Crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) found that midsize pickups are not so good at keeping those in the back seats safe in the event of a crash. More specifically, none of the five US-spec pickups tested received a good overall safety rating, although most of them have already been replaced with newer versions in the market.
The newer Nissan Frontier was the safest of the bunch, earning an acceptable rating. The Ford Ranger was rated marginal, while the Chevrolet Colorado, Jeep Gladiator, and Toyota Tacoma were all rated poor. Note that the Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Colorado, and Toyota Tacoma received major updates since 2022 MY, so the next-gen models could potentially come with improved safety credentials.
More: Which Mid-Size Truck Is Getting Your Money: The New Tacoma, Canyon, Ranger, Or Something Else?
According to IIHS President David Harkey, the updated moderate overlap front crash test which was introduced last year, “proved to be challenging for small pickups”. A common issue among the tested models was that the rear passenger’s head came “dangerously close” to the front seatback, and there was a high risk of neck or chest injuries. Harkey suggests that those issues could be solved with the improvement of the rear seatbelts, which are currently not as advanced as the ones in the front seats.
The rear passenger dummy used by IIHS is the size of a small woman or a 12-year-old child, unlike the driver dummy which is the size of an average adult man. This mirrors the demographic that is usually sitting at the back, allowing the researchers to extract valuable data. IIHS says that despite the fact that “the risk of a fatal injury is now higher for belted occupants in the rear than for those in front”, the back seats are still “the safest place for young children” who may be injured by one of the numerous inflating airbags if they sit at the front.
Below, you can see the detailed results for each of the five models, followed by the crash test videos.
