Sam Krahn 
Last week, video surfaced of of the Jeep Wranger small overlap IIHS crash test that somehow resulted in a rollover. This is the first time any vehicle has rolled in this type of test, so it doesn’t exactly assure people of the JL Wrangler’s safety. Luckily, Jalopnik reports Jeep is working on a fix for the Wrangler rollover.
If you missed the video, which you can watch above, the JL 2019 Jeep Wrangler IIHS small overlap front crash resulted in the Wrangler tipping onto its side. Other than the roll, the Wrangler actually did quite well in the test, but the roll dropped it to a “marginal” score, considering no other vehicle has rolled in the test. This is especially concerning, considering the Jeep Wrangler’s doors can be removed. Tipping over when the doors are off could result in a dangerous ejection from the vehicle. Still, it’s worth noting the Jeep Wrangler earns a “good” rating in all other tests.
Given the significance and alarming nature of the result, it caught the attention of many. Jalopnik reached out to both Jeep and the IIHS, resulting in some interesting conclusions. First, both the IIHS and Jeep assured the Wrangler is still a safe vehicle, hence the strong ratings in other categories. Next, Jeep claimed they are working on a fix for the surprising Wrangler rollover, and they will plan to re-crash the vehicle after these issues are addressed.
But Jeep also said the test doesn’t totally reflect “real world data.”
Jeep told Jalopnik they are not aware of any real world scenario where any of the near 500,000 JL Wranglers produced since 2017 having incidents that correlate to the IIHS test. They added that no test can completely recreate real-world car accidents. Which is true – the myriad variables in real world collisions are nearly impossible to replicate in a lab without unlimited time and capital expenses. One could say that crash ratings are only rough estimates of safety.
Moral of the story here is the Wrangler rollover surprised both Jeep and IIHS, and it’s unclear why the SUV tipped over from a frontal impact. Luckily, it seems like there is cooperation between the two parties to get to the bottom of the issue, and resolve it.
