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Small Pickups Graded Harshly in IIHS Side Crash Testing
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave out some low marks in its first-ever side crash testing of five small pickups. The Toyota Tacoma was the lone small truck to get the top rating of "Good" for occupant protection in a side impact. The Chevrolet Colorado was rated "Poor." The other three — Dodge Dakota/Mitsubishi Raider, Nissan Frontier, and Ford Ranger/Mazda B Series — were ranked "Marginal" in side crash testing.
IIHS called this type of impact the second most common type of fatal crash, saying side-impact accidents killed 9,000 people in 2006 alone. The institute concluded that small pickups provide less protection against this kind of accident than "many new cars and SUVs," and its president, Adrian Lund, even said most vehicles in this category "aren't good choices for people looking for safe transportation...until they improve."
The Institute also said that small pickups have the highest rates of driver deaths in accidents "of any vehicles on the road, including minicars" and said electronic stability control is an important feature needed on small trucks to improve safety. IIHS noted that the 2009 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon will have standard ESC, as will the 2009 Toyota Tacoma. It's optional on the Nissan Frontier.
The Toyota Tacoma earned the only "Good" rating, in part because of its curtain-style airbag that deployed from the roof above the side windows, IIHS said. Front crash performance was also "Good" on the Tacoma, but the seat/head restraints were given a "Marginal" rating for whiplash protection. Side airbags, which are currently optional on the Tacoma, were used in testing because they will be standard on 2009 models that come out this month.
The Dodge Dakota, Ford Ranger and Nissan Frontier received "Marginal" ratings in the testing, and the Ranger was also singled out for criticism of its rear jump seats. The Dodge Dakota was rated "Good" in frontal offset crash tests, and the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon got an "Acceptable" rating in those tests — but "Poor" in side testing because the driver dummy's head was hit by the top of the moving barrier used in the test and the side structure allowed "a lot more intrusion" into the passenger compartment than other trucks tested.
The IIHS tested the trucks with a 40-mph frontal offset crash and evaluated for side crash safety using a side impact by a barrier moving at 31 mph. Rear crash protection was evaluated using measurements of the head restraint setup, and following up on seat/head restraints with "Good" or "Acceptable" geometry with dynamic testing using a dummy that measures forces on the neck.
What this means to you: Tough grades for these small pickups.— Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent
IIHS called this type of impact the second most common type of fatal crash, saying side-impact accidents killed 9,000 people in 2006 alone. The institute concluded that small pickups provide less protection against this kind of accident than "many new cars and SUVs," and its president, Adrian Lund, even said most vehicles in this category "aren't good choices for people looking for safe transportation...until they improve."
The Institute also said that small pickups have the highest rates of driver deaths in accidents "of any vehicles on the road, including minicars" and said electronic stability control is an important feature needed on small trucks to improve safety. IIHS noted that the 2009 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon will have standard ESC, as will the 2009 Toyota Tacoma. It's optional on the Nissan Frontier.
The Toyota Tacoma earned the only "Good" rating, in part because of its curtain-style airbag that deployed from the roof above the side windows, IIHS said. Front crash performance was also "Good" on the Tacoma, but the seat/head restraints were given a "Marginal" rating for whiplash protection. Side airbags, which are currently optional on the Tacoma, were used in testing because they will be standard on 2009 models that come out this month.
The Dodge Dakota, Ford Ranger and Nissan Frontier received "Marginal" ratings in the testing, and the Ranger was also singled out for criticism of its rear jump seats. The Dodge Dakota was rated "Good" in frontal offset crash tests, and the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon got an "Acceptable" rating in those tests — but "Poor" in side testing because the driver dummy's head was hit by the top of the moving barrier used in the test and the side structure allowed "a lot more intrusion" into the passenger compartment than other trucks tested.
The IIHS tested the trucks with a 40-mph frontal offset crash and evaluated for side crash safety using a side impact by a barrier moving at 31 mph. Rear crash protection was evaluated using measurements of the head restraint setup, and following up on seat/head restraints with "Good" or "Acceptable" geometry with dynamic testing using a dummy that measures forces on the neck.
What this means to you: Tough grades for these small pickups.— Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent
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