I’m a Forensic Collision Investigator with Lincs Police, my colleagues and I deal with fatal collisions on a daily basis and I can say people die in even the ‘safest’ cars unfortunately. No car is completely safe and you take a risk every time you drive on a public road, two cars coming together at a combined speed in excess of 120mph is never going to end well! In the case of solid objects at the side of the road such as trees…well they always win regardless of the car you’re driving. It’s all about driving as safely as you can and hope the people coming the other way are taking driving as seriously as they should; unfortunately we all know that is not always the case. Take care out there!! 😃
This is probably the best advice when it comes to "what's the safest car", as you say it's the car you keep well maintained and drive as safely as possible while hoping everyone else is trying to do the same. If everyone did this then there might be the odd shunt but most serious accidents would be eliminated.
Far more emphasis should be placed on the standard of the driver than the so called safety of the car, they are lethal weapons, it is harder to get a gun licence, a driving licence should be as difficult. The driving test should encompass Motorway driving and winter driving even if has to be conducted over a few months and locations, with reviews after 12 and 24 months. The days of learning to drive at age 12 on a little grey Fergie on a farm and an agriculture tractor licence at 15 are long gone.
@@tonys1636In days gone by, I'd have abaolutely said that drivers are always the problem, but modern cars with their so-called "safety" technology are very capable of crashing on their own, and in some cases they're even capable of causing crashes that may never have happened if the "safety" tech simply wasn't there. (There are plenty of videos out there of Teslas crashing all by themselves, and even my own Volvo V40 nearly caused an Audi to rear end me when the Volvo slammed on my brakes for absolutely no reason whatsoever - I now have to turn the auto braking feature off every time I start the car to prevent it from causing an unnecessary crash). Despite the problems caused by these dangerous collision creation systems that take control away from the driver entirely, drivers are indeed still a problem. Whether it's bad habits like tailgating, or distractions (mobile phones, touchscreens, misbehaving passengers, and so on), or just a complete lack of driving skill, there are a lot of people on the roads who quite frankly shouldn't be behind the wheel.
If two cars meet head on at 60mph the deceleration from 60 to zero is the same as hitting a solid stationary object therefore the forces acting on the passengers is the same as 60mph not 120mph. Just plain old newtonian physics.
The second best safety feature is one that new cars ALL fail at dismally: Visibility. The sightlines out of cars built in the last 20 years are horrible. Way back when, Volvo used the tag line "The best collusion is the one you do not have!" The 140/240 was designed to allow incredible visibility. I recently had to retire my 1990 Volvo 240 estate. I replaced it with a 2004 Toyota Carolla. The difference is visibility out is disconcerting to say the least.
I remember the days when Airbags were to be replaced at 10 years old as part of a servicable item. I know for a fact that the airbag in my Mark 5 Escort has never been changed, so i go with the assumption that its most likely not going to deploy as its nearly 30 years Old! The greatest safety feature in a car is the driver. A great and informative Vlog Ian and Carly.
I remember when I had my Daihatsu Domino back in the 80's, no airbags, probably no safety features. I did over a thousand miles in three weeks with my American pen friend who must have been already frightened in such a small car and sitting on her wrong side of the car. It, and she, survived. Back in the day we did not think about safety so much and I think most people drove better than today. Today people rely too much on the 'safety' features and not on their driving 'ability', drive too fast and rely on the brakes for instance, many other bad driving instances, too many to mention. I understand the worries about children but would worry more about other road users doing stupid things putting you in danger, like the van that pulled out on you. Airbags are a good idea as are side impact bars etc. but nothing can protect you fully from other road users doing stupid things. Don't get me started on mobile phones, touch screens etc. in modern cars, all distractions from actually 'driving' the car. Sorry for the rant. Nice to see Bella back on the road.
Which is why I love motorcycling! It forces you to focus on the drive and that's one of the things that makes driving more enjoyable. People are rushing about trying to get somewhere, but they don't enjoy the journey.
'Tis true sadly. While the UK driving test has become in some ways more difficult to pass, sadly many drivers these days seem to regard it as an obstacle to be overcome before getting out on the road and largely ignoring everything it was supposed to teach and reinforce. The standards of driving have noticeably decreased as Robin says, with people relying on the safety features to avoid injury or death. I get tailgated so often these days that I now regard it as everyday, and don't get me started on roundabout behaviour.......
I remember my first car, a 1967 mini, talk about basic, i has sliding windows none of those fancy winding handles, door handles pah nope you got a string you pulled to open the door, radio cassette no chance you want music start singing. This car seriously had nothing in the way of extras or distractions and yet it was one of the most fun cars to drive i have ever had.
One thing for us Brits to remember is that our European market cars had a different set of tests and regulations to the cars sold in the JDM, or the ASEAN.
Is there anyone anywhere in any major industry that doesn't think ' how can I make the most profit' without then going down the route of how can I lie and scheme and screw people over?
Human nature, I'm afraid. Even outside the world of commerce and industry, there's a minority of folk who'll do anything to cut a corner, lie or cheat to get what they want. Then there's the rest of us trusting folk who take things at face value. But if most of us did not do so, society would break down. The surprise with Daihatsu is that this went on so long without a whistle-blower or outsider who stumbled on it bringing it to light.
It's almost like it's the result of people voting for practically unlimited capitalism... A mostly free market is good, but there is a thing as too much freedom for corporations.
It's an interesting side note that Daihatsu was the first Japanese brand to be officially sold in the UK. Also, the reason for the strangely high number of Daihatsus around Chard, is that Central Motors (which still exists) was a Daihatsu main dealer until 2013, when Daihatsu pulled out of the UK market. Unfortunately, they don't have any marketing memorabilia etc. from that time; I did ask.
I bet this opens a whole can of worms, makes you wonder if other manufacturers have been doing the same tricks and for how long,can we have any trust in these crash test ratings?
I'm a HUGE fan of the first few generations of Charade, especially the G11, but if their trashy behavior - risking the lives of millions of people for their own gain - brings them down, i won't be crying over that. Why would any sane person argue anything but "they get what's coming to them"? ..if, on the other hand, they've done so by orders from the mother company, it's another matter entirely. ..but i don't know which it is. Only thing that is somewhat known as of now: Daihatsus seem to be a huge pita, especially because of rust issues and in some cases bad engines, and now they may perhaps be dangerous too.... I'm happy i'm not trying to sell a Daihatsu right now... Of topic: GREAT to see Bella back on the road :)
A misconception about safety in cars, all safety accessories may give you the feeling that you are driving a safe car. It is still you and your fellow drivers of other cars who create safe or unsafe situations. All the distractions caused by mobile phones, radios and conversations with fellow passengers all distract your focus from driving.
Thing is, whatever car you drive, it should be driven accordingly. When I drive my Nova, I am always mindful that any accident would hurt a whole lot more than it would in a modern. Therefore, I adapt my driving to suit the car, slower, more braking distance, don't take chances. Common sense stuff.
I'm with you on loving Daihatsus, particularly the Charade. I had one exactly like yours, even down to the colour. It was one of the best cars I ever owned. When I immigrated to South America I looked to see if I could get another one but sadly they were never imported here. I hope they survive this scandal.
Daihatsu has been my brand of choice (I’m an Aussie) since the late 70’s. Many F20’s, F50’s and Rocky’s I’ve owned. My current daily is a 26 year old Rocky. I picked up a Terios Aero, and if I could find a Feroza at a reasonable price, I’d grab that. I think the Rocky is a Fourtrak in the UK. I’ve never been under any illusion as to their crash worthiness, but they are all tough, reliable transport (and fun)! I really hope Daihatsu can survive this. It was a sad day when they pulled out of Australia.
Having grown up in a non safety world I take little notice of all these features anyway. My first year on bikes was non-helmet and boy did we curse at the extra expense of them.
I remember Mitsubishi had a brake issue that they hid for 20 years. I learned in and drove cars that didn't have airbags. Didn't worry then, and I don't worry now.
Interesting discussion There is no such thing as absolute safety on the road. This is why the 20 mph limit is just a foolish idea. In many ways modern cars are too safe, the safest car is one you don’t crash, and the best way to do that is to concentrate on driving by not playing with phones. When it comes to car choice safely is one aspect but there are far more important ones Carly: I do hope you have better like on your next test. Once you are over that hurdle you’ll do well.
Same sort of thing happened at Honda with the use of a dangerous airbag (which you mention whilst I was writing this) This being in a bump fragments in the airbag punctured the airbag when deployed. Our current 2003 CRV was one of those impacted but my luck is the fact the previous owner had a letter for the recall and had the work done. Then we had a recall in our ownership for the drivers side door switch as it came to light that if water entered under the switch it could cause a fire.
As someone who seriously considered buying a G-Wiz (pre-Lotus safety improvements model) it's one of those value judgements you make. The majority of safety tests until very recently were modelled on an 'average' male dummy so safety for anyone not of standard size is unclear. As someone who has reached half a century old without being involved in a serious collision I just hope my luck holds out!
What I think is a failure of testing using test dummies is the fact that dummies don't react, whereas humans do. When an impact is imminent, regardless of who you are, you tense up in anticipation of the impact. Dummies don't do that, so this won't reflect the outcome of this reaction on injuries sustained.
VW did a similar thing when they cheated their emissions tests and it took them a long time to recover but they were too big to fail , also I used to own a Suzuki Wagon R years back i swear that thing would not be safe in any crash , it was great fun to drive but made like a tin can.
Great to see you both talking about this. Safety, sadly, does have a price in all markets. Ford were at it with the Pinto. They did a cost benefit analysks where they compared the cost of making the Pinto safer, vs the cost of lawsuits from injuries and death from accidents.. Then yoi consider the markets where some of these cars are destined for, and the appetite for honest safety goes further down.
That story with the Pinto was a misrepresentation of events. The fact that it's still around despite the number of times it's been disproven shows how spectacularly successful lawyers were at poisoning the well.
I had no idea about this, a shame indeed. Hopefully Daihatsu carries on and they or Toyota can sort this out. Toyota (I think Honda too) had airbag issues a few years ago...
FWIW there are Midgets already in the UK - I remember seeing a green one at a dealer near Nottingham many years ago and The Car Warehouse often has really wacky JDM cars like that in stock. Indonesia is a good country for Daihatsus - locally manufactured. One of my favourite crash test fake stories is Chinese manufacturer Chery who made wholly unauthorised copies of the Matiz (QQ - like Myrtle) but actually used genuine Matiz parts to get through the crash tests.
and that is why the NTSB, in the US, does independent testing, and that oddly starts abut the same time that Daihatsu exited the US market... The Takata airbag mess is an embarrassment, period. All cars are effected, not just Daihatsu... here is a better plan, don't have an accident.
As someone said below, the greatest safety factor on the road is the skill, to I would add the attention, of the driver. The latter in particular gets worse as more and more technology is built into cars. Jeremey Clarkson's spike on the steering wheel idea was a comic extrapolation of a sound principal. If you don't have any sense of danger you will act accordingly.
Notwithstanding the crash results fakery, a small car by definition isn't going to fare terribly well, relatively speaking, from a crash safety standpoint. The laws of physics are immutable.
I feel like people are way more concerned about the passive safety features of cars these days, and will freak out if a car doesn't score a million stars in a crash test, but don't give a crap about actually driving safely, and will happily drive around with phones in front of their faces. Yes, safety and crash protection features are obviously important, and it would be foolish to say otherwise, but driving safely and actually preventing a crash in the first place is a lot better. As they say, the weakest part of any car is the nut behind the steering wheel.
What you need to remember is that Chemmy is a bionic Charade. She's had the Whiteland treatment so she'll probably be more solid than the average one! Im mindful when i drive the Mini that my knees are the crumple zone. It does encourage planning ahead.
I wouldn't bank too much on the airbags in an 18-year-old car, no matter how good they might have been when new. Things can stop working, or don't work as well as expected - and something that just sits there waiting for (literally) the whole life of the car might be vulnerable to that. Not Daihatsu-related, just age-related: I crashed a 13-year-old Renault Clio into the back of a van a few years ago, probably about 25-30mph impact and the seatbelt did a great job but the airbags never activated. As others have said, the best safety device is the skill of the driver, but even skill sometimes get trumped by sheer bad luck. Stay lucky!
There might be a good business case for Daihatsu to be absorbed entirely by Toyota. I had to take my 2003 Nissan Almera to the main dealer in order to get the Takata airbags replaced. That recall bankrupted them.
Im amazed there are any left. In the Scottish Borders i hardly see any. Though I do see a rounder mini 4x4 Dihatsu like your car but a new er version. An unsafecsr makes one driver hyper aware. I drove a 1.1 205 for years they were poor then. I still have it. I just accept. I dont think Dihatsu will pull through. Parts have always been a pig. Mistubushi are getting like that.
My daughter did most of her driving practice then took her test in a 97 RAV4, which only has a driver's airbag - but lots of visibility. Best to learn to drive with your own safety in mind than isolated from the risks in a modern car. My wife crashed a T reg Nissan Micra - hit I pole at a bus stop and set the (one) airbag off - she had a dry cough for a few days, but I guess that's better than concussion! Accidents happen, you can't protect your kids (or your wife!) against everything ...
Car safety is always a compromise, Mrs Hubnut points out a problem most women face being close to the airbag when it deploys it causes more problems than solves When you drive an order car your aware it's not as safe, but I do recall Renault Zoe was accused of compromising safety a few years ago with a poorer ncap rating, it doesn't seem to have caused any issues.
With regards to safety - since I have much better visibility in the BX (which I daily) than modern cars do, I tend to think of accident avoidance more than getting into one. For example, I mostly drive on intercity two lane roads. So I have it all planned out. If I was ever in a situation of someone heading towards me, I will turn off the road while braking. Our roads are usually raised with banks which end in a canal (usually empty). I'd rather roll over in a ditch (where I know the BX will do a sufficient job of protecting me) than hit a modern car head on.
@@hubnotes Of course, it is a fact I'm acutely aware of. However, I try to minimize my chances of being in one at higher speeds. In the city it's not such a huge concern. Still, in the case of a crash, a modern car with airbags is much safer than the BX.
@@Sid3300 Visibility is a big reason why I prefer older cars. The E90 I'm temporarily driving has okay visibility, but quite sizeable blind spots. I have had several situations where pedestrians, cyclists or even other cars were hiding behind the pillars in this thing. It's not the most pleasant experience. Yeah, okay, the airbags will save me in a crash, but the BX will make sure I don't get in said crash in the first place.
@@jugostran I daily a Saab 9-3 which in fairness for a modern-ish car is relatively ok in terms if visibility. But most older cars will trump it any-day.
You have a better chance of surviving a bump up in Europe as the majority of cars are small and light , But trucks and buses are still big and heavy in comparison , it boggles the mind they have allowed the size difference to be great and when they meet has been ignored for so many decades. That even the small cars aren’t built with much crash protection all in the name of economy. Your Ford by size is a tank compared to the rest in your fleet
Also, a lot of older cars from the mid 90s to the 2010s are driving around with airbags that may have expired, so to speak or have developed defects. A lot of these cars are entering classic car status, so safety is only as good for that time, and the drivers' reactions and common sense.
I dont pay any attention to crash stats, if your gonna go yer gonna go, Yeah of course do everything in life as safely as possible but you cant completely take away the risk, the biggest risk is your actions and the actions of others, Around my area this week is solid with ice and not all roads are gritted, unyet you get the type of people driving around like its a dry sunny summers day
Ian, interesting you talked about Australia crushing the cars with the Tacota airbags. There was a very good reason. Thete was no replacement airbag that could be fitted thst did not suffer the same issues. People in North America were getting airbags replaced with units that were identical to what was removed. Insanity. Miss Hubnut, I don't know the laws there, but here in Canada airbags may be disconnected for people who must sit too close to the wheel for safety. I have an issue eith my aorta so the airbag in my 2004 Toyota Carolla will be disconnected for safety. I miss my ancient Volvo 240. That was a safe car, as well as being easy to drive safely. Too bad rot got too far, but after 400,000 miles and 33 of our winters, it happens.
This shows the massive disconnect from conformance testing to production and product life cycle. Basically any testing is done in an environment to satisfy the laws of a country(countries) and then the product is made, sold, and totally ignored by all regulatory bodies who trust the manufacturer to do the right thing. In all walks of life we have seen that this doesn't work. The "market" is incapable of self regulation and yes people have and will continue to die from these failures until governments start to protect their citizens and stamp down on companies thinking they are above the law. There are zero consequences for the people at the top (board directors/owners) when things go wrong which is immoral.
Been going on for thirty plus years,not jus air bags and crumple zones. The cars going for crash testing had extra reinforcing installed in the doors for T bone test etc then production cars would be without the reinforcing, all the doors would fly open or stove in. Toyota own Daihatsu. From what I have read the lower grade cars were shipped to third world countries so it may be the UK and European cars meet the test specs.
Very interesting video as I live quite close to a Daihatsu dealership. They don’t sell new cars but they do sell used vehicles and also do mots and servicing. They are attached to the Great Wall brand and they also service Aixam vehicles. I wonder how this will affect them. 🤔
Trouble is any older car is going to be at a disadvantage compared to modern cars I went under an SUV last year in a 1994 Toyota Corolla no airbags nothing folded like a tin can and the worst thing is if it have had abs it probably wouldn't have happened but hindsight is a wonderful thing
IIRC one of the worst cars that NCAP crash tested in terms of safety was the Rover 100 nee Metro, though it was basically a 20+ year old design being a) compared against much newer designs and b) being put into a test it wasnt designed to pass
The first time I heard about this scandal was NOW! Afterwards I read an online article about it in German (car magazine: auto, motor und sport). That's all quite disappointing. I always thought that in Japan they have higher professional ethics than the in rest of the world. That's a shame. It is time and output pressure that lead to frauds like this; just like the Diesel affaire at Volkswagen. OK, but my Citroën C1, which is in fact a Toyota Aygo, is not affected. When I put off the plastic door cards (some repair on the central locking toy), I had a look on the »side impact protection«. These skinny metal bars are a joke, not a protection of anything at all. Thanks Carly and Ian for this information. This was very helpful. See you pretty soon (I'm watching the next video now) --- Martin
Has any detailed issues been published ? She might be fully safe as intended 🤞, if Chemmy has 4 airbags she has to be safer than something with less or none even if they dont work fully as intended ? If Chemmy is compromised , only way to be sure of Miss and Little Miss Hubnut being safe is, 😱 buy something a bit newer? (whats the iQs safety rating for instance, guessing kei cars don't have ncap testing).
It's all very well making scandals out of these things but in reality it's a bit irrelevant. You Daihatsu for example is nearly 20 years old and the air bag hasn't been used, and I doubt very much that any used car is bought on the basis of its "safety" record. I would be more concerned about rusty panels crumpling than an airbag that's caused no issues in its whole lifetime.. It does seem that the compensation culture is chasing new targets everyday!
If we are not surprised then what does it say about our view of our fellow citizens? I don't screw people over and I don't know anyone personally who would. So why should I not expect big businesses to be ' normal' and ' nice'? What is it that happens to people that when they start get successful that they lose their moral code?
@@plym1969 You might be surprised, but corporations' main goal is to make profit. Not to keep people safe or happy. Things get even worse when hedge funds, venture capitalists and shareholders are involved, who demand not just a respectable dividend for their investments, but also a yearly *increase* in bonuses and dividends. Money addiction is a real thing. Even when millionaires and billionaires literally have all the luxuries a man can imagine, they need more and more and more, regardless of the human cost. And if they bought everything they could buy, they'll attempt to gain power over other things than their own companies.
Daihatsus were never sold in Canada so we're unaffected, but my understanding is that the issue is far greater than just using different airbags. If we're to believe John Cadogan's YT channel, they also used different doors of their production cars than on those submitted for side-impact testing. It sounds like Miss HubNut's safety isn't jeopardized only from frontal impacts, it's jeopardized in any impact, including those from which the car was certified to protect her. How many people's lives have been ruined because for 30 years this manufacturer chose to cheat ?
I'm all for safety being paramount but I am of an age when things were different. Can anyone out there remember family transport being a motorcycle and sidecar ? So many people sit on top of the steering wheel because they are short. Perhaps an automatic or a clutch pedal adaptation as my wife has.
Metal dashboards with solid metal switches, no seat belts, crossply tyres, iffy brakes. To me a reliable car is far more important than a raft of safety features.
You still have four airbags of some sort in the Daihatsu, which is better than anything else on the fleet. I remember seeing a headline in The Economist (IIRC) twenty years ago suggesting that Daihatsu was destroying value for Toyota--didn't read the article, but it has to be in a perilous state. Obviously what Toyota has to do is to sack the entire management, with a publicity that will come hard to a Japanese company. Maybe incorporate the company closely into the mother ship? And maybe speed up the way they're directing the brand to specific markets. Here in NZ we do see Daihatsus, but only because of the JDM used imports. I wonder what the value of Daihatsu is to Toyota? I recently had the brief use of a (relatively) modern Daihatsu which is also sold as a Toyota. The interior design looked like it was done by someone on job experience--definitely look-at-me styling, not so good on practicality. A bit of a sense of the Toyota second team. But the little car is not in itself affected--though maybe an airbag check is in order, at some point?
I have herd about his on another channel. I seem to remember it wasn't just air bags. I assume the cars are presented for test from the manufacturers. Maybe it's time to pick cars at random from dealers?
Also it is a shame as i remember one of the first Hubnut road tests ever the Daihatsu Sirion that was a great car 1998 model if i remember right but it went like a rally car even with small bhp lol POWER LESS=MORE
Has it been proven that the airbags fitted are statistically likely to have led to more deaths and injuries? Maybe difficult to know but if death and injuries figures were higher than normal for the class of cars I would have thought accident investigators would have been on the case long ago. No I don't condone sharp practices by manufacturers of any product but we know that pretty well everything tends to be shoddier built over its lifetime. They don't build them like they used to as they say, even if some will answer by saying Thank God for that. The car is a guided missile but the guidance system can range from good to totally unfit for purpose.
Much ado about nothing. The most important safety item on any car is the nut behind the wheel. If that's in good order and working as it should, no worries. In my 54 years on the road I've noticed that no "safety" device will save you from your own stupidity or inaction in time of crisis....
@@hubnotes P2 (the original) is actually narrower than a lot of modern cars. Baby sister had on, lives in Pembs. I'm in a modern XC60 whihc is less fun on tiny roads.
Ian, if you're worried about hubnut jr driving, there is only one course of action: when you go out driving with her to practice what she's learned with the instructor, be RUTHLESS when it comes to correcting her technique and faults. If you do this, it will become second nature to do it correctly........that said, there's nothing you can do about the other road users, so teaching her to look and think ahead as the only way to drive will give her the best, if not only, chance to stay safe. I am by no means the best driver out there and due to ADHD I have no choice but to drive rigidly by the rules to survive. Yes, this does indeed cause frustration and delay sometimes to those behind me but they ain't in charge of my well being......I AM.
I am sure it would only account for a very small difference in the actual safety of the vehicle. Hopefully this wont lead to a whole !ot of greedy legal claims when most car buyers never study crash reports at all
Are they takata air bags loads of them got recalled my smax had to have one replaced i think takata recall was one of the biggest in history. It doesnt surprise me this goes on look at dieselgate. My mate is a fireman and hes been to accidents were older cars at 30 and there has been death and modern cars at 70 and people walked out without a scratch. Its sad to think this has been faked when its lives on the line.
I remember that plane crash test. They could only use a 727 as it had to be human piloted for the start and it was only the 727 that had a safe exit for them to skydive out of at the rear
@@junior602002 sorry but that wasn't the one I was thinking of. There was a later experiment which was a bit more successful - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Boeing_727_crash_experiment
I did know about it (On the Charade GTti Faceache group) and whilst it isn't what you expect to hear I also haven't heard that whilst they used different parts for different tests it doesn't mean that what they used was unsafe, just different, or have I missed something?? To be honest I was surprised a this, Daihatsu has had a very good name though nowadays it's just a Toyota in drag where it may well disappear in obscurity but on the other hand does anyone know how Daihatsu is regarded in Japan/ The Far East? Their speciality of Kei cars is not something to throw out just like that.... Tricky one to see how it'll pan out I think, I'm on my 2nd Charade (both GTti's) and their quality matches any other Japanese manufacturer of the time, the cheap end of the market but their ace trump of their engines were something special
I'm glad to hear that you 2 are aware of the RELATIVE safety of cars. A LOT of classic car owner/drivers are not aware of the limited safety of their classic car: no ABS, no airbags, no laminated glass, no proper crumple zones, no seat belts in the back, no head restraints, no side impact protection... etc, etc. That said, motorcycles are even WORSE! (Statistics says that you are 11X(!) more likely to die in an accident if you ride a motorcycle instead of a car.) In short, safety is all relative. IMO the main thing is the collective behavior of drivers/roadusers. If we ALL have a safety contious attitude while driving then that will enhance safety tremendously. Riskfree is impossible. About Diahatsu? I wouldn't worry about it and happily drive 1. Btw i used to own a (UK built) Toyota Auris1 that had a Takata airbag. I got a recall (based on VIN) and had it replaced for free. I just did it for the resale value of the car (all recalls fixed). Great car btw.
It all changes when it's your kids driving the car. Wouldnt you want them to be safe in a new car? New drivers hqve a habit of getting into accidents dont they? Accident avoidance is a nice idea but the roads are full of dangerous drivers who can injur innocent road users or worse. Would you not want to minimise risk to your loved ones? Whilst i class myself as a car lover i cant ignore facts.
So you gladly trust you life to 15-20 years old airbags? If so deeply concerned about safety, you actually shouldn't drive in older cars at all. Fact is they are all "death traps" compaired to what's manufactured today. I say this as an old cars guy ..... The biggest safty feature in any vehicle is probably the driver. The ability to read the traffic and avoid close calls or accidents. Crumple zones and airbags are an last resort hoping to minimize the damage on people inside the car, when everything else fails.
Was not this a thing with Toyota a couple of decades ago - where by the airbags used in the US were substandard to those used in the rest of the world?
Very dangerous but all love cars and safety. Safety is paramount obviously. Why aren't crash test for every model of car obligatory by law as I thought it was. We all want cheap cars. This also mean in my mind every car company cuts corners. Look a gm with their ev batteries from china that catch fire. I sees a trend buyer wants cheap manufactuares want to keep making same profit margin. So corners have to be cut some where. Workes demand more money. So on so on. Solutions don't come to mind. Worries certainly aspacily for the customer who bougjt the cars. Drive safe and a good and healthy 2024. If I am out of line Hubnotes please feel free to remove comment.
I’m a Forensic Collision Investigator with Lincs Police, my colleagues and I deal with fatal collisions on a daily basis and I can say people die in even the ‘safest’ cars unfortunately. No car is completely safe and you take a risk every time you drive on a public road, two cars coming together at a combined speed in excess of 120mph is never going to end well! In the case of solid objects at the side of the road such as trees…well they always win regardless of the car you’re driving. It’s all about driving as safely as you can and hope the people coming the other way are taking driving as seriously as they should; unfortunately we all know that is not always the case. Take care out there!! 😃
This is probably the best advice when it comes to "what's the safest car", as you say it's the car you keep well maintained and drive as safely as possible while hoping everyone else is trying to do the same. If everyone did this then there might be the odd shunt but most serious accidents would be eliminated.
Far more emphasis should be placed on the standard of the driver than the so called safety of the car, they are lethal weapons, it is harder to get a gun licence, a driving licence should be as difficult. The driving test should encompass Motorway driving and winter driving even if has to be conducted over a few months and locations, with reviews after 12 and 24 months. The days of learning to drive at age 12 on a little grey Fergie on a farm and an agriculture tractor licence at 15 are long gone.
The moral of this story is, take care of your brakes, take care of your tyres, keep your glass clean, and slow the f**k down.
@@tonys1636In days gone by, I'd have abaolutely said that drivers are always the problem, but modern cars with their so-called "safety" technology are very capable of crashing on their own, and in some cases they're even capable of causing crashes that may never have happened if the "safety" tech simply wasn't there. (There are plenty of videos out there of Teslas crashing all by themselves, and even my own Volvo V40 nearly caused an Audi to rear end me when the Volvo slammed on my brakes for absolutely no reason whatsoever - I now have to turn the auto braking feature off every time I start the car to prevent it from causing an unnecessary crash).
Despite the problems caused by these dangerous collision creation systems that take control away from the driver entirely, drivers are indeed still a problem. Whether it's bad habits like tailgating, or distractions (mobile phones, touchscreens, misbehaving passengers, and so on), or just a complete lack of driving skill, there are a lot of people on the roads who quite frankly shouldn't be behind the wheel.
If two cars meet head on at 60mph the deceleration from 60 to zero is the same as hitting a solid stationary object therefore the forces acting on the passengers is the same as 60mph not 120mph. Just plain old newtonian physics.
The biggest safety aid in a car is the skill of the driver
And the other driver(s), if it's a multi-vehicle accident.
The second best safety feature is one that new cars ALL fail at dismally: Visibility. The sightlines out of cars built in the last 20 years are horrible. Way back when, Volvo used the tag line "The best collusion is the one you do not have!" The 140/240 was designed to allow incredible visibility. I recently had to retire my 1990 Volvo 240 estate. I replaced it with a 2004 Toyota Carolla. The difference is visibility out is disconcerting to say the least.
Most dangerous part of a vehicle is the nut behind the steering wheel
I remember the days when Airbags were to be replaced at 10 years old as part of a servicable item. I know for a fact that the airbag in my Mark 5 Escort has never been changed, so i go with the assumption that its most likely not going to deploy as its nearly 30 years Old! The greatest safety feature in a car is the driver. A great and informative Vlog Ian and Carly.
I remember when I had my Daihatsu Domino back in the 80's, no airbags, probably no safety features. I did over a thousand miles in three weeks with my American pen friend who must have been already frightened in such a small car and sitting on her wrong side of the car. It, and she, survived. Back in the day we did not think about safety so much and I think most people drove better than today. Today people rely too much on the 'safety' features and not on their driving 'ability', drive too fast and rely on the brakes for instance, many other bad driving instances, too many to mention. I understand the worries about children but would worry more about other road users doing stupid things putting you in danger, like the van that pulled out on you. Airbags are a good idea as are side impact bars etc. but nothing can protect you fully from other road users doing stupid things. Don't get me started on mobile phones, touch screens etc. in modern cars, all distractions from actually 'driving' the car. Sorry for the rant. Nice to see Bella back on the road.
Which is why I love motorcycling! It forces you to focus on the drive and that's one of the things that makes driving more enjoyable. People are rushing about trying to get somewhere, but they don't enjoy the journey.
'Tis true sadly. While the UK driving test has become in some ways more difficult to pass, sadly many drivers these days seem to regard it as an obstacle to be overcome before getting out on the road and largely ignoring everything it was supposed to teach and reinforce. The standards of driving have noticeably decreased as Robin says, with people relying on the safety features to avoid injury or death. I get tailgated so often these days that I now regard it as everyday, and don't get me started on roundabout behaviour.......
I remember my first car, a 1967 mini, talk about basic, i has sliding windows none of those fancy winding handles, door handles pah nope you got a string you pulled to open the door, radio cassette no chance you want music start singing. This car seriously had nothing in the way of extras or distractions and yet it was one of the most fun cars to drive i have ever had.
One thing for us Brits to remember is that our European market cars had a different set of tests and regulations to the cars sold in the JDM, or the ASEAN.
Is there anyone anywhere in any major industry that doesn't think ' how can I make the most profit' without then going down the route of how can I lie and scheme and screw people over?
It is a source of worry. Look at the smoking industry or the fizzy drinks industry...
Not Honda, they put in airbags that where too powerful.
I got endless invites to have feeble and hence inferior airbags fitted to my jazz.
@@groeacht8525much better to get your face caved in by the wrong airbag than protected by the right one.
Human nature, I'm afraid. Even outside the world of commerce and industry, there's a minority of folk who'll do anything to cut a corner, lie or cheat to get what they want. Then there's the rest of us trusting folk who take things at face value. But if most of us did not do so, society would break down.
The surprise with Daihatsu is that this went on so long without a whistle-blower or outsider who stumbled on it bringing it to light.
It's almost like it's the result of people voting for practically unlimited capitalism... A mostly free market is good, but there is a thing as too much freedom for corporations.
It's an interesting side note that Daihatsu was the first Japanese brand to be officially sold in the UK.
Also, the reason for the strangely high number of Daihatsus around Chard, is that Central Motors (which still exists) was a Daihatsu main dealer until 2013, when Daihatsu pulled out of the UK market.
Unfortunately, they don't have any marketing memorabilia etc. from that time; I did ask.
I bet this opens a whole can of worms, makes you wonder if other manufacturers have been doing the same tricks and for how long,can we have any trust in these crash test ratings?
I'm a HUGE fan of the first few generations of Charade, especially the G11, but if their trashy behavior - risking the lives of millions of people for their own gain - brings them down, i won't be crying over that. Why would any sane person argue anything but "they get what's coming to them"? ..if, on the other hand, they've done so by orders from the mother company, it's another matter entirely. ..but i don't know which it is. Only thing that is somewhat known as of now: Daihatsus seem to be a huge pita, especially because of rust issues and in some cases bad engines, and now they may perhaps be dangerous too.... I'm happy i'm not trying to sell a Daihatsu right now... Of topic: GREAT to see Bella back on the road :)
Nice to see Bella back on the road aswell, would love to own one not many over here down under
A misconception about safety in cars, all safety accessories may give you the feeling that you are driving a safe car. It is still you and your fellow drivers of other cars who create safe or unsafe situations. All the distractions caused by mobile phones, radios and conversations with fellow passengers all distract your focus from driving.
Thing is, whatever car you drive, it should be driven accordingly. When I drive my Nova, I am always mindful that any accident would hurt a whole lot more than it would in a modern. Therefore, I adapt my driving to suit the car, slower, more braking distance, don't take chances. Common sense stuff.
I'm with you on loving Daihatsus, particularly the Charade. I had one exactly like yours, even down to the colour. It was one of the best cars I ever owned. When I immigrated to South America I looked to see if I could get another one but sadly they were never imported here. I hope they survive this scandal.
Daihatsu has been my brand of choice (I’m an Aussie) since the late 70’s. Many F20’s, F50’s and Rocky’s I’ve owned. My current daily is a 26 year old Rocky. I picked up a Terios Aero, and if I could find a Feroza at a reasonable price, I’d grab that. I think the Rocky is a Fourtrak in the UK. I’ve never been under any illusion as to their crash worthiness, but they are all tough, reliable transport (and fun)! I really hope Daihatsu can survive this. It was a sad day when they pulled out of Australia.
Having grown up in a non safety world I take little notice of all these features anyway.
My first year on bikes was non-helmet and boy did we curse at the extra expense of them.
I remember Mitsubishi had a brake issue that they hid for 20 years. I learned in and drove cars that didn't have airbags. Didn't worry then, and I don't worry now.
Interesting discussion
There is no such thing as absolute safety on the road.
This is why the 20 mph limit is just a foolish idea.
In many ways modern cars are too safe, the safest car is one you don’t crash, and the best way to do that is to concentrate on driving by not playing with phones.
When it comes to car choice safely is one aspect but there are far more important ones
Carly: I do hope you have better like on your next test. Once you are over that hurdle you’ll do well.
Same sort of thing happened at Honda with the use of a dangerous airbag (which you mention whilst I was writing this) This being in a bump fragments in the airbag punctured the airbag when deployed. Our current 2003 CRV was one of those impacted but my luck is the fact the previous owner had a letter for the recall and had the work done. Then we had a recall in our ownership for the drivers side door switch as it came to light that if water entered under the switch it could cause a fire.
I had 2 Protons. Did that make me Helium? But seriously, after seeing the Jumbuck crash test, I wasn't as happy driving it!
perhaps Daihatsu driver will now become the safest and most cautious drivers on the road
As someone who seriously considered buying a G-Wiz (pre-Lotus safety improvements model) it's one of those value judgements you make. The majority of safety tests until very recently were modelled on an 'average' male dummy so safety for anyone not of standard size is unclear. As someone who has reached half a century old without being involved in a serious collision I just hope my luck holds out!
What I think is a failure of testing using test dummies is the fact that dummies don't react, whereas humans do. When an impact is imminent, regardless of who you are, you tense up in anticipation of the impact. Dummies don't do that, so this won't reflect the outcome of this reaction on injuries sustained.
VW did a similar thing when they cheated their emissions tests and it took them a long time to recover but they were too big to fail , also I used to own a Suzuki Wagon R years back i swear that thing would not be safe in any crash , it was great fun to drive but made like a tin can.
Nissan have done a recall and airbag replacement on several older models
Always a pleasure to see you two again. Interesting seatbelt colour. 😊👍
Alot of Citroen vehicles had different coloured belts.
Great to see you both talking about this. Safety, sadly, does have a price in all markets. Ford were at it with the Pinto. They did a cost benefit analysks where they compared the cost of making the Pinto safer, vs the cost of lawsuits from injuries and death from accidents.. Then yoi consider the markets where some of these cars are destined for, and the appetite for honest safety goes further down.
That story with the Pinto was a misrepresentation of events. The fact that it's still around despite the number of times it's been disproven shows how spectacularly successful lawyers were at poisoning the well.
My 26 year old Starlet had a recall for a new airbag 2 years ago, the old airbag could shoot out shrapnel, so pleased it was replaced.
I had no idea about this, a shame indeed. Hopefully Daihatsu carries on and they or Toyota can sort this out. Toyota (I think Honda too) had airbag issues a few years ago...
FWIW there are Midgets already in the UK - I remember seeing a green one at a dealer near Nottingham many years ago and The Car Warehouse often has really wacky JDM cars like that in stock. Indonesia is a good country for Daihatsus - locally manufactured. One of my favourite crash test fake stories is Chinese manufacturer Chery who made wholly unauthorised copies of the Matiz (QQ - like Myrtle) but actually used genuine Matiz parts to get through the crash tests.
and that is why the NTSB, in the US, does independent testing, and that oddly starts abut the same time that Daihatsu exited the US market...
The Takata airbag mess is an embarrassment, period. All cars are effected, not just Daihatsu... here is a better plan, don't have an accident.
As someone said below, the greatest safety factor on the road is the skill, to I would add the attention, of the driver. The latter in particular gets worse as more and more technology is built into cars. Jeremey Clarkson's spike on the steering wheel idea was a comic extrapolation of a sound principal. If you don't have any sense of danger you will act accordingly.
Notwithstanding the crash results fakery, a small car by definition isn't going to fare terribly well, relatively speaking, from a crash safety standpoint. The laws of physics are immutable.
I feel like people are way more concerned about the passive safety features of cars these days, and will freak out if a car doesn't score a million stars in a crash test, but don't give a crap about actually driving safely, and will happily drive around with phones in front of their faces. Yes, safety and crash protection features are obviously important, and it would be foolish to say otherwise, but driving safely and actually preventing a crash in the first place is a lot better. As they say, the weakest part of any car is the nut behind the steering wheel.
This is why everyone should own an Ford AU (or at least EL)!
What you need to remember is that Chemmy is a bionic Charade. She's had the Whiteland treatment so she'll probably be more solid than the average one!
Im mindful when i drive the Mini that my knees are the crumple zone. It does encourage planning ahead.
I wouldn't bank too much on the airbags in an 18-year-old car, no matter how good they might have been when new. Things can stop working, or don't work as well as expected - and something that just sits there waiting for (literally) the whole life of the car might be vulnerable to that. Not Daihatsu-related, just age-related: I crashed a 13-year-old Renault Clio into the back of a van a few years ago, probably about 25-30mph impact and the seatbelt did a great job but the airbags never activated.
As others have said, the best safety device is the skill of the driver, but even skill sometimes get trumped by sheer bad luck. Stay lucky!
That is really shocking. Several car makers have hoodwinked customers.
There might be a good business case for Daihatsu to be absorbed entirely by Toyota.
I had to take my 2003 Nissan Almera to the main dealer in order to get the Takata airbags replaced. That recall bankrupted them.
I'd hope the brand can survive. Toyota doesn't really have a presence in the Kei car market.
Im amazed there are any left. In the Scottish Borders i hardly see any. Though I do see a rounder mini 4x4 Dihatsu like your car but a new er version.
An unsafecsr makes one driver hyper aware. I drove a 1.1 205 for years they were poor then. I still have it. I just accept.
I dont think Dihatsu will pull through. Parts have always been a pig. Mistubushi are getting like that.
Join the club...my SD3 hasn't got any airbags are safety features
My daughter did most of her driving practice then took her test in a 97 RAV4, which only has a driver's airbag - but lots of visibility. Best to learn to drive with your own safety in mind than isolated from the risks in a modern car.
My wife crashed a T reg Nissan Micra - hit I pole at a bus stop and set the (one) airbag off - she had a dry cough for a few days, but I guess that's better than concussion! Accidents happen, you can't protect your kids (or your wife!) against everything ...
Mk1 rav like a tank on the front at least…..i saw one hit the back of an audi….the audi was trashed the rav4 drove away albeit not looking good
Car safety is always a compromise, Mrs Hubnut points out a problem most women face being close to the airbag when it deploys it causes more problems than solves
When you drive an order car your aware it's not as safe, but I do recall Renault Zoe was accused of compromising safety a few years ago with a poorer ncap rating, it doesn't seem to have caused any issues.
With regards to safety - since I have much better visibility in the BX (which I daily) than modern cars do, I tend to think of accident avoidance more than getting into one.
For example, I mostly drive on intercity two lane roads. So I have it all planned out. If I was ever in a situation of someone heading towards me, I will turn off the road while braking. Our roads are usually raised with banks which end in a canal (usually empty). I'd rather roll over in a ditch (where I know the BX will do a sufficient job of protecting me) than hit a modern car head on.
There's always a chance of a collision you can't avoid but you're right. Collision avoidance is an important part of safety.
@@hubnotes Of course, it is a fact I'm acutely aware of. However, I try to minimize my chances of being in one at higher speeds. In the city it's not such a huge concern. Still, in the case of a crash, a modern car with airbags is much safer than the BX.
My Daihatsu grand move has waaay better visibility than any other car I’ve driven
@@Sid3300 Visibility is a big reason why I prefer older cars. The E90 I'm temporarily driving has okay visibility, but quite sizeable blind spots. I have had several situations where pedestrians, cyclists or even other cars were hiding behind the pillars in this thing. It's not the most pleasant experience. Yeah, okay, the airbags will save me in a crash, but the BX will make sure I don't get in said crash in the first place.
@@jugostran I daily a Saab 9-3 which in fairness for a modern-ish car is relatively ok in terms if visibility. But most older cars will trump it any-day.
You have a better chance of surviving a bump up in Europe as the majority of cars are small and light , But trucks and buses are still big and heavy in comparison , it boggles the mind they have allowed the size difference to be great and when they meet has been ignored for so many decades. That even the small cars aren’t built with much crash protection all in the name of economy.
Your Ford by size is a tank compared to the rest in your fleet
Nice to see you both back in Berlingo.
Also, a lot of older cars from the mid 90s to the 2010s are driving around with airbags that may have expired, so to speak or have developed defects. A lot of these cars are entering classic car status, so safety is only as good for that time, and the drivers' reactions and common sense.
A fair point. Though my old Starlet got involved in a smash and I'm pleased to say the airbag did its job.
@@hubnotesI didn't know your old Starlet was in a crash, I hope nobody was hurt
Daihatsu went from Sirion to serious.
I dont pay any attention to crash stats, if your gonna go yer gonna go, Yeah of course do everything in life as safely as possible but you cant completely take away the risk, the biggest risk is your actions and the actions of others, Around my area this week is solid with ice and not all roads are gritted, unyet you get the type of people driving around like its a dry sunny summers day
Ian, interesting you talked about Australia crushing the cars with the Tacota airbags. There was a very good reason. Thete was no replacement airbag that could be fitted thst did not suffer the same issues. People in North America were getting airbags replaced with units that were identical to what was removed. Insanity.
Miss Hubnut, I don't know the laws there, but here in Canada airbags may be disconnected for people who must sit too close to the wheel for safety. I have an issue eith my aorta so the airbag in my 2004 Toyota Carolla will be disconnected for safety. I miss my ancient Volvo 240. That was a safe car, as well as being easy to drive safely. Too bad rot got too far, but after 400,000 miles and 33 of our winters, it happens.
This shows the massive disconnect from conformance testing to production and product life cycle. Basically any testing is done in an environment to satisfy the laws of a country(countries) and then the product is made, sold, and totally ignored by all regulatory bodies who trust the manufacturer to do the right thing. In all walks of life we have seen that this doesn't work. The "market" is incapable of self regulation and yes people have and will continue to die from these failures until governments start to protect their citizens and stamp down on companies thinking they are above the law. There are zero consequences for the people at the top (board directors/owners) when things go wrong which is immoral.
Betty would probably be the most crash survivable car on the fleet
Now we know why they call them Charades. ; ) I'm sure Daihatsu and VW are not the only car manufacturers to do dodgy things.
Crikey! ‘Unsafe at any speed’ returns 60 years on!
Been going on for thirty plus years,not jus air bags and crumple zones. The cars going for crash testing had extra reinforcing installed in the doors for T bone test etc then production cars would be without the reinforcing, all the doors would fly open or stove in. Toyota own Daihatsu. From what I have read the lower grade cars were shipped to third world countries so it may be the UK and European cars meet the test specs.
Absolutely brilliant video Ian miss hubnut ❤👍treated to 2 videos today absolutely brilliant
Very interesting video as I live quite close to a Daihatsu dealership. They don’t sell new cars but they do sell used vehicles and also do mots and servicing. They are attached to the Great Wall brand and they also service Aixam vehicles. I wonder how this will affect them. 🤔
Where is that? I would be interested in visiting that garage.
Trouble is any older car is going to be at a disadvantage compared to modern cars I went under an SUV last year in a 1994 Toyota Corolla no airbags nothing folded like a tin can and the worst thing is if it have had abs it probably wouldn't have happened but hindsight is a wonderful thing
Some insiders say this is a deliberate ploy by Toyota to stop making small affordable cars, as there is little profit in them!
Can certainly see that. Car development costs certainly aren't getting cheaper.
IIRC one of the worst cars that NCAP crash tested in terms of safety was the Rover 100 nee Metro, though it was basically a 20+ year old design being a) compared against much newer designs and b) being put into a test it wasnt designed to pass
The first time I heard about this scandal was NOW! Afterwards I read an online article about it in German (car magazine: auto, motor und sport). That's all quite disappointing. I always thought that in Japan they have higher professional ethics than the in rest of the world. That's a shame. It is time and output pressure that lead to frauds like this; just like the Diesel affaire at Volkswagen. OK, but my Citroën C1, which is in fact a Toyota Aygo, is not affected. When I put off the plastic door cards (some repair on the central locking toy), I had a look on the »side impact protection«. These skinny metal bars are a joke, not a protection of anything at all. Thanks Carly and Ian for this information. This was very helpful. See you pretty soon (I'm watching the next video now) --- Martin
Has any detailed issues been published ? She might be fully safe as intended 🤞, if Chemmy has 4 airbags she has to be safer than something with less or none even if they dont work fully as intended ? If Chemmy is compromised , only way to be sure of Miss and Little Miss Hubnut being safe is, 😱 buy something a bit newer? (whats the iQs safety rating for instance, guessing kei cars don't have ncap testing).
Nice to see Bella working again
Even my Ford Mondeo mk4 has had a Takata airbag recall, which reminds me I really need to book that in 😑
It's all very well making scandals out of these things but in reality it's a bit irrelevant. You Daihatsu for example is nearly 20 years old and the air bag hasn't been used, and I doubt very much that any used car is bought on the basis of its "safety" record. I would be more concerned about rusty panels crumpling than an airbag that's caused no issues in its whole lifetime.. It does seem that the compensation culture is chasing new targets everyday!
great seatbelt colour!
Scary, stay safe
Why surprised ? All the manufacturers have been doing it ro a degree.
I suspect this is true. It only ever becomes mainstream news when it's Toyota though... (Parent company)
If we are not surprised then what does it say about our view of our fellow citizens?
I don't screw people over and I don't know anyone personally who would. So why should I not expect big businesses to be ' normal' and ' nice'?
What is it that happens to people that when they start get successful that they lose their moral code?
@@plym1969 You might be surprised, but corporations' main goal is to make profit. Not to keep people safe or happy. Things get even worse when hedge funds, venture capitalists and shareholders are involved, who demand not just a respectable dividend for their investments, but also a yearly *increase* in bonuses and dividends.
Money addiction is a real thing. Even when millionaires and billionaires literally have all the luxuries a man can imagine, they need more and more and more, regardless of the human cost. And if they bought everything they could buy, they'll attempt to gain power over other things than their own companies.
Daihatsus were never sold in Canada so we're unaffected, but my understanding is that the issue is far greater than just using different airbags. If we're to believe John Cadogan's YT channel, they also used different doors of their production cars than on those submitted for side-impact testing. It sounds like Miss HubNut's safety isn't jeopardized only from frontal impacts, it's jeopardized in any impact, including those from which the car was certified to protect her. How many people's lives have been ruined because for 30 years this manufacturer chose to cheat ?
Oh dear, what a charade! (Sorry, I had to say it ;-) )
The 2CV6 not save? It's the savest car in the world! In a big crash it will fall apart! 🙃
I'm all for safety being paramount but I am of an age when things were different. Can anyone out there remember family transport being a motorcycle and sidecar ? So many people sit on top of the steering wheel because they are short. Perhaps an automatic or a clutch pedal adaptation as my wife has.
Metal dashboards with solid metal switches, no seat belts, crossply tyres, iffy brakes.
To me a reliable car is far more important than a raft of safety features.
You still have four airbags of some sort in the Daihatsu, which is better than anything else on the fleet.
I remember seeing a headline in The Economist (IIRC) twenty years ago suggesting that Daihatsu was destroying value for Toyota--didn't read the article, but it has to be in a perilous state. Obviously what Toyota has to do is to sack the entire management, with a publicity that will come hard to a Japanese company. Maybe incorporate the company closely into the mother ship? And maybe speed up the way they're directing the brand to specific markets. Here in NZ we do see Daihatsus, but only because of the JDM used imports.
I wonder what the value of Daihatsu is to Toyota? I recently had the brief use of a (relatively) modern Daihatsu which is also sold as a Toyota. The interior design looked like it was done by someone on job experience--definitely look-at-me styling, not so good on practicality. A bit of a sense of the Toyota second team.
But the little car is not in itself affected--though maybe an airbag check is in order, at some point?
I remember having the airbag recall on my 1999 celica. I've checked for recalls on my starlet. There's none outstanding
Miss Hubnet had her eye on the speedo at the begining 😁😁😆
another great video has always Ian and miss hubnut and hublets and hubmutts 👍
I think the issue is not so much with the actual safety of the cars but with the fact that Daihatsu (allegedly) have been telling porkies ?
I have herd about his on another channel. I seem to remember it wasn't just air bags. I assume the cars are presented for test from the manufacturers. Maybe it's time to pick cars at random from dealers?
Also it is a shame as i remember one of the first Hubnut road tests ever the Daihatsu Sirion that was a great car 1998 model if i remember right but it went like a rally car even with small bhp lol POWER LESS=MORE
Has it been proven that the airbags fitted are statistically likely to have led to more deaths and injuries? Maybe difficult to know but if death and injuries figures were higher than normal for the class of cars I would have thought accident investigators would have been on the case long ago. No I don't condone sharp practices by manufacturers of any product but we know that pretty well everything tends to be shoddier built over its lifetime. They don't build them like they used to as they say, even if some will answer by saying Thank God for that.
The car is a guided missile but the guidance system can range from good to totally unfit for purpose.
Much ado about nothing. The most important safety item on any car is the nut behind the wheel. If that's in good order and working as it should, no worries. In my 54 years on the road I've noticed that no "safety" device will save you from your own stupidity or inaction in time of crisis....
That’s true on an empty road with no other drivers. But in reality the “nut behind the wheel “ may be in another car coming in your direction.
I really don't agree with cancel culture, but I'm a big fan of Kancil culture!
Lets be honest, the safety rating doesn't mean a thing if you get hit by a Volvo 😂
My HiJet I'm pretty sure I'd be toast whatever happened
That's why I bought a V60 2020.
Get a Volvo XC90? Nobody’s ever died in one.
Can't imagine it'd be much fun on tiny Welsh roads...
@@hubnotes P2 (the original) is actually narrower than a lot of modern cars. Baby sister had on, lives in Pembs. I'm in a modern XC60 whihc is less fun on tiny roads.
Ian, if you're worried about hubnut jr driving, there is only one course of action: when you go out driving with her to practice what she's learned with the instructor, be RUTHLESS when it comes to correcting her technique and faults. If you do this, it will become second nature to do it correctly........that said, there's nothing you can do about the other road users, so teaching her to look and think ahead as the only way to drive will give her the best, if not only, chance to stay safe. I am by no means the best driver out there and due to ADHD I have no choice but to drive rigidly by the rules to survive. Yes, this does indeed cause frustration and delay sometimes to those behind me but they ain't in charge of my well being......I AM.
Is anything truly safe regardless? Accidents mostly due to driver ambition outweighing talent.
I am sure it would only account for a very small difference in the actual safety of the vehicle.
Hopefully this wont lead to a whole !ot of greedy legal claims when most car buyers never study crash reports at all
Given companies are trying to sue over emissions, which has no bearing on the end user, it's only a matter of time...
Are they takata air bags loads of them got recalled my smax had to have one replaced i think takata recall was one of the biggest in history. It doesnt surprise me this goes on look at dieselgate. My mate is a fireman and hes been to accidents were older cars at 30 and there has been death and modern cars at 70 and people walked out without a scratch. Its sad to think this has been faked when its lives on the line.
AY UP MR AND MRS HUBNUT
Just Like VW woooh hooo.
I remember that plane crash test. They could only use a 727 as it had to be human piloted for the start and it was only the 727 that had a safe exit for them to skydive out of at the rear
Sorry but it was a Boeng 720. the 727 was a later model.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_Impact_Demonstration
@@junior602002 sorry but that wasn't the one I was thinking of. There was a later experiment which was a bit more successful - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Boeing_727_crash_experiment
@@andyt2510 I have not heard of this. Thanks for the info. I stand corrected!!
I did know about it (On the Charade GTti Faceache group) and whilst it isn't what you expect to hear I also haven't heard that whilst they used different parts for different tests it doesn't mean that what they used was unsafe, just different, or have I missed something??
To be honest I was surprised a this, Daihatsu has had a very good name though nowadays it's just a Toyota in drag where it may well disappear in obscurity but on the other hand does anyone know how Daihatsu is regarded in Japan/ The Far East? Their speciality of Kei cars is not something to throw out just like that....
Tricky one to see how it'll pan out I think, I'm on my 2nd Charade (both GTti's) and their quality matches any other Japanese manufacturer of the time, the cheap end of the market but their ace trump of their engines were something special
I'm glad to hear that you 2 are aware of the RELATIVE safety of cars. A LOT of classic car owner/drivers are not aware of the limited safety of their classic car: no ABS, no airbags, no laminated glass, no proper crumple zones, no seat belts in the back, no head restraints, no side impact protection... etc, etc.
That said, motorcycles are even WORSE! (Statistics says that you are 11X(!) more likely to die in an accident if you ride a motorcycle instead of a car.)
In short, safety is all relative. IMO the main thing is the collective behavior of drivers/roadusers. If we ALL have a safety contious attitude while driving then that will enhance safety tremendously.
Riskfree is impossible.
About Diahatsu? I wouldn't worry about it and happily drive 1.
Btw i used to own a (UK built) Toyota Auris1 that had a Takata airbag. I got a recall (based on VIN) and had it replaced for free. I just did it for the resale value of the car (all recalls fixed).
Great car btw.
It all changes when it's your kids driving the car. Wouldnt you want them to be safe in a new car? New drivers hqve a habit of getting into accidents dont they? Accident avoidance is a nice idea but the roads are full of dangerous drivers who can injur innocent road users or worse. Would you not want to minimise risk to your loved ones? Whilst i class myself as a car lover i cant ignore facts.
So you gladly trust you life to 15-20 years old airbags? If so deeply concerned about safety, you actually shouldn't drive in older cars at all. Fact is they are all "death traps" compaired to what's manufactured today. I say this as an old cars guy .....
The biggest safty feature in any vehicle is probably the driver. The ability to read the traffic and avoid close calls or accidents. Crumple zones and airbags are an last resort hoping to minimize the damage on people inside the car, when everything else fails.
They won't come out of this if any of its true. Because there will be the possibility that people will have died as a result of this sadly.
Was not this a thing with Toyota a couple of decades ago - where by the airbags used in the US were substandard to those used in the rest of the world?
It was Takata airbags. Affected several manufacturers.
@@hubnotes - ah - thank you Ian, yes.
I stand corrected!
Meh, driving a mira in a world full of Ford 'Ragers' I'm dead anyway...
Drive safe and do not crash the car any make.
Very dangerous but all love cars and safety. Safety is paramount obviously. Why aren't crash test for every model of car obligatory by law as I thought it was. We all want cheap cars. This also mean in my mind every car company cuts corners. Look a gm with their ev batteries from china that catch fire. I sees a trend buyer wants cheap manufactuares want to keep making same profit margin. So corners have to be cut some where. Workes demand more money. So on so on. Solutions don't come to mind. Worries certainly aspacily for the customer who bougjt the cars. Drive safe and a good and healthy 2024. If I am out of line Hubnotes please feel free to remove comment.