLY DON'T CARE MUCH. THEY TELL ME THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE SEATBELT AND IT'S WORKING THE WAY IT IS. I ASKED FOR A SUPERVISOR AND HE TOLD ME THAT MY CASE WOULD BE CLOSED. THEY ARE RUDE AND NO SYMPATHY TO WHAT JUST HAPPENED. THE SECOND TIME I SPOKE TO A HONDA REPRESENTATIVE I TOLD THEM AGAIN THAT THEY SHOULD INVESTIGATE, AS I DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE. THEY REFUSED AND ONLY STATE THAT THEY WILL PUT IT IN THE NOTES. *TR