GM SUVs, Honda Accord earn top NHTSA safety scores; Buick Lucerne falls short

As the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration slowly rolls out the results of its new, tougher crash tests, two more vehicles have just earned the agency's top five-star rating, and another earned a middling score of three out of five stars.

The Chevrolet Traverse large crossover SUV and the Honda Accord midsize sedan join the BMW 5-Series luxury sedan and the Hyundai Sonata midsize sedan as the only vehicles to earn the top score, which is tougher for 2011s than for older models because of an additional crash test and additional injury recordings.

View slideshow: NHTSA crash test results

The Buick Lucerne large sedan, whose ratings were also just released, earned the three-star rating in overall protection, which weights its five-star frontal and rollover ratings against a two-star side-impact score.

See photos and details of the Accord, Traverse and Lucerne's crash tests

The Accord's showing is a big improvement from 2010 models despite the tougher test; since 2008, the popular family car had earned just three stars out of five for protecting its rear passenger in a t-bone collision. The Accord was updated for the 2011 model year just in time for the new test.

Earlier this month, NHTSA released ratings for the first 16 of the 55 2011-model cars it plans to rate. The tests under the "Safercar" program -- a frontal and two side-impact crash tests and a rollover evaluation -- are more severe than the federal standards every car must meet to go on sale in the U.S., designed to provide consumer information about which cars go above and beyond in crash protection.

Of the Accord's competitors, the Sonata matched its top score but the Chevrolet Malibu and Subaru Legacy/Outback earned only four out of five stars and the Toyota Camry earned just three. NHTSA also plans to test the Ford Fusion, Kia Optima and Nissan Altima, but their results under the new crash-test system aren't yet available.

Among SUVs, the Traverse is so far joined in its five-star rating only by its mechanical twins: the Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia. The Chevrolet Tahoe and its twins earned four stars, as did the Honda Pilot, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Kia Sorento.

Unlike the Sonata and 5-Series, neither the Traverse nor the Accord is also a Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which conducts its own crash tests. The Accord didn't have a strong enough roof to earn the IIHS's top award; the Traverse and its twins aren't eligible because they haven't yet been subjected to that test.

NHTSA only plans to test one large-sedan competitor to the Buick Lucerne this year: the Ford Taurus, which earned four stars.

The star ratings reflect performance in one frontal and two side crash tests and rollover resistance evaluation. The frontal test is conducted at 35 miles per hour into a fixed barrier to simulate a head-on collision with a car of the same weight. The two side crash tests are a 3,000-pound crushable barrier t-boning the test vehicle at 38.5 miles per hour and the driver's side door striking a pole at 20 miles per hour. For rollover resistance, most cars are evaluated based on their center of gravity and some cars and all light trucks (SUVs, pickups and vans) are tested to see if they tip up in a swerve.

The NHTSA rating cannot be compared against classes because the frontal test easier on lighter cars, because it simulates striking a car of the same weight. Rollover and side-impact ratings are comparable among vehicles of all weight.

The full list of 2011 models that will be rated is listed below, with the cars with results in bold:

SMALL CARS
-Chevrolet Cruze: coming soon
-Dodge Caliber: coming soon
-Ford Fiesta: 4/5
-Honda Civic: coming soon
-Kia Forte: coming soon
-Mazda3: coming soon
-Nissan Sentra: coming soon
-Nissan Versa: 2/5
-Toyota Corolla: coming soon
-Toyota Prius: coming soon
-Volkswagen Jetta: coming soon

MIDSIZE CARS
-Chevrolet Malibu: 4/5
-Ford Fusion: coming soon
-Honda Accord: 5/5
-Hyundai Sonata: 5/5
- early 2011 Sonatas: 4/5
-Kia Optima: coming soon
-Nissan Altima: coming soon
-Toyota Camry: 3/5

LARGE CARS:
-Buick Lucerne: 3/5
-Ford Taurus: 4/5

LUXURY CARS:
-Audi A4/S4: 4/5
-BMW 5-Series: 5/5
-Infiniti M37/M56: 4/5
-Mercedes-Benz C-Class: coming soon

SUVS:
-Acura MDX: coming soon
-Chevrolet Equinox: coming soon
-Chevrolet Tahoe: 4/5
-Chevrolet Traverse: 5/5
-Ford Escape: coming soon
-Ford Edge: coming soon
-Honda CR-V: coming soon
-Honda Pilot: 4/5
-Jeep Grand Cherokee: 4/5
-Kia Sorento: 4/5
-Kia Soul: coming soon
-Lexus RX350: coming soon
-Nissan Murano: coming soon
-Nissan Rogue: coming soon
-Subaru Forester: coming soon
-Subaru Outback: 4/5
-Toyota Highlander: coming soon
-Toyota RAV4: coming soon
-Toyota Venza: coming soon

VANS:
-Honda Odyssey: coming soon
-Toyota Sienna: 4/5

PICKUPS:
-Chevrolet Silverado: coming soon
-Ford F-150: coming soon
-Ram Pickup: coming soon
-Toyota Tacoma: coming soon
-Toyota Tundra: coming soon