Small Pickups Graded Harshly in IIHS Side Crash Testing

Tag : Curtain Style


IIHS called this type of impact the second most common type offatal crash, saying side-impact accidents killed 9,000 people in2006 alone. The institute concluded that small pickups provide lessprotection against this kind of accident than "many new cars andSUVs," and its president, Adrian Lund, even said most vehicles inthis category "aren"t good choices for people looking for safetransportation...until they improve."

The Institute also said that small pickups have the highest ratesof driver deaths in accidents "of any vehicles on the road,including minicars" and said electronic stability control is animportant feature needed on small trucks to improve safety. IIHSnoted that the 2009 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon will have standard ESC, as will the 2009 Toyota Tacoma. It'soptional on the Nissan Frontier.

The Toyota Tacoma earned the only "Good" rating, in part because ofits curtain-style airbag that deployed from the roof above the sidewindows, IIHS said. Front crash performance was also "Good" on theTacoma, but the seat/head restraints were given a "Marginal" ratingfor whiplash protection. Side airbags, which are currently optionalon the Tacoma, were used in testing because they will be standardon 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 singledout for criticism of its rear jump seats. The Dodge Dakota wasrated "good" in frontal offset crash tests, and the ChevroletColorado/GMC Canyon got an "Acceptable" rating in those tests— but "Poor" in side testing because the driver dummy's headwas hit by the top of the moving barrier used in the test and theside structure allowed "a lot more intrusion" into the passengercompartment than other trucks tested.

The IIHS tested the trucks with a 40-mph frontal offset crash andevaluated for side crash safety using a side impact by a barriermoving at 31 mph. Rear crash protection was evaluated usingmeasurements of the head restraint setup, and following up onseat/head restraints with "Good" or "Acceptable" geometry withdynamic testing using a dummy that measures forces on the neck.