I work as a nanny for 6 kids so when i bought my 1986 740 gle it was an absoloute godsend. I could for sure safely transport 5 of the 6! today a gentleman behind me was flashing his lights and and signals at me so i pulled over he came rushing up to tell me that he wasn't judging, but the 3rd row seat is in my crumple zone and very unsafe for kids (it is designed for kids as the wt limit is 80lbs). who is nuts? am i nuts for subjecting other people's kids to this potential hazard, or is this guy nuts? has anybody ever been rear ended badly in one of these cars and seen what the accident did in that rear seat area? would my five and six year olds be "crumpled"? i would appeciate any insight/experience you all have on this thanks so much!

p.s. most of the driving we do is 45 mph or less on country roads, NO highway or stop and go city driving.

I personally have spent a LOT of time in salvage yards to pull parts from Volvo wagons, and I've seen many Volvo wagons that were totaled due to accidents. -including several vehicles that were in highspeed/highway sandwitches (where the Volvo was in the middle) and/or rear end collisions.

I have yet to see any significant passenger compartment intrusion, and I have been especially impressed with how the rear end crumple zones do NOT include the 3rd seat area. The crumple zone damage that I've witnessed in a 240/740 wagons only comes in about 6 inches to a foot or so (at the most), and then the rest of the energy is transfered forwards along the frame and drivetrain. There's still plenty of room between the rear hatch and any children occupying the 3rd seat.

I wouldn't hesitate to put my kids (should I get any in the future) in the 3rd seat of a Volvo wagon (240/740/940). I have yet to see an 850 wagon in a rear-end high speed accident, but I hear that they're pretty good too.

God bless and drive safe,
Fitz Fitzgerald.
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'87 Blue 240 Wagon, 258k miles.
'88 Black 780, PRV-6, 148k miles.

As the link in another post shows, the rear of a volvo wagon isn't a crumple zone. the thing is designed to dissapate forces forward.
I have no problem with my kids riding in the third seat of my 240 wagon, and am thinking of putting one in my 740 wagon.

If you want to put it in perspective, find a wrecking yard that specializes in Volvos and take a long walk, look at the way they have been damaged, tne non passenger areas generally take a licking, but the passenger compartments are rarely compromised to the point of passenger contact.( you'll probably also notice that most of the cars that are really hammered have college parking stickers on them and the remains of text books in the back...at least around here )
Then go to a regular junkyard and take a real good look around, you'll notice that most of the cars on the road have a back seat that puts the body closer to the rear bumper that in the third seat of a volvo wagon.... and you will also notice how many of those other cars back seats are now in the front seat.
Nuff said.
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-------Robert, '93 940t, '90 240 wagon, '84 240 diesel (she's sick) , '80 245 diesel, '86 740 GLE turbo diesel, '82 Mercedes 300SD for sale

The guy who flagged you down is a jackass!

If you open the rear hatch on any 7 passenger mini-van, you'll notice that the backrest of the rear-most seat is about 12 inches from the hatch -- no different than the Volvo wagon. And the Volvo will hold up to a hit MUCH better than any mini-van (Perhaps with the exception of the Toyota Sienna which scored higher in crash tests than any vehicle ever made -- including Volvo.)

If El-Jackass-O really wants to save someone, tell him to flag down the parents who are transporting their kid in the rear seat of a Kia or Hyundai sedan. The FRONT seat passengers aren't even safe in a rear-end collision in one of those death traps. (Have you seen the footage of those cars buckling in a crash? Frightening!)

Here's the official word straight from the CEO of Volvo:

http://www.brickboard.com/ARCHIVES/1999MAR/10009554.shtml

That was written in '93, and I would guess that rear-end collisions now surpass side-impacts with the second highest frequency of occurrence simply due to driver inattention as a result of cell phone use, and the proliferation of drive-thru eateries... but that's just a guess.

And even if my guess is correct, if someone said to me, "Jeff, we have some good news and some bad news. First the bad news: we're going to strap both your kids into the rear seat of a vehicle, then slam into it at 40 miles per hour. But the good news is that you get to pick which vehicle!" My choice would still be my Volvo wagon. (Well actually, I'd prefer that it was someone else's Volvo wagon -- because I don’t want mine to get all stoved in!)

Jeff Pierce
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'93 945 Turbo ( one kickass family car ! ) 197K miles, '92 Mercedes 190E (my daily driver) 170K miles, '85 Jeep CJ-7 w/ Fisher plow 225K miles, ’95 Lawn Chief

Let me ask you this...

When was the last time that you've seen a vehicle (not couting full size vans or buses) with 3 rows of seats where the last row was in front of the rear axle? I can't think of one right now. Now think about every station wagon, minivan, SUV out there, that have the same seating configuration. Would you consider them to be dangerous? Do you think that Volvo, whose claim to fame is safety, would have allowed a potentially dangerous design to even make it to the final product?

Yes, the gentleman is right in pointing out that in a rear-end collision, the rear seat is the worst place to be in... but then again, following the same logic, one could make the case for any place in the car being dangerous for it's occupants, depending on the direction of the hit.

I have heard that too. However, I doubt that it is as simple as crumple zone = death for 3rd row passengers. I don't have any kids, but my 740 did have a 3rd row seat and I was rear-ended by a 25-35mph "slider" back in February, It hit my bumper hard on the corner and my crumple zone started to crumple. The driver side rear quarter panel buckled outward and the cargo area bent slightly down where the 2nd seat door meets the cargo area window at the roof. It bent a couple of degrees. No glass breakage, no crushing in the rear. Car drove fine. 'Though I did trade it for the 945 that I drive now. 2ns seat rear door wouldn't close properly anymore.

Volvo is not known for putting children in harm's way. They put that seat there, and I think it's safe under most circumstances. Check you owner's manual for more info


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You mean Volvo makes cars that are *NOT* Wagons?!?

WOW, some crackpot actually flagged you down for that huh? Boy I hope he sleeps better tonight, crackpot that he is. I have no doubts that if someone slams into your tailgate at 40+ mph while you are at a stand still it is going to be a sad sad day. There is indeed a weight limit on those seats, and I think 80 pounds is about right, it should be on a tag right on the seat unless the tech who installed the seat installed the warning decals in the trash can. For the most part it is a pretty safe situation and I would not fret it any. If you get in a serious rear end situation it is not going to be pretty regardless of where they are.

Mark

I agree with above statements. If the accident is bad enough to hurt children in the back seat, it will hurt people anywhere in the car.
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Manual tran 16v Wagon... Booyah!