New Midsize Trucks Receive Poor Rear-Seat Crash Safety Ratings: Report

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has found that so-called small trucks are lacking in safety for rear-seat passengers. What the IIHS really means is that modern midsize trucks are lacking in safety, because trucks stopped being small years ago.

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Contrary to popular belief, it seems that some pickups are not necessarily that safe. The IIHS put five midsize trucks through its moderate overlap front crash test, including the 2022-23 Ford Ranger, 2022-23 Nissan Frontier, 2022-23 Toyota Tacoma, 2022-23 Chevrolet Colorado and the 2022-23 Jeep Gladiator. All of the models tested were crew cab, or four-door trucks, which are supposed to appeal to those who require rear passenger space comparable to that of cars.

Photo: IIHS

It turns out rear passengers are not nearly as secure as those in the front in the event of a crash due to the likelihood of rear passengers impacting the truck’s front seats, as the IIHS explains:

“Our updated moderate overlap front crash test proved to be challenging for small pickups,” said IIHS President David Harkey. “A common problem was that the rear passenger dummy’s head came dangerously close to the front seatback, and in many cases, dummy measurements indicated a risk of neck or chest injuries. All these things tell us that the rear seat belts need improvement.”

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None of the five small crew cab pickups IIHS tested earns a good rating. The Nissan Frontier is rated acceptable. The Ford Ranger earns a marginal rating, and the Chevrolet Colorado, Jeep Gladiator and Toyota Tacoma are all rated poor.

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IIHS launched the updated moderate overlap front test last year after research showed that in newer vehicles the risk of a fatal injury is now higher for belted occupants in the rear than for those in front. This is not because the rear seat has become less safe. Rather, the front seat has become safer because of improved airbags and advanced seat belts that are rarely available in back.

According to the results, it’s not as if midsize trucks are less safe now than in the past, but it’s possible that some drivers are under a false sense of security when it comes to the safety of many popular models in the U.S.

Given the relatively small dimensions of midsize truck cabins, automakers have prioritized the safety of front passengers with more secure restraints and side curtain airbags, which are not as common in the rear seats of midsizers.

The lack of these features means that rear-seat passengers are subject to higher risk of hitting themselves against the walls and windows of these “small truck” cabins, as well as the front seats — resulting in bad crash safety ratings. The highest score that one of the trucks achieved in the particular metric was still not good: the Nissan Frontier came in with an overall “Acceptable” score, while the others scored from “Poor” to “Marginal.”