Front Crash Tests Improve In Midsize SUVs

Results of crash tests for six SUVs show frontal crash protection has improved, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said.

However, the tests show there are significant differences in how well SUVs protect people in serious side crashes.

"The performance of some of these models in the side test was surprising," said IIHS senior vice president David Zuby. "SUVs should have an advantage in side crashes because the driver and passengers ride higher up than in cars. People often think they’re safer in one of these vehicles, but many cars hold up better than some of these midsize SUVs in this test."

Among the worst performers in the side test are the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chevrolet TrailBlazer, even though both are equipped with standard side air bags. The front and side tests recently were conducted by the IIHS to evaluate how well midsize SUVs protect people in the two most common kinds of serious crashes. Rear crash protection ratings for these models were released earlier this year.

Five of the six SUVs earn the top rating of good in the IIHS' 40 mph frontal offset test. The Chevrolet TrailBlazer is the only one to earn an acceptable rating for frontal crash protection. Based on overall results of front, side, and rear tests, the TrailBlazer is the lowest rated current model midsize SUV tested by the institute.

Performance varied considerably in the side test that replicates a 31 mph crash in which the striking vehicle is another SUV or pickup. Two Nissan SUVs, the Pathfinder and Xterra, are rated good for protection in side impacts, but only when they’re equipped with optional side air bags. Without the option, these SUVs earn marginal ratings.

The Toyota 4Runner equipped with standard side air bags is rated good, the Ford Explorer with standard side air bags earns an acceptable rating, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Chevrolet TrailBlazer, both with standard side air bags, are marginal.

2 Don't Protect Torso

The Grand Cherokee and TrailBlazer are equipped with standard curtain-style side air bags designed to protect the heads of occupants in front and rear seats. But unlike most cars with side air bags, these two SUVs don’t have additional sets of air bags to protect front-seat occupants’ chests and abdomens.

"Head protection is rated good in both vehicles, but the lack of chest protection and weak side structures that allowed a lot of intrusion contributed to high forces on the driver dummies’ chests and abdomens," Zuby said.

The side structures of the 4Runner, Pathfinder, and Xterra performed better, allowing less intrusion into the occupant compartment. The standard side air bags in the 4Runner and the optional ones in the Pathfinder and Xterra include torso as well as head protection.

Torso and head curtain air bags also are standard in the Explorer. While head protection was good in the Explorer, intrusion into the occupant compartment contributed to the possibility that someone in a real-world crash of similar severity would suffer a broken pelvis.

Standard side air bags are becoming more common across the vehicle fleet, but they’re standard in more cars than in SUVs. Among 2007 models, 71 percent of the cars have standard side air bags that protect both the head and chest while such protection is standard in only 48 percent of SUVs.

Front Crash Test Improvement

Four midsize SUVs in this group improved compared with their predecessor designs. The 1997-04 model Pathfinder, 1999-04 Grand Cherokee, and 2002-04 TrailBlazer were rated marginal for frontal crash protection. The 2000-04 Xterra was rated acceptable. All four of the new versions improve to good except the TrailBlazer, which improves to acceptable.

SUVs are safer now especially with the addition of electronic stability control, which is standard on all the models in this group. But, none of the six SUVs earned the Institute’s Top Safety Pick designation because of low ratings for protection in side and/or rear impacts.

"If you’re in the market for a midsize SUV, there’s no reason to buy one with mediocre crash test ratings," Zuby said. "Vehicles like the Ford Edge and Taurus X, Honda Pilot, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Subaru Tribeca would be safer choices."

Those five models, tested earlier this year, earned the IIHS Top Safety Pick designation.