So I got a letter from Toyota today indicating that my 2016 Two ECO had a window sticker error, and that it does not indeed have active head rests, rather it has 'whiplash injury lessening' seats, which sounds like an inferior technology to me. Does anyone have any knowledge about this? Thanks.
Active head restraints aren't necessarily better - with some seat designs they are needed to allow them to comply with testing. [It's a bit like a 4 car comparison I read locally where under safety, the 4 cars all achieved 5 stars - but the journalist commented that one of the cars must have been better because it had a 7th airbag for the knee. If you look at the video of the crash test, that particular car crumpled more than the other 3 and needed the 7th airbag to protect the knees - not to make it better than the others. Poor journalism at its "best".] The EuroNCAP video of Prius 4: Official Toyota Prius 2016 safety rating - at 1:55 shows how the Prius performs in a test. Toyota Global Site | Technology File Bear in mind that the average driver has the head restraint set too low for optimum operation. Check out - at 1:01 he talks about the height of the restraint.:
Hmm, neither active front headrests nor WIL seats are listed in the brochure or online (both Canada and the US). Active head restraints w/ whiplash protection was listed for the 2010 model. Interesting.
From what I understand, there is a lever mechanism, when it feels force in the back of the seat, the head rest comes up and toward your head, reducing the extent to which your head snaps back then forward, reducing spinal injury. The WIL seats seem to be less sophisticated. I'm actually concerned now. Any advice on what to do?
I wouldn't worry at all. Manufacturers need to install what is needed to achieve the safety rating. WIL seats aren't less sophisticated, just a different way of achieving the same outcome, and for some reason, active head restraints weren't either needed or appropriate. The entire safety of the car is a package, starting from the stable structure around the occupants, crumple zones, airbags, safety belts etc. Did you look at the EURO NCAP Video? - at 1:55, it shows the dummy testing the whiplash protection. The vehicle achieved an outstanding overall 92%, Adult Occupant Rating, and under "Whiplash Rear Impact" achieved 2.6 Pts - in comparison, a Mercedes C Class also received 92%, but "only" 2.1 points for "Whiplash Rear Impact" - it didn't appear to have active head restraints either. The Gen 3 had 2.1 points for "Whiplash Rear Impact" Also with US IIHS crash test, it achived a "" rating, and specifically under "Head Restraints and Seats" achieved a "Overall evaluation G; Dynamic rating G; Seat/head restraint geometry G" rating (ie top!!). I'd stop worrying and enjoy your VERY SAFE car. BUT, first, adjust your head restraint - chances are that they are too low. Wikipedia article states "... When driving, the height of the head restraint is critical in influencing injury risk. A restraint should be at least as high as the head's centre of gravity, or about 9 centimeters (3.5 inches) below the top of the head ... .
Indeed. It's possible they've designed the whole seat to cradle (but then wouldn't that make them WIL seats? lol). I'm not sure. But the numbers show an improvement in whiplash protection over the Gen 3 according to Euro NCAP
