Zac Quinn 
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently tested five crew cab pickups to gather new crash test scores, and the results could have been better. This is because all five trucks struggled in the agency’s updated moderate overlap front crash test evaluation with consideration for rear passenger safety, where none of them received the top score of “Good.” However, this IIHS crash test is already feeling a bit dated.
What Happened During The IIHS 2022 Midsize Truck Crash Test?
The five tested vehicles include the 2022-23 Nissan Frontier, Ford Ranger, Jeep Gladiator, and Toyota Tacoma. Meanwhile, the Chevrolet Colorado tested only reflects the 2022 model year – not the new one, which is important to note. The same goes for the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma. Both Toyota and Ford introduced their respective next-generation trucks for North America within the past month or so.
Of the five trucks, the Nissan Frontier (the newest of the bunch) was the only one that received an “Acceptable” score, while the Ford Ranger received “Marginal,” and the rest scored a “Poor” rating.
These trucks provided Good safety for the driver, but the rear passengers weren’t so lucky during the tests. The issue with the Chevrolet Colorado, Ford Ranger, Nissan Frontier, and Toyota Tacoma was that the restraints in the back seat allowed the dummy’s head to go too close to the front seatback.
Meanwhile, the Jeep Gladiator had a problem with a side curtain airbag which increased the risk of the rear dummy hitting something in the cabin during a collision. The Ford Ranger also had an issue where the rear dummy slid beneath the lap belt, which moved up from the pelvis to the abdomen, resulting in an increased risk of internal injuries.
The IIHS introduced the revised moderate overlap front test after the agency found that the risk of fatal injuries was higher for occupants in the back than in the front. However, these pickups are just some of the vehicles struggling with the more challenging crash test, small cars that have recently been evaluated also failed to receive a Good score. Meanwhile, Four mid-size SUVs got Good ratings, and two small SUVs scored the top grade. This is another reason SUVs have grown in popularity over the past few years.
The IIHS will eventually the new Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Colorado, and Toyota Tacoma once they’re available.
