The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has announced that the 2013 Toyota RAV4 has received a “poor” rating in the IIHS small overlap front crash test.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has announced that the 2013 Toyota RAV4 has received a “poor” rating in the IIHS small overlap front crash test. According to the IIHS a combination of poor structure and inadequate control of the dummy’s movement prevented the RAV4 from earning a better rating.
What went wrong? In the small overlap test the driver’s space was compromised by intruding structure, and the dummy’s left foot was trapped by crushed and buckled sheet metal in the footwell. Injury measures on the dummy indicated a high risk of injury to the lower left leg. The dummy’s head barely contacted the frontal airbag before sliding off the left side as the steering column moved more than 7 inches to the right, resulting in little airbag cushioning for the chest. Additionally, the safety belt allowed excessive forward movement of the dummy’s head and torso, contributing to the head hitting the instrument panel.
“This is a challenging test,” says Institute President Adrian Lund. “Most manufacturers are going to need to make significant changes to their vehicles in order to improve protection in these kinds of serious frontal crashes.”
The 2013 RAV4 has earned good ratings in the IIHS other four tests (overlap front, side, rollover and rear). Out of the 13 small SUVs that the IIHS has tested only the Subaru Forester and Mitsubishi Outlander Sport earned a good or acceptable rating for occupant protection in a small overlap crash.
Source: IIHS
