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The Jeep Liberty, Jeep
Wrangler 4-door, and Kia Sorento, all 2008 models, are the worst
performers in the side test. The Liberty, also sold as the Dodge
Nitro, and Wrangler earn the second lowest rating of marginal
for protection in side crashes. The Sorento earns the lowest
rating of poor.
The Mazda CX-7 and CX-9 as
well as the Mitsubishi Endeavor earn good ratings for protection
in front and side crashes. All three would have won
Top Safety Pick if they had good
ratings for protection against neck injury in rear-end crashes.
The seat/head restraint combinations in both Mazdas are rated
marginal for rear crash protection. The Endeavor's is poor.
FRONTAL OFFSET TEST: 2008 MAZDA CX-7
GOOD
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DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Pre-crash studio shot |
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Action shot taken during the
frontal offset crash test |
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The dummy's position in relation
to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the
crash test indicates that the driver's survival space
was maintained well. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
A high head acceleration occurred
when the dummy's head hit the steering wheel through the
airbag. |
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Intrusion into the driver's space
was minimal, and all leg and foot injury measures were
low. |
Safety of SUVs is
improving: In 2001 only half
of the midsize models that were tested earned good ratings in
the frontal offset test. In the latest evaluations, all but the
Hummer H3 do, and it earns an acceptable rating. As
manufacturers introduce improved designs, more SUVs are
qualifying for
Top Safety Pick
by earning good ratings in all three tests and having electronic
stability control (ESC).
For the 2007 model year, the
Institute added ESC as a criterion. It's a control system
comprised of sensors and a microcomputer that continuously
monitors how well a vehicle responds to a driver's steering
input and selectively applies brakes and modulates engine power
to keep the vehicle traveling along the path indicated by the
steering wheel position. Institute research indicates that ESC
reduces the risk of fatal single-vehicle crashes by 56 percent
and fatal multiple-vehicle crashes by 32 percent. Many
single-vehicle crashes involve rolling over, and this feature
reduces the risk of fatal single-vehicle rollovers by 80 percent
(SUVs) and 77 percent (cars).
"Combined with test results
released last year, consumers now have 9 midsize, moderately
priced SUV models that earn our Top Safety
Pick designation," says Institute senior vice president
Joe
Nolan.
"More good news is that
manufacturers have been moving quickly to add safety features
like stability control and side airbags to their SUV models,"
Nolan adds. "All of the SUVs in this group have ESC, and all but
the Wrangler have standard side airbags. Increasingly, consumers
are getting the latest safety equipment without having to hunt
through a list of options."
Murano wins
Top Safety Pick designation:
The Murano has been redesigned for the 2009 model year and ESC,
previously an option, now is standard equipment. This is the
only SUV in the group recently tested to earn good ratings in
all 3 Institute tests, and it's 1 of only 2 in this group to
earn a good rating for protection against whiplash injury in
rear-end crashes.
Whiplash usually isn't
life-threatening, but it can be debilitating and difficult to
recover from. Whiplash is the most serious injury reported in
about 2 million insurance claims each year, which cost at least
$8.5 billion. Rear impacts are common in everyday commuter
traffic. In one urban county in Virginia, 63 percent of daytime
crashes on urban interstate highways in 2003 were rear impacts.
"You don't know what kind of
crash you're going to get into, so you want a vehicle that
affords the best protection in the most common kinds of
crashes," Nolan says. "The Murano is the only SUV in the group
that does this."
FRONTAL OFFSET TEST: 2008 KIA SORENTO
GOOD
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DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Pre-crash
studio shot |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Action shot
taken during the frontal offset crash test |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
The dummy's
position in relation to the steering wheel and
instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the
driver's survival space was maintained very well. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared red
greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head hit the
B-pillar during rebound. The head also hit the roof rail
before moving back against the head restraint. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Forces on the
lower right leg and foot were high enough to indicate
the possibility of injuries. |
Chest protection
isn't up to par in some SUVs:
Head protection is important in a side crash, but so is
protecting the chest and abdomen. Manufacturers can do this with
additional padding in the doors or with separate side airbags
that usually deploy from the side of the seat. Unlike most cars
that are equipped with side airbags, some of the SUVs in this
group with standard curtain airbags lack separate ones to
protect the torso. Curtain airbags in the H3, Liberty, and
Sorento provided good head protection, but all 3 were downgraded
because forces on the driver dummy's metal ribcage indicated
that rib fractures and internal organ injuries would be possible
in a real-world crash of this severity.
"Performance of some of these
models in the side test was surprising," Nolan points out. "SUVs
should have an inherent advantage in such crashes because
drivers and passengers ride higher up than in cars. People often
think they're safer in an SUV, but many cars perform much better
in our side test than some of the SUVs in this group."
Note: The Jeep Wrangler was
tested without its optional combination head and torso side
airbags. The Institute's policy is that when airbags are
optional, the vehicle is tested without the option. A
manufacturer may request a second test with the option if the
automaker reimburses the Institute
for the cost of the vehicle.
In the case of the Wrangler, Chrysler didn't request another
test.
"We assume that Chrysler
doesn't expect the Wrangler to perform much better, even with
the optional airbags," Nolan says.
SIDE IMPACT TEST: 2008 JEEP WRANGLER
4-DOOR WITHOUT OPTIONAL SIDE AIRBAGS — MARGINAL
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DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Pre-crash
studio shot |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Action shot
taken during the side impact crash test |
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View of the
vehicle after the crash showing the open driver door
after the barrier was moved away |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Action shot
taken during the side impact crash test showing the
driver dummy's head leaning well outward and approaching
the window sill. The broken glass is from the window of
the driver door. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared red
greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy's head
was hit by the rear door window frame. |
Hummer isn't good
in frontal crash: Nearly every
vehicle the Institute tests now earns the top rating of good for
frontal crash protection. This wasn't the case for the Hummer
H3, which earns an acceptable rating. The H3 is 1 of only 2
midsize SUV designs the Institute has recently tested that
doesn't earn a good rating in the frontal test (the other is the
Chevrolet TrailBlazer).
SIDE IMPACT TEST: 2008 HUMMER H3 WITH STANDARD SIDE AIRBAGS
ACCEPTABLE
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DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Pre-crash studio shot |
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Action shot taken during the side
impact crash test |
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View of the vehicle after the
crash with doors removed, showing the side airbag and
damage to the occupant compartment |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared greasepaint shows where
the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by
hard structures by the side curtain airbag. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared greasepaint shows where
the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the
side airbag. |
In the Institute's test, high
forces were recorded on the dummy's lower right leg, indicating
the likelihood of injury. Still, forces on the dummy's head and
chest were low, and the vehicle's structure held up well.
"Acceptable isn't a bad
rating," Nolan explains. "It's just not the best protection
that's available. Considering the Hummer's acceptable side
rating and poor rating in the rear test, we can see that this
SUV hasn't been designed with the state-of-the-art crash
protection of many of its competitors."
How vehicles are
evaluated: The Institute's
frontal crashworthiness evaluations are based on results of 40
mph frontal offset crash tests. Each vehicle's overall
evaluation is based on measurements of intrusion into the
occupant compartment, injury measures recorded on a Hybrid III
dummy in the driver seat, and analysis of slow-motion film to
assess how well the restraint system controlled dummy movement
during the test.
Side evaluations are based on
performance in a crash test in which the side of a vehicle is
struck by a barrier moving at 31 mph. The barrier represents the
front end of a pickup or SUV. Ratings reflect injury measures
recorded on two instrumented SID-IIs dummies, assessment of head
protection countermeasures, and the vehicle's structural
performance during the impact. Injury measures obtained from the
two dummies, one in the driver seat and the other in the back
seat behind the driver, are used to determine the likelihood
that a driver and/or passenger in a similar real-world crash
would sustain serious injury to various parts of the body. The
movements and contacts of the dummies' heads during the test
also are evaluated. Structural performance is based on
measurements indicating the amount of B-pillar intrusion into
the occupant compartment.
Rear crash protection is
rated according to a two-step procedure. Starting points for the
ratings are measurements of head restraint geometry — the height
of a restraint and its horizontal distance behind the back of
the head of an average-size man. Seats with good or acceptable
restraint geometry are tested dynamically using a dummy that
measures forces on the neck. This test simulates a collision in
which a stationary vehicle is struck in the rear at 20 mph.
Seats without good or acceptable geometry are rated poor overall
because they can't be positioned to protect many people.
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Complete Test
Results
FRONTAL
OFFSET TEST: 2008 MAZDA CX-9 — GOOD
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DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Pre-crash
studio shot |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Action shot
taken during the frontal offset
crash test |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
The dummy's
position in relation to the steering
wheel and instrument panel after the
crash test indicates that the
driver's survival space was
maintained very well. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
A high head
acceleration occurred when the
dummy's head hit the steering wheel
through the airbag. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Forces on the
lower right leg were high enough to
indicate the possibility of injury. |
SIDE IMPACT
TEST: 2008 MAZDA CX-9 WITH STANDARD SIDE
AIRBAGS — GOOD
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DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Pre-crash
studio shot |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Action shot
taken during the side impact crash
test |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
View of the
vehicle after the crash with doors
removed, showing the side airbags
and damage to the occupant
compartment |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared
greasepaint shows where the driver
dummy's head was protected from
being hit by hard structures by the
side curtain airbag. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared
greasepaint shows where the rear
passenger dummy’s head was protected
by the side airbag. |
SIDE IMPACT
TEST: 2008 MITSUBISHI ENDEAVOR WITH STANDARD
SIDE AIRBAGS — GOOD
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DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Pre-crash
studio shot |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Action shot
taken during the side impact crash
test |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
View of the
vehicle after the crash with doors
removed, showing the side airbags
and damage to the occupant
compartment |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared
greasepaint shows where the driver
dummy's head was protected from
being hit by hard structures by the
side curtain airbag (shown after
dummy was removed from vehicle). |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared
greasepaint shows where the rear
passenger dummy’s head was protected
by the side airbag. |
SIDE IMPACT
TEST: 2008 SUZUKI XL-7 WITH STANDARD SIDE
AIRBAGS — ACCEPTABLE
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DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Pre-crash
studio shot |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Action shot
taken during the side impact crash
test |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
View of the
vehicle after the crash with doors
removed, showing the side airbag and
damage to the occupant compartment |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared
greasepaint shows where the driver
dummy's head was protected from
being hit by hard structures by the
side curtain airbag. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared
greasepaint shows where the rear
passenger dummy’s head was protected
by the side airbag. |
FRONTAL
OFFSET TEST: 2008 HUMMER H3 — ACCEPTABLE
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DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Pre-crash
studio shot |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Action shot
taken during the frontal offset
crash test |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
The dummy's
position in relation to the steering
wheel and instrument panel after the
crash test indicates that the
driver's survival space was
maintained well. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared
greasepaint indicates where the
dummy's head brushed the side
curtain airbag during rebound. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Forces on
the lower right leg were high enough
to indicate the likelihood of
injury. |
SIDE IMPACT
TEST: 2008 HUMMER H3 WITH STANDARD SIDE
AIRBAGS — ACCEPTABLE
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DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Pre-crash
studio shot |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Action shot
taken during the side impact crash
test |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
View of the
vehicle after the crash with doors
removed, showing the side airbag and
damage to the occupant compartment |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared
greasepaint shows where the driver
dummy's head was protected from
being hit by hard structures by the
side curtain airbag. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared
greasepaint shows where the rear
passenger dummy’s head was protected
by the side airbag. |
FRONTAL
OFFSET TEST: 2008 JEEP WRANGLER 4-DOOR —
GOOD
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DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Pre-crash
studio shot |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Action shot
taken during the frontal offset
crash test |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
The dummy's
position in relation to the steering
wheel and instrument panel after the
crash test indicates that the
driver's survival space was
maintained well. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Dummy
movement was well controlled. During
rebound, the dummy's head hit only
the head restraint, as indicated by
smeared greasepaint.
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DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Forces on
the lower right leg were high enough
to indicate the possibility of
injury. |
SIDE IMPACT
TEST: 2008 JEEP WRANGLER 4-DOOR WITHOUT
OPTIONAL SIDE AIRBAGS — MARGINAL
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DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Pre-crash
studio shot |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Action shot
taken during the side impact crash
test |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
View of the
vehicle after the crash showing the
open driver door after the barrier
was moved away |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Action shot
taken during the side impact crash
test showing the driver dummy's head
leaning well outward and approaching
the window sill. The broken glass is
from the window of the driver door. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared red
greasepaint shows where the rear
passenger dummy's head was hit by
the rear door window frame. |
FRONTAL
OFFSET TEST: 2008 JEEP LIBERTY— GOOD
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DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Pre-crash
studio shot |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Action shot
taken during the frontal offset
crash test |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
The dummy's
position in relation to the steering
wheel and instrument panel after the
crash test indicates that the
driver's survival space was
maintained well |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared
greasepaint indicates where the
dummy's head brushed the dislodged
headliner above the side curtain
airbag during rebound. The head also
contacted the airbag and head
restraint. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Forces on
the knee and lower left leg were
high enough to indicate the
possibility of injuries. |
SIDE IMPACT
TEST: 2008 JEEP LIBERTY WITH STANDARD SIDE
AIRBAGS — MARGINAL
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DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Pre-crash
studio shot |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Action shot
taken during the side impact crash
test |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
The dummy's
position in relation to the steering
wheel and instrument panel after the
crash test indicates that the
driver's survival space was
maintained well. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared
greasepaint indicates where the
dummy's head brushed the dislodged
headliner above the side curtain
airbag during rebound. The head also
contacted the airbag and head
restraint. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Forces on
the knee and lower left leg were
high enough to indicate the
possibility of injuries. |
FRONTAL
OFFSET TEST: 2008 KIA SORENTO — GOOD
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DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Pre-crash
studio shot |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Action shot
taken during the frontal offset
crash test |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
The dummy's
position in relation to the steering
wheel and instrument panel after the
crash test indicates that the
driver's survival space was
maintained very well. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared red
greasepaint indicates where the
dummy's head hit the B-pillar during
rebound. The head also hit the roof
rail before moving back against the
head restraint. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Forces on
the lower right leg and foot were
high enough to indicate the
possibility of injuries. |
SIDE IMPACT
TEST: 2008 KIA SORENTO WITH STANDARD SIDE
AIRBAGS — POOR
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DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Pre-crash
studio shot |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Action shot
taken during the side impact crash
test |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
View of the
vehicle after the crash with doors
removed, showing the side airbag and
damage to the occupant compartment |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared
greasepaint shows where the driver
dummy's head was protected from
being hit by hard structures by the
side curtain airbag. |
DOWNLOAD PHOTO
Smeared
greasepaint shows where the rear
passenger dummy’s head was protected
by the side airbag. |
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