Acura TL Technical Info (Continued)
Safety
Overview
The 2005 TL was developed to perform at the "top of its class" in protecting
its occupants with a comprehensive array of safety technologies, high-grade
materials and advanced construction techniques.
For 2005, the front airbag system has been enhanced to meet newly implemented
Federal safety regulations. To accomplish this, weight sensors have been
incorporated in the front passenger seat to determine the total weight on that
seat. If it is less than 65 pounds (as if occupied by a small child or car seat)
the airbag will not deploy. For the driver, a position sensor in the seat has
been added to determine how the airbag will be deployed in the event of a
collision. If the seat is within half an inch of the most forward position, the
front airbag will only deploy in the dual-stage mode. If the seat is farther
than a half inch from the forward position, the airbag deploys in either single
or dual-stage mode based on the severity of the collision.
The TL also features adjustable rear outboard head restraints, and standard
side curtain airbags. These technologies, and the use of high-tensile steel in
critical areas and computer-modeled crush zones, help ensure the highest
possible level of passenger protection for its class. The TL passed the toughest
government safety tests with a 5-star frontal rating in addition to achieving a
"GOOD" rating in all categories evaluated during the IIHS offset collision. The
TL safety equation even extends to pedestrians with structural elements designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injury in a collision.
Features
The TL offers its occupants the latest Acura safety technologies. These
include:
Passenger Seating
- Front 3-point Emergency Locking Retractors (ELR) with pretensioners
- Front seat-belt load limiters
- Front neck injury reduction seats
- Front four-way adjustable head restraints
- Front height and position sensors
- Rear center three-point seat belt
- Rear outboard two-way adjustable head restraints
Child Seating
- Automatic Locking Retractors/Emergency Locking Retractors (ALR/ELR)
- Tether anchors (all rear positions)
- Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system for rear outboard
positions
Airbags
- Dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags with driver's seat position
sensor and passenger's seat weight sensor
- Seamless airbag lid for the passenger airbag
- Front seat mounted side impact airbags with occupant position sensors
- Side curtain airbag system
Side Airbag System
The airbags are located in the outboard seat side bolsters and deploy when
sensors detect that a side impact is occurring. To prevent injury to a small
child or small-stature adult, an innovative passenger position sensing system
prevents side airbag deployment if the passenger is leaning into the side airbag
deployment path. A total of seven sensors in the passenger seatback determine
the height and position of the occupant; this helps the system determine if it
is safe to deploy the side airbag. When the passenger returns to an upright
seating position, the side airbag will reactivate so it can deploy and protect
the passenger in a side impact.
Side Curtain Airbags
The side curtain airbags deploy from a module in the roof in the event of a
sufficient side impact. They provide an important and significant level of head
protection in the window area from the A-pillar back to the C-pillar. Research
shows that the g forces affecting an occupant's head are vastly lower with a
side curtain airbag.
The airbag module is located in the side of the roof and the gas generator is
positioned in the C-pillar. It supplies gas to the airbag through a channel in
the roof side. Front and rear "satellite" sensors (one located at the base of
the B-pillar and another located near the rear seat back) detect side impacts
and signal the gas generator.
In addition to the side curtain airbags, a side airbag located in each front
outboard seat bolster provides protection to the thorax in the event of a
sufficient side impact.
Side Impact
The use of high-tensile steel significantly contributes to the side impact
performance on the TL and a reduction in injury for occupants. The government
SINCAP (Side Impact New Car Assessment Program) test is one of the toughest to
pass. In this test, a 1,360 kg (2,992 pounds) sled impacts the side of the
stationary vehicle at 38.5 mph.
The best defense against this impact is a strong energy-absorbing body
structure built with high-tensile steel. The TL uses high-strength steel in key
areas to provide the required strength without excessive weight.
During a side impact collision, forces are distributed across the
computer-engineered body structure, lessening forces that affect the occupants.
Dual steel door beams in each front door and a single door beam in each rear
door team with energy-absorbing padding to further absorb crash energy.
The TL passed the government SINCAP test with a 4-Star/5-Star rating.
The 2005 TL was developed with the IIHS Side Impact Crashworthiness
Evaluation (SICE) in mind, and is expected to receive an "Acceptable" rating.
Dual-Stage, Dual-Threshold Front Airbags
The TL is equipped with dual-stage, dual-threshold airbags for the driver and
front passenger, and this system has been enhanced to meet newly implemented
Federal safety regulations (FMVSS 208) for 2005. The front airbags are designed
to minimize the potential for airbag injury while providing head and chest
protection for the occupants in the event of a sufficient collision. This front
airbag system features additional sensors; front passenger seat weight sensors,
and a driver seat position sensor designed to enhance occupant protection.
The TL's front airbags can deploy at one of two rates. Deployment of the
driver's side airbag takes into account the severity of the crash, whether or
not the driver's seat belt is fastened and the position of the driver's seat.
During a lower speed collision, the airbag inflators are triggered in sequence,
resulting in slower overall airbag deployment with less initial force. The same
sequence is also utilized regardless of collision speed if newly integrated
sensors in the driver's seat register that the driver's seat is within a half
inch of the full forward position. During a higher speed collision, if the
driver's seat is more than a half inch from the full frontal position, both
inflators operate simultaneously for full, immediate inflation. Airbag
deployment on the front passenger's side is regulated by crash severity,
seatbelt usage and, new for 2005, the weight of the occupant. Newly integrated
sensors under the seat gauge occupant weight and if the total weight on the
passenger seat is less than 65 lbs, the airbag system will not deploy,
minimizing the potential for injury to children. Just as the driver's side, the
airbags are deployed at the speed appropriate to the speed and severity of the
collision - slower for lower speed collisions, more quickly for higher speeds.
The driver's airbag is located in the steering wheel hub and the passenger's
airbag is located on top of the dash. As in all Acura vehicles, the front
passenger's airbag is designed to deploy upward toward the windshield and then
back toward the occupant. This provides a large cushion to help protect the
front passenger.
Front Impact
The Acura TL underwent a barrage of internal front-impact testing to verify
the vehicle structure and occupant-protection performance. Two of these tests
include the government's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) test and the Front
Offset test conducted by the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety).
These two standardized tests rate front impact performance.
In the NCAP test the vehicle impacts a rigid barrier at 35 mph. During the
IIHS offset test the vehicle impacts a deformable barrier at 40 mph with a
40-percent offset. During internal testing, the 2005 TL achieves a 5-Star rating
for driver and passenger in the NCAP test and a GOOD rating for all points in
the IIHS test mode. Both are the highest rankings achievable. Acura achieved
these outstanding results with the implementation of pretensioners and load-
limiting seat belts in conjunction with an energy-absorbing body structure that
uses high-strength steel in critical locations.
Using computer simulations allowed determining the critical load paths to
help determine where to use high-strength steel. The use of high-strength steel
helps to reduce the overall weight of the vehicle and reduces the amount of
intrusion to a passenger safety cage-the rigid perimeter that envelops the
occupant during a collision.
Bumper System
In addition to evaluating injury projections in collisions, the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety also evaluates vehicles for damage resistance in
low-speed collisions. IIHS conducts four tests at 5 mph-front flat impact, front
30-degree impact, rear flat impact, and rear pole impact. The combined damage
sustained during these four tests is the overall repair cost.
The target repair cost for these tests are less than the repair cost for the
average TL competitor. The front and rear bumper systems on the TL get the
credit. They incorporate high-strength rolled-form bumper beams and highly
efficient thermoplastic energy absorbers to disperse low-speed collision energy.
Pedestrian Safety
Acura's interest in safety extends to pedestrians as well as vehicle
occupants. To help reduce pedestrian injuries in the event of a collision, the
TL hood and fender areas were designed to deform if contacted by the head of an
adult or child pedestrian. Energy-absorbing collapsible hood supports, wiper
arms and fender mounts allow substantial deformation in an impact, allowing the
engineering team to meet its target for pedestrian safety.
Neck Injury Reduction Seats
The driver and passenger seats are designed to reduce neck injuries.
Active Safety Systems
Besides its passive safety features, the TL has a full complement of
technologies designed to aid in driver control and in challenging driving
conditions and circumstances.
These include:
- Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD)
- Brake Assist
- Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
- Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA)
- Expansive outside visibility
- Bi-function Xenon High-Intensity Discharge (HID) projector headlamps
Please refer to the Body & Chassis section for information on these technologies.
Copyright © by All-Acura All Right Reserved. Published on: 2004-09-26 (31 reads)Go Back To: 2005 Model Line-up | 
