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Poor Safety Rating
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Record Breaker
Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Michigan - Arctic North
Poor Safety Rating
Some info. I found while reading one of my auto news "online" magazines... at least the SRT's are fast...
DODGE NEON BRINGS UP THE REAR IN POOR SHOWING FOR SMALL CARS IN SIDE-IMPACT TESTS
All 14 small car models evaluated without head-protecting side airbags received failing grades in side-impact crash tests reported this week by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. When two models—the Chevrolet Cobalt and Toyota Corolla—were tested with optional side airbags, their scores improved to “acceptable,” the second-highest ranking in the institute’s four-point evaluation system.
In the IIHS tests, a moving deformable barrier strikes the driver side of the vehicle at 31 mph. The barrier weighs 3,300 lbs. and is designed to simulate the front end of a pickup truck or SUV. In addition to versions of the Cobalt and Corolla without side airbags, the other vehicles receiving “poor” ratings were the Dodge Neon, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Spectra, Mazda3, Mitsubishi Lancer, Nissan Sentra, Saturn Ion, Suzuki Forenza and Aerio, and Volkswagen New Beetle.
The Elantra, Forenza, New Beetle and Spectra are equipped with standard side airbags with head protection. These vehicles got a “good” or “acceptable” rating regarding head injury measures recorded on driver crash test dummies. But they ended up with “poor” overall ratings because their structures allowed too much intrusion into the passenger cabin, thus recording high torso and/or pelvic injury measurements. IIHS deemed the Neon the least crashworthy of all small cars tested due to its poorly designed structure. The car offers optional side airbags, but Chrysler didn’t request a second round of testing with the safety feature. Previously the Neon received only a marginal rating in IIHS’s frontal impact tests—an area where most competitive models now score either a “good” or “acceptable.”
DODGE NEON BRINGS UP THE REAR IN POOR SHOWING FOR SMALL CARS IN SIDE-IMPACT TESTS
All 14 small car models evaluated without head-protecting side airbags received failing grades in side-impact crash tests reported this week by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. When two models—the Chevrolet Cobalt and Toyota Corolla—were tested with optional side airbags, their scores improved to “acceptable,” the second-highest ranking in the institute’s four-point evaluation system.
In the IIHS tests, a moving deformable barrier strikes the driver side of the vehicle at 31 mph. The barrier weighs 3,300 lbs. and is designed to simulate the front end of a pickup truck or SUV. In addition to versions of the Cobalt and Corolla without side airbags, the other vehicles receiving “poor” ratings were the Dodge Neon, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Spectra, Mazda3, Mitsubishi Lancer, Nissan Sentra, Saturn Ion, Suzuki Forenza and Aerio, and Volkswagen New Beetle.
The Elantra, Forenza, New Beetle and Spectra are equipped with standard side airbags with head protection. These vehicles got a “good” or “acceptable” rating regarding head injury measures recorded on driver crash test dummies. But they ended up with “poor” overall ratings because their structures allowed too much intrusion into the passenger cabin, thus recording high torso and/or pelvic injury measurements. IIHS deemed the Neon the least crashworthy of all small cars tested due to its poorly designed structure. The car offers optional side airbags, but Chrysler didn’t request a second round of testing with the safety feature. Previously the Neon received only a marginal rating in IIHS’s frontal impact tests—an area where most competitive models now score either a “good” or “acceptable.”
Veteran
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 277
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From:
RE: Poor Safety Rating
I could never understand the purpose of side impact testing. If you get hit at 30 mph than it's your fault for not noticing somthing going that slow and you not getting out of the way. Secondly anything faster than that is going to be even worse so really it doesn't matter what the rating because if you get hit in the side at 45 your dead or in critical condition. I t-boned a guy when I was doing 45 and if he had a front passanger they would have been dead for sure. And it's funny that they use a 3300 pound barrier to be the example of the idiot driver in the SUV or Truck. Crash ratings don't mean anything to me. There should be a driver rating and a big *** sticker on the windshield for those who failed the test.
Professional
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 236
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From:
RE: Poor Safety Rating
i used to drive a 71 datsun 1200 that was gutted and with me and my 2.4 i stuffed in it weighed 1900. i could kick the door and kill the person in it. seriously i could cave in the roof with my finger. the srt-4 is about 4000x safer than the datsun i drove daily in the Bay Area traffic for 2 years. those ratings dont mean jack to me. i dont drive a car to feel safe.
Professional
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 241
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RE: Poor Safety Rating
If you notice all small cars are crap on these crash tests. Motorcycles are bad at impact testing, guns are dangerous in the hands of idiots. A small car will get smashed by a pickup, wow, I should have a PHD in physics. I try to keep all the panels on the car shiney, besides the srt can pull out fast enough to avoid the t-bone. Insurance prices are the only reason for the tests (IIHS). Side curtain bags would be nice and lower our premium but that goes against the cheap (if you call 2X base price cheap) theme of our rides. I sure do miss my rusty truck bumpers for everyday driving, people see a spoiler and want to start playing bumper tag @ 80 mph. Im tired of the ahole drivers out there, I hate not being able to downshift and watch there eyes get as big as baseballs. I end up just mashing it, letum know what they dont have, then get back to my relaxing cruize. I need some James Bond oil slick mods, wonder if those purge valves flow oil...
