The crash test ratings from the Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) are out and two mid-size SUVs didn’t perform well at all.
The tow mid-size SUVs that fared the worst are Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV’s (NYSE:FCAU) 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ford Motor Company’s (NYSE:F) 2018 Explorer. Both of these vehicles cam away with crash test ratings of “Poor.”
The Jeep Grand Cherokee’s Poor crash test rating comes from its results in the passenger-side small overlap test. There was intrusion of 10 inches at the lower door hinge pillar. The dummy in the crash also saw its head slide past the airbag and hit the dash. After this, the door came open and the dummy came out of the vehicle from the bounce back after the side airbag didn’t deploy.
The Ford Explorer’s performance for the crash test ratings also wasn’t anything to write home about. In the same test as the Jeep Grand Cherokee, it saw intrusion of “15 inches at the lower door hinge pillar and 13 inches at the upper door hinge pillar and the dashboard.”
The Ford Explorer also didn’t perform well in the driver-side small overlap protection. This was due to a lack in structural performance. The IIHS notes that Ford is currently in the process of redesigning the Explorer and plans to address these issues when it does.
Here’s crash test ratings from the other mid-size SUV’s that were a part of the tests.
- 2019 Kia Sorento — Good
- 2018 Volkswagen Atlas — Good
- 2018 GMC Acadia — Good
- 2018 Toyota Highlander — Acceptable
- 2018 Nissan Pathfinder — Acceptable
- 2018 Honda Pilot — Acceptable
You can learn more about the IIHS crash test ratings by following this link.
As of this writing, William White did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
