Kaius88

Ok...i notice this is a rather young crowd, but i'm sure some of you have kids. My new ES350 comes with rear-side-impact airbags to protect torso of rear passengers. I currently have a carseat installed on the right side for my 2-year-old daughter. Does anyone know how big this airbag is when deployed, and whether it can harm a young passenger? Lexus HQ told me on the phone that their design is supposed to be carseat compatible, but I dont know if i want to believe them 100%. The manual indicates proper installation of carseat, so i am assuming that Lexus believes this is the way to go? If the airbag is as flat as a curtain airbag, I think it would be safe. Anyone have any insight on this?

AutoCoutureSC

iTrader: (8)

I'm pretty sure Lexus took into consideration the size and impact of their airbags for the rear passengers. If the manual said to install the car seat a certain way, then by all means follow the manual.

I'm sure they know what they're doing...

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Check out this Video showing a computer rendering in how those rear side airbags deploy. They're not that big, and should not injure a small child.

The rear airbag looks like a wedge that juts anteroposteriorly, not laterally towards the passenger...

ShadyJC

iTrader: (2)

I don't think that video explains what Kaius88 is referring to. The demo video shows the side curtain air bags... similar to the picture below from my Infiniti when I was broadsided a while ago.



BUT, in the text on the side it clearly says "And a first for Lexus, rear-seat side airbags are also available." meaning that the side airbags are a separate and distinct safety feature from the curtain airbags.

There's no rendering in the ES brochure that shows how they deploy?

Kaius88

As the video demo was rotating, I saw the triangular wedge-looking airbag that seems to come out horizontally parallel to the curtain airbags, as Philip indicated. I am assuming this is the right idea.... If this is the case, i think everything is safe. This is indeed a separate item that is only included in the PP+ and UL packages.

Eternity3G

I don't know if Lexus has the option, but I do know BMW and Mercedes have it... Might be worth taking a look into....

Basically, the Automotive manufature has a baby seat that they sell and there is a special male seat belt buckle that latches into the factory female seatbelt latch on the car. The seat latch (male portion) sends a special signal to the vehicle that tells the ECU not to deploy the air bags because there is a baby seat in that particular seat of the car.

Check into it... hope this helps...

richbutler

if you only have 1 child, why don't you just keep your child seat in the middle position? we have a 2 year old child and that's what we do.

bigL

iTrader: (3)

Why wouldnt you believe them??Do you really think they would lie to you especially on a safety issue?And the airbags are similiar to the curtains they simply cushion the passenger from the door.They wont send your passenger shooting out the other side.

Kaius88

The reason is that it's a bit difficult getting the child in and out from the middle. Plus the left and right seat appear to be more stable for our carseat because of the indentation of the seat. The rear side airbags are only a couple of inches thick as I understand, so it should be safe according to Lexus. Not taking an unnecessary risk here.... just confirming what the car's safety standard is supposed to include.

twister

That is interesting how something that supposed to give you an additional piece of mind, actually raises questions and concerns. I do TRUST Lexus on this issues, but still put car seat for my 17-month-old in the middle of the backseat (plus, she is away from windows sunlight that bothers her). Of course, if in the near future we going to think of our family expansion, two seats will be in the back side-by-side.

I sure hope if anybody from Toyota/Lexus are reading this thread, they can think of adding some safety disclaimer to their official website to calm us all down

richbutler

since we only have 1 child, we have always had her in the middle position in the back seat. the middle position is always the safest seat in just about any car; it is farthest away from any side impact accident. with the latch system and a protective pad under the car seat, i can tell you that our car seat is stable in the middle position if you install in correctly (making sure the car seat is ratcheted down into the seat.)

it may be more inconvenient to buckle your child in the middle position, but when it comes to safety, i'm willing to take an extra 30 seconds to do this. since our daughter turned 18 mos old, she climbs into the seat by herself and i can buckle her from the driver's seat.

twister

@ richbutler: which car seat do you have? We have one of those top-of-the-line Britax convertible seats, fits very nicely in the middle of the back seat. But, its kind of high off the ground for my little girl to climb in.

richbutler

We have the britax too! the britax is a great seat that is very stable. yes, it is high off the ground. but our daughter stands on the center hump (i know it is small on the es350 because of fwd); steps up onto the edge of the seat (which is covered by the protector); grabs onto the britax to hoist herself into the seat on her stomach; and finally turns herself around in the britax. it is amazing to watch. she will do all this by the time i put her bag into the trunk and hop into the driver's seat.

twister

too cute!!! I only drive my baby on a way when I'm picking her up from the day care in the evening. Most of the time she doesn't want to leave from there, so she is not as "co-operative" when it comes to getting into the car LOL!!! One thing she absolutely loves is kicking the armrest cover whenever I slide it open to get my sunglasses. Often its like a game for me to get it open/close quick before she can kick it. Kids, gotta love them!!!!!