[124canada]

Hi all,

Sorry if this thread is started in the wrong place, or if the topic was covered (I tried to search, but you don't offer much of an internal search engine on this board).

From what I've been able to see, the 124 Spider has not yet received crash test ratings from either NHTSA or IIHS.
If I'm wrong, can anyone point me to test results?
Is FIAT relying on Mazda results or will the car receive its own unique rating?
How does this reflect on insurance prices?

I love the car, and there's great info on this board. I'm considering one for my wife, but safety is a definite consideration.

Thanks in advance for any insights.

 

[TomM]

Every car has to be crash tested, the manufacturers are under no obligation to release the results.

The gist of it as far as I can gather is that all manufacturers run their own tests and submit them to the government. The government agencies can simply accept those results if they wish, or run their own if they want better/more data. Any tests the agencies run themselves get published, whatever the manufacturers do does not.

The NC Miata was never publicly crash tested, nor has the ND, so I'm not surprised there's no data for the Spider. It's a low-volume specialty car that doesn't merit a lot of additional scrutiny.

 

[RBH58]

Tom. The MX5 is "volume enough" to have warranted testing.

I've found some ratings for the ND Miata...

Australia/NZ...
http://howsafeisyourcar.com.au/2016/Mazda/MX-5/ND-Roadster-Convertible-2dr-SKYACTIV-MT-6sp-1_5i/

Euro NCAP...
http://www.euroncap.com/en/results/mazda/mx-5/21394

I can't imagine that the 124 would be worse. If anything, with the slightly longer nose, if may be slightly better.

In other words it's as safe as a small lightweight 2 seater roadster probably can be. It's only real "con" against a regular car is the inability to facilitate side-curtain airbags.

 

[TomM]

Good work! I've looked for crash ratings for the Miata several times and never found them. Thank you.

 

[TDPerry]

One thing I know... it's gonna be safer than the motorcycle it is replacing!

 

[LongBeachJim]

Here is a video of the ND in a crash test. Helps me to feel a bit safer.

 

[ItsyBitsy]

I usually wait for NCAP or IIHS for crash test ratings, but so far there's nothing on either sites. Maybe Euro NCAP will take a crack at it since they did it for the Mazda MX-5.

 

[PureAdrenaline]

Here is a video of the ND in a crash test. Helps me to feel a bit safer.

[/QUOTE

Thanks Jim....those test are actually pretty impressive...the occupant area of the car stays fairly clear of any obstruction and the air bags seen to do their job quite well...much better than I expected...

 

[ItsyBitsy]

Too bad they didn't show a roll over test. Do they perform those for convertibles at NCAP?

 

[Spracklcat]

Sadly I can add personal experience here. The car handles admirably in a crash. I was stopped in traffic and rear-ended by a Ford F150 going 30 mph or so. Hit me, I hit SUV in front of me, then hit the guard rail. He was going fast enough to hit two other cars, by the way.

The car itself is a disaster. The driver side rear quarter panel is ok, and literally every other body panel sustained irreparable damage. The headlights are somewhere in the engine, and the trunk is about 1/5 the size it was. All that said, and I walked out. Bad seatbelt bruising, pretty nice concussion, but nothing broken or bleeding, and just general whiplash kind of pain. The seat held me completely solidly and the passenger compartment was completely intact.

So, rest easy. You can take a pretty good hit, spin a bit, and still be ok. Don't listen to the people who say little roadsters aren't safe. They just hate their minivans.

 

[sharkcohen]

@depotdan

 

[depotdan]

@depotdan

Check the “Tragedy hits Fabiana And depotdan”thread. My A124 tangled with a semi tractor. The tractor won, but I was able to walk away with minor scrapes and bruises and an airbag burn to my left wrist. The car did what it was supposed to do....maintain the safety of it’s occupants. I was impressed enough to immediately purchase another - Aurora.

Dan

 

[rfreschner]

@Spracklcat - Sorry to hear about your accident, but glad you're ok. Hopefully, you'll have no issues with your insurance and getting the car replaced.

 

[ameridan]

Tom. The MX5 is "volume enough" to have warranted testing.

... it's as safe as a small lightweight 2 seater roadster probably can be. It's only real "con" against a regular car is the inability to facilitate side-curtain airbags.

ND, NE (Abarth) and NF (Fiat) are all the same platform, so I doubt that the Spider will be crash-tested separately. I'm pretty sure we do have side-curtain airbags (in the seat bolsters rather than the B-pillar) as shown in this pic from my article on the safety rating of the platform.