Passenger-side tests of midsize SUVs reveal some major flaws

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We recently completed passenger-side small overlap front crash tests on eight midsize
SUVs to update our safety ratings for some of the most popular vehicles on the road today.
The Institute started doing small overlap front crash tests on the passenger side because
we had noticed that some automakers who had improved protection on the driver's side
were neglecting the passenger side.
We wanted to put them on notice that we expect the same protection for both the driver and
front seat passenger.
The vehicles that earned overall ratings of good were the 2019 Kia Sorento, which was
improved over its predecessor to provide better protection for front seat passengers, as well
as 2018 models of the GMC Acadia and Volkswagen Atlas.
The 2019 Kia Sorento is the only model among those we recently tested to earn an IIHS TOP
SAFETY PICK+ award.
Not only is it good in the current test, it's good in all of our crash test evaluations
and is available with a superior-rated front crash prevention system and good headlights.
The vehicles that earned an acceptable overall rating were the Toyota Highlander, Nissan
Pathfinder and Honda Pilot.
The Highlander and Pathfinder certainly have structures that could be improved.
And while the Pilot's got better structure, we observed that the dummy's head was able
to strike the dashboard hard, thus denying it a good overall rating.
The Ford Explorer is rated poor overall for small overlap front crash protection on the
passenger side.
The big problem is structural.
This portion collapsed more than a foot toward the passenger, severely
compromising the survival space.
In crashes like this, we see a higher risk of injury.
In our case, we saw forces measured on the dummy that are consistent with broken bones
or dislocations of the right hip and lower leg.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee is rated poor overall for small overlap front crash protection on
the passenger side.
The structure didn't hold up well, which probably contributed to the dummy's head
pushing through the airbag and hitting the dashboard hard.
In addition, the side curtain airbag didn't deploy, the door came open, indicating a risk
of ejection or partial ejection for people in crashes like this.
The current batch of testing clearly shows there's variation in the level of protection
afforded to right front passengers in small overlap front crashes.
Some vehicles provide good protection while others have deficiencies that need to be addressed.

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Passenger-side tests of midsize SUVs reveal some major flaws - IIHS News

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