New IIHS Side Impact Tests

[SpeedNeed]

Interesting, the new IIHA side impact tests on the 4-door Wrangler WOULD HAVE put it as one of only three vehicles with “Good” ratings across the board….BUT the lack of rear air bags slammed passenger heads and dropped the overall to “Marginal”. It‘s something to keep in mind.

Look for the official Jeep MOPAR accessory Passenger Helmet later this year, matching paint options starting 2024.

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[NachoRuby]

Not bad though, for a vehicle with a removable roof and doors. I could see them adding rear airbags soon to fix this at mid-cycle update

 

[bleda2002]

Not bad though, for a vehicle with a removable roof and doors. I could see them adding rear airbags soon to fix this at mid-cycle update

As someone with young children working in to boosters the lack of rear head protection is something that bothers me. I don't need curtain airbags but at the minimum side air bags like the front that cover the head from the window would be nice.

 

[Mister Lamb]

As someone with young children working in to boosters the lack of rear head protection is something that bothers me. I don't need curtain airbags but at the minimum side air bags like the front that cover the head from the window would be nice.

As a new father myself, if anything ever happened to my child because of the decision to choose a hunk of metal over their safety I'd never forgive myself.

You're about to find my entire truck for sale in the Members Marketplace lol

 

[Summitsearcher]

Hell, when I was a kid we didn’t even have seatbelts. Came home from the hospital in my mothers arms on the front seat facing a metal dash plate.

 

[NachoRuby]

As a new father myself, if anything ever happened to my child because of the decision to choose a hunk of metal over their safety I'd never forgive myself.

You're about to find my entire truck for sale in the Members Marketplace lol

Note that the "injuries" section is good for head and neck, but protection is poor. We automatically got a poor rating even though there are no injuries, because we don't have an air bag there. So everything tested good, they just don't like that jeeps don't have side air bags. It's an automatic poor, because it's non existent. Safety-wise, everything came out good.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Note that the "injuries" section is good for head and neck, but protection is poor. We automatically got a poor rating even though there are no injuries, because we don't have an air bag there. So everything tested good, they just don't like that jeeps don't have side air bags. It's an automatic poor, because it's non existent. Safety-wise, everything came out good.

My oldest son came home in a 77 AMX. #2 son came home in an 84 Eagle.
For years, our oldest rode in his car seat in either the AMX or the 75 Gremlin. No air bags at all.
Then we all rode most places in the Eagle.
Later I got the Comanche (and she got the Eagle in the divorce)
So they rode in an 87 Jeep truck or the Eagle.
Not that I don't appreciate the safety stuff, I do......... but..........
If they were young kids now, I'd consider either of our Jeeps very safe - and for sure safer than other vehicles we've had. It's all relative, I guess.

 

[DanW]

Interesting, the new IIHA side impact tests on the 4-door Wrangler WOULD HAVE put it as one of only three vehicles with “Good” ratings across the board….BUT the lack of rear air bags slammed passenger heads and dropped the overall to “Marginal”. It‘s something to keep in mind.

Look for the official Jeep MOPAR accessory Passenger Helmet later this year, matching paint options starting 2024.

The test I pay attention to is with actual injury claim rate. In that, the Wrangler has historically been one of the lowest on the road in the US. I'd expect Gladiator to be similar, but time will tell.

 

[CerOf]

I’m not worried about the airbag situation. Didn’t worry when I strapped my kids into my old JKU.
Being a larger vehicle, with a lift, most vehicles will hit low, the energy, if hit hard enough, will make me flop over.

PS I rode my Harley to McDonalds without a helmet this morning.

 

[SpeedNeed]

There is a video, the Wangler starts at roughly 1:38, the rear seat dummy sustains a serious head inury.
https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/most-midsize-suvs-perform-well-in-new-side-test

 

[Mister Lamb]

There is a video, the Wangler starts at roughly 1:38, the rear seat dummy sustains a serious head inury.
https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/most-midsize-suvs-perform-well-in-new-side-test

The video wouldn't work for me on the website. Here it is directly on YouTube:

. Wrangler at 1:34. It doesn't look too pretty.

Realistically these side impact collisions are going to happen at intersections with blown red lights and blown stop signs. Taking extra time will go a long way.

I’m not worried about the airbag situation. Didn’t worry when I strapped my kids into my old JKU.
Being a larger vehicle, with a lift, most vehicles will hit low, the energy, if hit hard enough, will make me flop over.

PS I rode my Harley to McDonalds without a helmet this morning.

I feel like flopping over isn't a terrible outcome unless it happens on the highway and there's a secondary collision at the top of my head....

 

[DanW]

Another thing to remember is that government crash testing is done in a way that nullifies the physical advantages of larger, heavier vehicles. If they truly cared about your safety, they would recommend larger, heavier vehicles. But they don't. They want you in lighter, more fuel efficient vehicles.

It is how a large SUV or pickup truck can score lower than a Honda Civic or a Prius. But which would you rather be driving if in a crash?

Again, I'd look at actual injury claims according to the insurance industry. 4 door Wranglers have always been at or near the lowest in the US.

 

[JTBurns]

Drive that giant Toaster defensively!

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I feel like flopping over isn't a terrible outcome unless it happens on the highway and there's a secondary collision at the top of my head....

Having worked where we had 24/7 towing - it's very real, and in town, even. Not the highway.
And like my sister-in-law discovered the hard way, you don't know how fast others drive in town.
She was leaving our agency building going back to work on the south side of town to the agency she worked for and had to go through downtown Des Moines to get there. This was around lunch time. She had a green light heading south on a one-way street. She was in the right lane.
The cross-traffic was 3 lanes one way heading east. They had the red and she saw traffic stopped at the light. In the right lane of that one-way that had the red, along came a guy either not paying attention, or was thinking it would be green when he got there, who knows. He was clipping along fast and that's not easy to do in downtown Des Moines at lunch time.
Deb was driving her Blazer - she got into the intersection thinking all was fine because she saw other traffic stopped - and right in the intersection - WHAM!
Side impact to her Blazer. It impact does what they always do in those cases, blew the side glass out of her Blazer, flipped it up onto the left A-pillar, collapsing it to within less than a foot of the dash, crushing down that corner of the roof, her Blazer -still moving east due to the impact, landed on the left side. Aside from blowing the glass out, the energy, inertia, her left arm was out that window when her Blazer finally landed/settled on the left side, still sliding on the pavement.
Her arm was between left side of the Blazer and the concrete as it slid to a stop. It ripped the flesh off her arm down to tendons, all but to the bone.
Keep in mine, this was in downtown Des Moines, city streets, lunch time.
She was taken to Mercy emergency (HAHA, there's a joke) where she laid on a gurney in the hall until about 11:30 pm before someone finally got her into a room and dealt with her arm. (the sniffling kids take priority in ER, I know, I've been there)

So, my point is - the Blazer was a framed SUV, basically based on a light truck. It wasn't highway speeds, although I don't know what the other clown's speed was finally determined to be - couldn't be highway speeds, though - there's a stop light at every intersection, every block.
Her SUV flipped, crushed the A pillar down, blew the glass out, it landed on the left side and slid.

Yeah, side impact MAY be important at any time. You can only do so much to protect against the idiots on the road who believe what they need or desire is more important than what others are trying to do.
Deb went through several surgeries to fill in the missing material.
She asked me to retrieve her personal possessions out of the Blazer, it was a real mess and I don't know how her skull wasn't busted.

I was in an accident in the late 70s that totaled my 9 month old AMX - speed limit - 45 mph. Idiot pulled out in front of me, I tried to avoid him but in the days before ABS, my car slid sideways and was hit by an oncoming car.
The side glass was blown out all around, the impact blew my glasses off my face and several yards to the left of my car.
My boss was frantic - I was late for work for the first time in history and he got a tow call from the city, and he knew the route I took to work. I worked on the state trooper cars and knew a lot of the troopers, especially the one assigned to do the accident investigation. He said the car saved my life, but anyone in the passenger seat would have been killed on impact. He asked permission to use my car and the accident particulars to make a training video and some class training materials.

In town, speed limit where it actually happened was 45, but the other car was coming out of a 35 and since it was really rainy, I bet they weren't even going 40. I was slowing anyway as I knew I was heading into that upcoming 35 limit (the lawyers for the guy who pulled out in front of me tried to trip me up but I knew exact locations of every sign and speed limit on that stretch of road)

 

[@californiajeeping]

Notice this is a sport s with no rock sliders 32" tires and lower suspension.

This is a moot point once you add rock sliders bumpers a lift and tires because most vehicles will hit under the rocker and wont crush it if you have side protection.

They could add a crappy airbag in the seat next year and clear that up.

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