Ford, Chevy And Ram Pickups Flunk New Rear Passenger Crash Test
Full-size crew cab pickups may look like they provide extra occupant safety, but all of them perform poorly on a new IIHS crash test focused on rear seat passengers.
The 2023 Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Ram 1500 all earned Poor overall grades for rear passenger injuries on the organization’s updated moderate overlap front test, while the Toyota Tundra received a Marginal score.
The test was added to the IIHS regimen last year and automakers are still working to address it in the engineering of their vehicles. A Marginal overall score is required to earn one of the IIHS Top Safety Pick awards in 2023 but an Acceptable or Good overall score will be needed to receive the highest Top Safety Pick+ designation from the IIHS starting next year.
The four pickups were all given Poor scores for the “rear passenger restraints and kinematics” portion of the evaluation. The main issue was their ability to secure the dummy, which is designed to represent a small woman or 12-year-old child.
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“Submarining was a problem for all four pickups, and belt forces were too high in all but the Tundra,†IIHS President David Harkey said.
The Ford and Ram had the worst results for head, neck and chest injuries, earning Poor scores in those categories.
In contrast, all of the vehicles recieved the top Good rating for front seat passenger safety in the test.
“This is not because the second row has become less safe,” Harkey said. “Rather, the front seat has become safer because of improved airbags and advanced seat belts that are rarely available in back.
“Even with these developments, the back seat remains the safest place for children, who can be injured by an inflating front airbag, and the rating does not apply to children secured properly in child safety
seats.”
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The four trucks did better on an updated side crash test, which now simulates a collision with a heavier vehicle than the old version. The Toyota, Ford and Ram earned Good overall ratings, while the Chevy was given an Acceptable rating.
The Toyota is currently a Top Safety Pick+ and the Ford and Ram are Top Safety Picks, but the Chevrolet achieved neither ranking.
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