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ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Five of six small pickup trucks tested earned good or acceptable scores in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s updated side impact test.
The Chevrolet Colorado crew cab, GMC Canyon crew cab, and Honda Ridgeline crew cab received good ratings, while the Nissan Frontier and Ford Ranger crew cabs were rated as acceptable. Toyota Tacoma’s crew cab is rated as minor.
“Overall, these vehicles performed well,” said IIHS Senior Research Engineer Becky Mueller, whose work formed the basis of the new rating. “Their high ground clearance means that the barrier we use to present an impressive car directly hits the strong sill structures. This probably prevented too much intrusion into the passenger compartment, except in the Tacoma.”
The construction and roll cages of the Colorado, Canyon, and Ridgeline with good ratings have held up relatively well, contributing to the minimal risk of most injuries. However, the injury assessment obtained from the mannequins showed the possibility of a pelvic fracture in the driver of the Colorado, Canyon and especially the Ridgeline.
The Frontier’s construction held up the best of all six vehicles, and the Ranger’s passenger compartment also held up relatively well, minimizing the risk of most injuries. However, rear passenger dummies’ heads hit the center pillar through the side curtain airbags in both cars with an acceptable rating.
Although the measurements indicate a minimal risk of most injuries for the Marginal-rated Tacoma, its structure and roll cage were not properly supported in the crash. The impact from the crash barrier crumpled the door sill and center pillar, pushing the center pillar several inches off the center of the driver’s seat.
“It just brought the overall rating down to marginal,” Mueller said. “We put a lot of weight on structural characteristics because they are very closely related to survivability.”
The IIHS developed the updated side crash test after a study found that many real-world side crashes, which still account for nearly a quarter of passenger fatalities, are more serious than originally estimated.
The updated side impact test uses a heavier barrier that moves at a higher speed to simulate a car impact. The new barrier weighs 4,200 pounds—close to the weight of today’s midsize SUVs—and hit the test car at 37 mph, compared to the 3,300-pound barrier that hit 31 mph in the initial evaluation.
Currently, the updated test is not part of the IIHS award criteria. However, starting in 2023, a rating of “good” or “acceptable” will be required for the lower level THE BEST SAFETY CHOICE reward and good rating will be required for higher level THE BEST SAFETY CHOICE+.
All six vehicles scored well in the original side-by-side test.
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See attached image for full ratings for six small pickup trucks.
B-roll package with crash test footage, test preparation, vehicles on the road:
Thursday 11/17/2022, 10:30-11am ET (KU) GALAXY 17
SD transponder 14/slot 3 (dl11977V) bandwidth 6 MHz; symbol rate 3.9787 FEC ¾
HD transponder 14/upper (dl11989V) bandwidth 18 MHz; symbol rate 13.235 FEC ¾
Thursday 11/17/2022, 1:30-2 PM ET (KU) GALAXY 17
SD transponder 12/slot 4 (dl11943V) bandwidth 6 MHz; symbol rate 3.9787 FEC ¾
HD transponder 12/lower (dl11931V) bandwidth 18 MHz; symbol rate 13.235 FEC ¾
For more information, visit iihs.org
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an independent, nonprofit research and education organization dedicated to reducing the number of deaths, injuries, and property damage resulting from road traffic accidents through research and evaluation, as well as education for consumers, policymakers, and safety professionals. IIHS is fully supported by auto insurers.
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2022 Chevrolet Colorado crew cab in updated IIHS side crash test
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The IIHS has updated the crash test ratings for six small pickup models
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