Most Dangerous Cars (Long Read)

[Buena Fortuna]

Forbes List

Earlier this week, Ford Motor and General Motors announced dismal sales results for the month of January. With all the industry's giants--evenToyota--struggling so mightily, it's a wonder how any automaker can survive the global recession by continuing to crank out unsafe cars.

Still, they do--scores of them. In good times and bad alike, automakers design, build, produce and sell dozens of models that fail to impress in crash and rollover tests. The 2009 model year is no exception.

"Definitely the economy is going to play a big role in some of this stuff," says Doug Scott, senior vice president of GfK Automotive, a market research and consulting firm. "Things like safety are probably, if not put on hold, then money will simply be pulled from these sorts of things toward something else."

Behind the Numbers
To compile our list of the most dangerous vehicles of 2009, we used crash results from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and rollover ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA awards up to five stars for rollover safety, while IIHS uses a scale of "good," "acceptable," "marginal" and "poor."

After each IIHS crash, the test dummies are checked for trauma in 28 regions for front crashes and 37 regions for side crashes, with each region earning a rating based on specific parameters for trauma. A "poor" rating means severe and possibly fatal trauma happened to drivers and/or passengers during the crash, while a "good" rating means little to no trauma occurred.

We awarded point values for each NHTSA and IIHS rating, with more points awarded for better results. The 16 cars on our list scored the lowest number of total points.

Among the lowest-scoring are the Chevrolet Trailblazer SUV, the Kia Rio small sedan and the Ford Ranger pickup.

All three indicate that there's no single type of vehicle to avoid, based on our list--it features small cars, SUVs and even trucks. Mid-size sedans, crossovers and wagons are completely absent from the list.

Pros and Cons
Avoiding purchasing any car on this list, however, could be a rush to judgment. Along with taking these ratings into consideration, consumers should think about where they live and what kind of driving they do, as that will determine what kind of car will suit them best.

Those who live in urban centers and rarely venture onto the highway, for example, might need only a small auto in which to skip around town. At slower speeds on less perilous roads, a lower safety rating won't matter much.

Also, some cars on our list performed satisfactorily under certain tests, but worse on others. Jeep'sLiberty and Wrangler, for example, both received "good" front-impact ratings from IIHS. But their lackluster performance in rear and side crashes relegated them to our list. (Wrangler doors are removable, which affects their strength.)

Along with the Jeeps, several light trucks found their way onto the list as well, mostly for their poor rear-crash results as well as their propensity to roll over. The Ford Ranger and Mazda B Series, both light pickups, each earned "poor" rear-impact ratings from IIHS, and three out of five stars from NHTSA's rollover tests.

Some small, entry-level cars performed just as poorly. The $9,970 Hyundai Accent and $12,145 Kia Rio have standard front and side airbags (the Rio offers standard dual front advanced airbags, front seat-mounted side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags) but received several "poor" ratings. Their short stature means a side impact hits a driver or passenger directly in the torso or head, whereas taller vehicles position people above the point of a side impact. That means injuries in the shorter car will be much more severe, despite the airbags.

"Imagine being out on the road and being hit in the side of your car by a vehicle going 30," says IIHS senior vice president David Zuby. "That's what that is."

Kia issued a statement standing by its product, saying, "The Kia product lineup has offered increasing levels of safety equipment such as these over the past few years, and we plan to continue that trend with each new product we introduce."

Rethink the Ratings

While crash tests are important, it's equally important to consider that not all ratings are alike, as many of the automakers with vehicles on our list point out. When assigning its ratings, IIHS sets the bar significantly higher than federal standards.

"The front and side crash tests are what we would generally refer to as being high-speed crash tests," Zuby says. "The front is 40 miles an hour into an unmoving barrier. That's pretty severe. For the side crash, we have a vehicle that mimics a pickup truck or an SUV, and we crash it into the side of the test vehicle at 30 miles an hour."

All of the vehicles on our list meet federal safety requirements. Some of them, like the Accent, even exceed one or two requirements but fail the IIHS tests. Another, the Nissan Frontier small pickup, received a "good" rating in the IIHS frontal test and in government-run tests, but got "marginal" and "poor" IIHS ratings for side and rear tests, respectively.

Striking a Balance
What's most important for buyers is finding cars that are safe but also suited to their individual needs. The 1,808-pound, $11,990 Smart Fortwo, for example, is the smallest car on the road and received solid safety ratings for both crashes and rollovers--it didn't come close to making our list. But that doesn't make the car the safest or best for a large or tall person.

People who struggle to reach the pedals or who are too short to see clearly out of the back of a truck or SUV, however, will be safer in a smaller car, says Christie Hyde, the manager for automotive and traffic safety at AAA.

"A petite older lady probably would have problems in some of these big SUVs; it would be dangerous for her to drive [one]," Hyde says. "Whereas someone who is taller wouldn't have a problem because they can easily reach the pedals, they can easily see."

The best policy for buyers concerned about safety is to find balance in a mid-size sedan, crossover or wagon. Check for standard side-curtain airbags, rear head restraints and electronic stability control. NHTSA estimates that stability control reduces single-car crashes by 26% and reduces passenger rollovers by 64%. It can prevent 85% of SUV rollovers in single-vehicle crashes.

Finally, don't skimp on rear-crash protection just because those accidents tend not to be fatal--a rear-end crash happens every 17 seconds in the U.S., according to Consumer Reports.

No one dies from whiplash, Zuby says, but safety isn't something to be compromised, even slightly.

The Automakers' Responses
Chrysler
Thank you for providing us the opportunity to respond. These vehicles performed well in many of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) and National Highway Transportation Safety Association's (NHTSA) crash tests. For example, the Nitro and Liberty received five stars in the government's front- and side-impact test (driver and rear occupant) and received IIHS' highest rating for frontal crashworthiness. All Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles meet or exceed all applicable Federal Safety standards.

No single test can determine a vehicle's overall safety performance. Results from NHTSA, IIHS and other third-party test programs are reviewed by our engineers as part of our effort to continuously improve the overall performance of our vehicles. Our priority continues to be on designing vehicles that perform safely for our customers and their families in everyday driving conditions.

Ford
All Ford Motor vehicles are tested to our extremely tough internal safety standards and have excellent real-world performance records. Ford also leads in third-party safety ratings with the most five-star government crash rating of any brand and the most Insurance Institute of Highway Safety "Top Safety Picks" of any company. The Ford Ranger's crash-test ratings are competitive with other small trucks. The Ranger also has a long track record of real-world safety and performs competitively with other small trucks and all other vehicles in terms of insurance injury claims data. The 2010 Ranger will build on this safety legacy with the addition of standard roll stability control and standard side air bags, making it one of the only small pickups to offer both of these advanced safety technologies as standard features.

General Motors
Thanks for the opportunity to respond. The HUMMER H3 utilizes a full complement of safety advances to protect occupants. These vehicles are tested to perform in a range of real-world conditions. As a result, General Motors vehicles meet or exceed federal safety guidelines set forth by the NHTSA. We conduct tests that measure more than 150 different types of criteria on our vehicles. Of those, about 25% are called for in regulatory or consumer information tests. In the case of the H3, it receives the highest (five-star) government crash-test rating for frontal driver and rear passenger safety, and it utilizes a full array of standard active and passive safety systems to ensure vehicle occupants' safety. Finally, all GM vehicles have OnStar by GM, which uses innovative and simple technology to deliver peace of mind to drivers through unmatched safety, security and communications services.

Hyundai
The Accent fully complies with all federal motor vehicle safety standards. Every Accent is equipped with side-impact airbags and side curtain airbags as standard equipment. The Accent received the highest frontal crash test rating (five stars) for both the driver and front passenger when tested by the U.S. government's NHTSA at a speed producing crash energy 36% in excess of the requirements of the federal motor vehicle safety standard.

The Accent also received the second highest rating (four stars) for the front passenger and the mid rating (three stars) for the rear passenger in the severe 38.5 mph 3,015 pound moving barrier federal government side-impact test, which was conducted at a speed producing crash energy 32% in excess of the federal, motor vehicle safety standard.

Kia
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your inquiry about Forbes' ratings. At Kia, we place a priority on manufacturing and selling safe vehicles, and Kia meets or exceeds all federal motor vehicle safety standards. In addition, the Rio offers standard dual front advanced airbags, front seat-mounted side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags.

Although we haven't been provided the methodology used in creating the ratings, we understand that the ratings are based, in part, upon NHTSA crash ratings and ratings by the IIHS. The Kia Rio received five-star ratings for passengers in frontal crashes and four-star ratings for driver side impacts and rollover by the NHTSA. The IIHS test is even more severe than the NHTSA crash tests. Indeed, IIHS states in its own words that, "The Institute's side-impact test is severe. Given the designs of today's vehicles, it's unlikely that people in real-world crashes as severe as this test would emerge uninjured."

It is also important to note the many active safety benefits provided by Rio. The Rio line offers an extensive list of standard safety technology beyond airbags, including: side-impact door beams, an impact absorbing steering column, front and rear crumple zones, front and rear three-point seat belts, front seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters, Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) and a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). A four-sensor, four-channel anti-lock brake system (ABS) is an available option on LX and SX models.

The Kia product lineup has offered increasing levels of safety equipment such as these over the past few years, and we plan to continue that trend with each new product we introduce. We expect to continue this trend with the Rio.

Nissan
Nissan strives to develop cars and trucks that offer style, value and reliable performance for consumers. We are committed to product safety and take the satisfaction and wellbeing of our customers very seriously. All Nissan vehicles are designed and engineered to meet or surpass U.S. federal safety regulations as well as our own rigorous internal safety requirements. The Frontier is no exception.

We have not had the opportunity to review the methodology Forbes used to compile their list. However, consumers can be assured that we design all of our products to provide high levels of occupant safety in a wide range of real-world crash scenarios, including (but not limited to) side-impact, front and rear crashes.

Suzuki
Thanks for the chance to respond to your safety subject matter. At Suzuki we place a priority on manufacturing and selling safe vehicles; obviously, the Suzuki Equator complies with all federal motor vehicle safety standards. In addition, our product team has gone to great lengths to offer--as standard--a host of safety features on all trim levels, features a number of manufacturers fail to offer. This includes roof-mounted curtain side-impact and rollover supplemental airbags, front-seat mounted side-impact supplemental airbags and a tire pressure monitoring system.

The federal government finds Suzuki's Equator to have performed very well in both frontal collision and rollover testing. Typically, these are the test areas often associated with serious injury or death.