Three Popular SUVs Fail New IIHS Whiplash Test

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is always looking at new tests and procedures to help make vehicles safer in the event of a collision. The agency’s latest test is a new seat and head restraint evaluation targeting neck injuries stemming from rear-end crashes. The IIHS just conclude the first ever evaluations for this new test and well, things didn’t go so well.

“Neck sprains and strains are the most frequently reported injuries in U.S. auto insurance claims,” IIHS President David Harkey said. “This new test challenges automakers to further improve their seats and head restraints to provide better protection in the rear impacts that typically cause these injuries.”

The New Test

The IIHS has introduced this new test to replace the institute’s original head restraint evaluation. In the new whiplash test, a simulated rear impact is performed that is less destructive than the usual rear-impact crash test. To conduct the test, the driver seat is removed from the vehicle and secured to a test-sled. Then, a midsize male crash-test dummy, complete with an articulated spine, is placed in the driver seat. The sled suddenly shoots forward with acceleration, to simulate the effect of a stationary vehicle being struck from behind.

This new evaluation replaces the original one, which involved a single pulse of impact, equivalent to being struck at 20 mph by a vehicle of the same weight. It was discontinued a few years ago because, like every crash test, automakers began to design vehicles to achieve top ratings on this specific test only.

The Results

Eighteen small SUVs were evaluated spanning from mainstream to luxury offerings. Of those 18 SUVs, only 4 performed to a Good rating in the test. Those that excelled in the new whiplash prevention test include the Audi Q3, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4. It’s an interesting cross-section of vehicles including EV, luxury, and mainstream SUVs.

Landing with a mere Acceptable rating were nine of the SUVs tested, the Buick Encore GX, Chevrolet Equinox, Honda CR-V, Jeep Compass, Kia Sportage, Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class, Mitsubishi Outlander, Volkswagen Taos and Volvo XC40. Testing just below these vehicles were the BMW X1 and Nissan Rogue which achieved a Marginal rating.

At the bottom end of the pool, achieving a Poor rating, were some surprises: the Ford Bronco Sport, Hyundai Tucson and Mazda CX-50. The Tucson is a bit of a conundrum as the brand’s all electric, similarly sized Ioniq 5 aced the test.

Why They Failed

The poor-rated vehicles had the dummy’s head move a great deal relative to the spine. According to the IIHS:

Ideally, the upper eight vertebrae that comprise the cervical spine should retain their natural curvature. Instead, video footage clearly shows these vertebrae stretching and straightening.

In the Tucson, the head restraint pushed the chin down toward the chest. In the CX-50, it allowed the head to slide backward and upward.

The Bronco Sport provided particularly poor support for the head and spine. It took a long time for the head restraint to contact the head, and the difference in velocity between the pelvis and head was very high.

“We don’t yet fully understand the mechanisms that cause whiplash injuries,” said Marcy Edwards, the IIHS senior research engineer who developed the new evaluation. “But our research makes us confident that reducing these types of movements and stresses should cut down on whiplash injuries in the real world.”

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