Good Ratings for
Hybrids, but the
Jeep Wrangler is
Poor in Side Test
August 2008 -
Automakers are
improving the
crashworthiness of
their vehicles and
quickly installing
side airbags and
electronic stability
control, an
important crash
avoidance feature,
on more models. The
Insurance Institute
for Highway Safety
recently completed
front, side, and
rear crash test
evaluations of eight
small SUV models.
For the first time,
every model the
Institute tested
comes equipped with
electronic stability
control as standard
equipment.
Institute ratings of
good, acceptable,
marginal or poor are
based on results of
front and side crash
tests - plus
evaluations of
seat/head restraints
for protection
against whiplash
injury in rear
crashes. The best
performers, earning
the Institute's TOP
SAFETY PICK award,
are the 2009 Ford
Escape, 2008
Mitsubishi
Outlander, 2008
Nissan Rogue, and
2009 Volkswagen
Tiguan. These four
models earn good
ratings in all three
of the Institute's
evaluations - and
all are equipped
with standard
electronic stability
control and side
airbags. The
Escape's ratings
also apply to the
hybrid version -
which is sold as the
Mercury Mariner and
Mazda Tribute, as
well as the Escape.
Consumers now have
multiple hybrid SUVs
earning TOP SAFETY
PICK to choose from.
Others include the
midsize Saturn Vue
and Toyota
Highlander, which
the Institute
evaluated earlier.
The Institute's
frontal offset crash
test, which began in
1995, drove major
design changes in
vehicles to do a
better job of
protecting people in
the most common kind
of serious crash. In
the mid-1990s, few
vehicles earned the
top rating of good
in the frontal test.
Now, nearly every
vehicle is rated
good for frontal
protection. Since
the Institute began
its side tests in
2003, manufacturers
have been following
the same path,
changing their
vehicles to improve
protection in
serious side
impacts.
An exception is the
2-door 2008 Jeep
Wrangler, which was
tested without its
optional side
airbags. The
previous version of
the Wrangler, in
which side airbags
weren't available,
earned a rating of
marginal for
protection in side
crashes; and the new
model performed even
worse, earning the
lowest rating of
poor. A new problem
was that the driver
door opened during
the impact. This
didn't significantly
affect the movement
of the dummy during
the test, but an
open door in a crash
could lead to
partial or complete
ejection of
occupants.
