Seatbelts and LATCH after an accident

tchrgrrl

New member
What is the lifespan of vehicle seatbelts and LATCH? Should they be replaced, repaired, checked over after a severe accident? Right now it sounds like our '06 Odyssey is going to be repaired after a side impact accident. DH and I are both big, heavy, plus sized people and if the bruises across the front of my body mean anything I put some *serious* stress on the passenger side seatbelt. And then the LATCH points used to restrain our heavy Britax seats - are those still safe? Are seatbelts meant to be reused after an hard crash? Is the safety now compromised?

I asked the body shop/appraiser and he seemed very put off by the question - like I was the only person who had ever asked such a thing. :confused:
 
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skaterbabs

Well-known member
You're right. Occupied seatbelts and LATCH should be replaced after a major crash. Some new vehicles have indicators to tell you to replace them. NHTSA considers them to be "single-use" items, just like a deployed airbag.
 

tchrgrrl

New member
Thank you. So do you have any suggestions for a resource to present to the body shop/appraiser and the insurance company? I am so frustrated that I am going to have to fight for this. Why don't they just do the right thing?
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
I would talk to a service manager at your Honda dealer and ask for a Honda corporate contact if he doesn't have an answer. You may need a letter from them at some point to give to your insurance company, anyway.
 

jen_nah

CPST Instructor
What is the lifespan of vehicle seatbelts and LATCH? Should they be replaced, repaired, checked over after a severe accident? Right now it sounds like our '06 Odyssey is going to be repaired after a side impact accident. DH and I are both big, heavy, plus sized people and if the bruises across the front of my body mean anything I put some *serious* stress on the passenger side seatbelt. And then the LATCH points used to restrain our heavy Britax seats - are those still safe? Are seatbelts meant to be reused after an hard crash? Is the safety now compromised?

I asked the body shop/appraiser and he seemed very put off by the question - like I was the only person who had ever asked such a thing. :confused:

You probably are the first person to ever ask him that question. While I agree the seatbelts in use at the time of crash do need to be replaced. I would contact Honda on the LATCH for sure and get their stand on it. My only thing is the LATCH bar is steel and not fabric webbing like a seatbelt. So, It doesn't "stretch" like seatbelt webbing. Now they sure could bend if enough force is put on them.
 

tchrgrrl

New member
Thank God for the internet. Between the response here and on the Odyssey board I asked at I have the amunition I keep my vehicle safe. I just called with the online version of the owner's manual in front of me and suddenly the body shop has a totally different story. This is going to be a long process, isn't it?
 

Morganthe

New member
This is going to be a long process, isn't it?
Sad to say, yes it will likely be. :( I had someone back into my parked car and it took over 7 months for the paperwork to be completed and damaged to be fixed. All that took was a bumper replaced. You have a lot more damage involved.

Has your vehicle been checked thoroughly to make sure the frame wasn't bent? Your accident was serious enough sounding that I cannot believe the vehicle wasn't consigned as being totalled. :eek: I don't have much faith that it will drive straight and true after being rammed in the side like that. Personally, I would not consider that type of collision as safely repairable. Is there any possibility of a second opinion from Honda or the insurance company to see if it can be totalled and you receive monies or a replacement vehicle?

Think of it this way. By law, you are required to disclose that this vehicle has been in a major accident when you go to sell it. The blue book value & desirability has automatically dropped drastically because of this.

The other major issue -- now that the vehicle has been sorely stressed like this, could you trust its integrity in a second major accident if one happened? I don't know how liable the repair shop and your insurance company if it was determined that the condition of the vehicle increased damage in an accident or not. Would you risk your family and your life in the belief that everything was fixed as good as new?

The whole issue with your seatbelts, imo, doesn't bode well, especially their response when you came back a 2nd time. They might know what should be replaced, but I bet they'll try to nickle and dime you the entire time. This is not confidence building in the least. :(

I had a friend who's car (a Neon) was stolen while we were in El Paso, TX 11 years ago. It was used in drug deals and there was a police chase where it was driven high speeds off road. It hit a large rock and landed on its side. The body shop repaired it, but she swore it never drove right after that. No matter how the alignment was fixed, it kind of went sideways down the road. She ended up trading it in to the dealership for a newer car. They dropped the price $3500 below its blue book value and she took it because she couldn't sell it privately.

good luck
 

tchrgrrl

New member
I share all your same concerns. I am hoping to hear my shiny new van with less than 6000 miles will be totalled out. And if it isn't I will be taking every possible step to ensure my family is safe when riding in it and if we don't believe they are safe we will sell/take a loss and find another safe vehicle to drive.
 

tjham

New member
My son was recently in an accident in a Ford F250 pickup. I told him about the "replacing the seat belt" thing, but I'd like to email him more info. I tried an internet search and couldn't find anything useable! I must not be putting in the right search info!
 

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