Aug 6, 2008

Crash Tests of Small Pickups Garner Dismal Results

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an insurance-industry-funded organization that looks at safety and potential insurances losses, small pickup trucks aren’t providing as much protection in side crashes as many new cars and SUVs. The Toyota Tacoma was the only one of five small pickup trucks -- all 2008 models -- to earn the highest rating of “good” for occupant protection in recent side crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The Dodge Dakota, Ford Ranger and Nissan Frontier were rated “marginal,” and the Chevrolet Colorado was rated “poor” in the side test, which simulates a side impact from an SUV or another pickup.

In publicizing its tests, the IIHS also noted electronic stability control, a feature that can help prevent crashes, is not available on many pickups. The system is standard on 12 percent of 2008 pickups, and it is not available at all as an option on 67 percent of the small pickups on the U.S. market. In contrast, various electronic stability control systems are standard on 64 percent of cars and 95 percent of SUVs. The only pickups in the tested group with available electronic stability control were the Tacoma and Frontier. Toyota has made this feature standard on the Tacoma, starting with 2009 models.