The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently tested four minivans for protection in small overlap front crashes, and only one vehicle's performance was "acceptable."
The small overlap test replicates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or an object like a tree or utility pole. In the test, 25% of a vehicle's front end on the driver side strikes a rigid barrier while traveling at 40 mph.
According to IIHS, this type of crash bypasses a vehicle's main energy-absorbing structure. Crashes like these are difficult for minivans to handle because they are typically built on car platforms, but are wider than cars -- meaning more of the vehicle is located outside the main structure.
Vehicles tested can earn a "Good," "Acceptable," "Marginal," or "Poor" rating overall and in six different categories, including severity of injury to crash test dummies.
The test performed by IIHS recreated some of the worst possible outcomes for small overlap front crashes, and three of the minivans tested earned "Poor" ratings.
Click through to see the best and worst minivans for safety in small overlap front crashes, as ranked by IIHS.
1. Honda Odyssey
IIHS tested the Honda Odyssey last year. The van earned a "Good" rating in the small overlap crash test, making it one of IIHS' Top Safety Pick+ award winners.
Vehicles with "Good" or "Acceptable" small overlap ratings, along with "Good" ratings in the moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraint tests, qualify for the Top Safety Pick award. Vehicles that meet those criteria and also earn a basic or higher rating for front crash prevention qualify for the Top Safety Pick+ award.
(AP Photo/American Honda Motor Co., Inc.)
2. Toyota Sienna
The Toyota Sienna is the only vehicle tested this year to earn a rating comparable to the Honda Odyssey. But it's not all good news.
Toyota modified the front structure of the 2015 model of the Sienna in an attempt to improve small overlap protection. Despite this, the Sienna didn't hold up well in the test. Intrusion measured 5-1/2 inches at the upper door hinge pillar and instrument panel. In the crash, the dummy's head contacted the front air bag, but then immediately slid off the left side. The seat belt also allowed the dummy to move too far forward.
However, what helped Sienna achieve its "Acceptable" rating was the side curtain airbag, which deployed and had sufficient forward coverage to protect the dummy's head from intruding parts of the structure. Measures taken from the dummy showed that the risk of any injuries would be low in a crash of this severity.
3. Chrysler Town & Country
The Chrysler Town & Country earned an overall "Poor" rating, with poor marks in structure damage as well as hip and thigh and lower leg and foot injuries.
In the crash, Town & Country's structure collapsed around the dummy. Intrusion measured 15 inches at the lower hinge pillar and the instrument panel.
The skin on the dummy's left lower leg was gouged by the intruding parking brake pedal, and its left knee skin was torn by a steel brace under the instrument panel. The head barely contacted the front airbag before sliding off and hitting the instrument panel, as the steering column moved to the right. The door sill and the steering column both moved in toward the driver. The side curtain airbag deployed but lacked sufficient forward coverage.
Measures taken from the dummy indicate that injuries to the left hip, left knee, and left lower leg would be likely in a crash of this severity.
4. Dodge Grand Caravan
Results for the Chrysler Town & Country also apply to the Dodge Caravan, its twin.
The Caravan received the same overall "Poor" rating, with "Poor" ratings in structure and left hip and thigh and lower leg and foot injuries.
5. Nissan Quest
The Nissan Quest was the most unsafe minivan tested by IIHS in the small overlap front crash test, despite earning "Good" ratings for restraints and kinematics.
The Quest's structure was pushed in nearly two feet at the lower hinge pillar, and the parking brake pedal moved 16 inches toward the driver. As a result, the dummy's left leg was trapped between the seat and instrument panel, and its right foot was caught between the brake pedal and toe pan. IIHS technicians had to cut the entire seat out and then use a crowbar to free the right foot.
The Quest's "Good" rating for restraints and kinematics is deceiving. This rating measures how well the seat belt and airbags work to control the dummy's movement. In the Quest, the dummy was held in place by the intruding structure, and the airbag was shoved into its face, keeping the measured risk of head injury low.
The forces measured all along the dummy's left leg, from the thigh to the foot, were very high, in some cases exceeding the limits of the sensors. According to IIHS, a real person in this crash would be lucky to ever walk normally again. A broken right femur also would be possible.
(AP Photo/Nissan, Mike Ditz)
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