After the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration redesigned and toughened its New Car Assessment Program crash tests last year, some automakers appear to be fighting back by modifying their lower-scoring cars to achieve better safety performance.
A newly released document lists 10 vehicles whose 2011-model scores won't apply to 2012, meaning something in their design has changed since NHTSA subjected them to one of its three crash tests. This is sometimes the result of a modification unrelated to safety that happens to affect crash performance (scores sometimes go down, in fact) but most of the 10 are models with obvious room for improvement -- either they earned unimpressive scores or are on the verge of a perfect five-star rating.
NHTSA evaluates cars in a frontal-impact test that simulates a head-on collision with a vehicle of the same weight, a side impact collision that simulates being t-boned by a passenger car, and a side impact test that simulates skidding sideways into a tree or pole, as well as a rollover resistence evaluation. The tests were revised for cars of the 2011 model year over concerns that it was too easy for vehicles to earn top ratings under older test procedures.
The cars NHTSA has identified as receiving changes are the Acura MDX, Ford F-150, Honda CR-Z, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Mazda3, Nissan Versa, Ram Pickup, and Toyota Corolla, Sienna, and Tacoma. The list does not include models that received full redesigns for 2012, whose 2011 crash tests are also out of date.
-The 2011 MDX entry-luxury SUV earned the top rating of five stars for its side-impact crash protection, but NHTSA noted that it leaked fuel during the test. The 2012 model's side crash test data is listed as "not rated."
-The 2011 F-150 full-size pickup truck earned only three out of five stars for its frontal-impact protection, with just two out of five stars for protecting the front passenger. The 2012's frontal protection is "not rated."
-The 2011 CR-Z two-seat hybrid hatchback earned only three out of five stars for its frontal-impact protection. The 2012's frontal protection is "not rated."
-The 2011 Grand Cherokee midsize SUV earned five stars in all three side-impact evaluations, yet the 2012's side protection is "not rated" -- an indication of a design change unrelated to the crash test.
-The 2011 Mazda3 compact car earned just two out of five stars for side-impact protection, and NHTSA also noted that the rear seat passenger could suffer unusual thoracic injury that was not a factor in the rating. The 2012's side protection is "not rated."
-The 2011 Versa compact car -- the lowest-scoring passenger vehicle in NHTSA's testing -- earned two out of five stars for side-impact protection. The 2012 Versa sedan will be fully redesigned but the five-door hatchback will carry over. The 2012 five-door's side protection is "not rated."
-The 2011 Ram full-size pickup earned two out of five stars for frontal-impact protection. The 2012's frontal protection is "not rated."
-The 2011 Corolla compact car earned two out of five stars for side-impact protection, and just one star in the pole-impact test. The 2012's side protection is "not rated."
-The 2011 Sienna minivan earned three out of five stars for frontal-impact protection, including just two stars for protecting the front passenger. The 2012's frontal protection is "not rated."
-The 2011 Tacoma compact pickup truck earned three out of five stars for frontal-impact protection, including just two stars for protecting the front passenger. The 2012's frontal protection is "not rated."
The design modifications do not guarantee an improvement, but many of these 10 appear to have targeted improvements. None, for instance, had changes that require re-testing in both frontal- and side-impact evaluations -- most will only be tested again where they had previously struggled.
The changes would join those made to several cars mid-year 2011: The Buick Lucerne, Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry were updated to improve their scores without waiting for 2012.
The 2011 Dodge Caliber, Ford Escape and Ranger, and Toyota RAV4 each earned overall ratings of either two or three out of five stars but were not upgraded for 2012, according to the NHTSA document. Nor is there an indication that the Escape or Nissan Rogue will receive design changes to prevent them from rolling over onto their roofs in the side-impact test.
NHTSA is also likely to soon release test results for a number of fully redesigned 2012 model cars, as well as some best-selling carryover 2011s that were never evaluated. See all the 2011-model cars tested by NHTSA at Examiner.com (scroll down the page to see the list), or search for them by brand or by class with more details on NHTSA's own site.
In an unrelated update, NHTSA released new crash test results for the 2011 Acura ZDX luxury SUV. The ZDX earned four out of five stars for frontal-impact protection and five for side-impact proction, and a top five-star rating overall.
The New Car Assessment Program is unrelated to the lower standards cars must meet to go on sale in the U.S., but the ratings are legally required to appear prominently on a new car's Monroney label alongside its manufacturer's suggested retail price.
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