Crash Tests Give Lowest SUV Safety Ratings to Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), an insurance industry non-profit whose mission is to reduce insurance claims costs, runs crash tests on new model year passenger vehicles and rates them in four categories: good, acceptable, marginal or poor. The Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee did not fare well during this year’s testing.

Overall, in its latest crash test of sport utility vehicles in June 2018, the IIHS found a host of issues with the midsize vehicles tested, “including structural collapse, an airbag nondeployment, hard hits to the dummy’s head and an open door.” The only crash test that 75% of the vehicles earned “good” or “acceptable” in, was the passenger-side small overlap test, a new addition to the battery of crash tests IIHS conducts to make sure that passengers are given equal protection in a collision.

What is a small overlap crash?

When two cars collide, or when one vehicle hits a stationary object, the force is often enough to crumple the front of the car. In a small overlap crash, “the front corner of the vehicle strikes another vehicle or an object such as a tree or utility pole.” For example, say you were pulling out of a cramped parking space, and clipped the car parked in front of you. At that speed, the damage is likely to be minimal.

But at 40 mph – which is how fast the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the vehicles were traveling during the test – the impact could lead to serious structural damage, putting you at risk. Passengers are at a greater risk, because not as much work has been done, IIHS says, to protect them in small overlap crashes. Part of the vehicle itself, or an object outside of the vehicle can intrude and seriously injure the passenger.

According to CBS News, “The Insurance Institute estimates 25 percent of serious injuries and fatalities from frontal crashes are the result of these types of accidents.”

Why the Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee failed the test

The IIHS reports that the Ford Explorer earned a “poor” rating because of serious damage to the structure of the vehicle in the crash tests:

Intrusion reached 15 inches at the lower door hinge pillar and 13 inches at the upper door hinge pillar and the dashboard. The door sill was pushed in 6 inches toward the dummy. Measures taken from the dummy showed a high likelihood of injuries to the right hip in a real-world crash of the same severity, as well as a possibility of left lower leg injuries.

Likewise, the Jeep Grand Cherokee had significant issues involving damage to the passenger dummy, which resulted in a “poor” rating:

The Jeep Grand Cherokee had maximum intrusion of 10 inches at the lower door hinge pillar. More alarming was what happened to the passenger dummy’s head. It hit the dashboard hard through the front airbag and then, because the side curtain airbag didn’t deploy and the door opened, it moved outside the vehicle during rebound. Measures from the dummy indicated that right leg injuries would be likely in a crash of this severity and a head injury would be possible.

The 2019 Kia Sorento and the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas scored a “good” in every category of passenger protection. The 2018 GMC Acadia scored a “good” in six out the seven categories.

The IIHS rating system can be helpful to consumers who are safety-conscious when shopping for a new vehicle. However, it is important to know that IIHS standards are the minimum safety standards, and automotive vehicle manufactures often fail to implement safer designs that are feasible, yet cost slightly more to manufacturer. In addition, it is not unusual for manufacturers to make safety an option, including features such as collision avoidance technology.

If you are injured in a car crash that was caused by a design defect, an experienced Georgia products liability attorney at Harris Lowry Manton is ready to represent you.

At Harris Lowry Manton LLP, our lawyers have won significant verdicts and settlements on behalf of clients injured by auto defects, including a $40 million jury verdict on behalf of a family related to the faulty design of a Ford Explorer. To discuss your injuries and your legal options after a car crash, please call us in Atlanta at 404-961-7650, in Savannah at 912-651-9967, or complete our contact form today.

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