NHTSA Will Crash Test 70 Model Year 1998 Vehicles
23 September 1997
NHTSA Will Crash Test 70 Model Year 1998 Vehicles
WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 -- The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) yesterday announced it will crash test 70 model year
1998 vehicles to provide consumers with information that they can use to help
guide their new vehicle purchase decisions.
The federal safety agency said it will crash test 48 passenger cars, 10
sport utility vehicles, 4 vans, and 8 pickups in its New Car Assessment
Program (NCAP). Fifty vehicles will be crashed in the frontal direction and
20 passenger cars will be crashed from the side. Most of the vehicles that
have been selected for testing in the frontal NCAP will be equipped with
"depowered" driver and passenger air bags. Once the crash testing is
completed, NHTSA estimates that frontal safety information can be provided to
consumers on 70 percent of the model year 1998 vehicles sold in the USA. The
agency will provide side impact safety information on about 72 percent of the
passenger cars sold in the USA.
Frontal NCAP
Vehicles are crashed so that the entire front goes into a fixed barrier at
35 mph. This crash is equivalent to a head-on collision between two identical
vehicles, each moving at 35 mph, or with a 70 mph closing speed. Instrumented
dummies register forces and impacts during the crash, which NHTSA uses to
predict frontal head and chest injuries.
The New Car Assessment Program crash test results are reported in a range
of one to five stars, with five stars indicating the best crash protection for
vehicles within the same weight class. Head and chest data, which indicate
the chance of a life-threatening injury, are combined into a single rating,
reflected by the number of stars. These represent a vehicle's relative level
of crash protection in a head-on collision. Thigh injury, thought rarely
life-threatening, is also measured in the tests. Such injury can be
disabling, and if a high likelihood of thigh injury occurs in the tests, it
will be noted in the charts.
Test results show the relative crash protection provided to front seat
occupants using all of the vehicle's occupant protection equipment. Occupant
protection equipment consists of safety belts or a combination of safety belts
and air bags. The results do not apply to unbelted occupants. The occupant
equipment provided on each tested vehicle is shown to the right of the
vehicle's overall score.
NHTSA emphasized that the crash test results for frontal impact are
meaningful only for comparing relative injury risk in frontal collisions
between vehicles of similar weight, within an approximate weight range of 500
pounds. The test results for passenger cars are presented in separate tables
for each weight class and listed alphabetically within each table. Separate
tables are provided for sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks. In
head-on collisions involving two vehicles of different weights, occupants in
lighter weight vehicles almost always experience greater risk of injury than
those in heavier vehicles.
Side NCAP
The federal safety agency said the side crash used to test these
passenger cars simulates a typical intersection collision between two
vehicles. In the tests, forces are measured on two crash dummies when a
moving, deformable barrier is angled into the side of a car at 38.5 mph.
The 38.5 mph speed of the deformable barrier is 5 mph faster than the
speed prescribed for compliance with the existing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard No. 214, "Side Impact Protection." The crash tests are conducted at
the higher speed to demonstrate differences that are more apparent at 38.5 mph
than at 33.5 mph. The test results will be presented in a `` star'' format --
one to five stars, with five stars being the best score -- to make the
technical crash results easy for consumers to understand.
Crash-test dummies -- designed specifically to measure human-like
responses in the side direction -- are placed in the driver position and in
the rear seat position behind the driver. As in the frontal test, the two
dummies are secured with all available restraints. Instruments measure
the force of impact to the dummy's chest and pelvis. The chest data, which
indicate the chance of life-threatening injury, is signified in a single
rating reflected by the number of stars. Pelvic injury also is measured.
While pelvic injury is rarely life-threatening, it can be disabling. If a
high likelihood of pelvic injury occurs in the lateral test, it will be noted
in the charts. In reviewing the front and lateral star ratings, keep in mind
that, in real world crashes, vehicles are twice as likely to be involved in
severe frontal crashes as in severe side crashes.
Test results will be announced in groups, with the first expected
late this year. Consumers can request test results and additional information
on the NCAP program and other safety topics by visiting the web site at
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov or by calling the agency's toll-free Auto Safety Hotline at
800-424-9393 or 202-366-0123 in the Washington area.
Vehicles Selected for Testing in the 1998 New Car Assessment Program
MANUFACTURER MAKE MODEL BODY FRONTAL SIDE
Chrysler Dodge Caravan Van YES NO
Chrysler Dodge Dakota PU ExCab* YES NO
Chrysler Dodge Durango 4-dr Utility YES NO
Chrysler Dodge Grand Caravan Van YES NO
Chrysler Dodge Neon 4-dr YES YES
Chrysler Dodge Ram ExCab PU ExCab YES NO
Chrysler Dodge Stratus 4-dr YES NO
Chrysler Jeep Grand Cherokee 4-dr Utility YES NO
Ford Ford Contour 4-dr YES NO
Ford Ford Crown Victoria 4-dr YES NO
Ford Ford Escort 4-dr YES NO
Ford Ford Escort ZX2 2-dr NO YES
Ford Ford Expedition 4-dr Utility YES NO
Ford Ford Explorer 4-dr Utility YES NO
Ford Ford F-150 PU YES NO
Ford Ford Mustang 2-dr YES YES
Ford Ford Ranger PU YES NO
Ford Ford Taurus 4-dr YES NO
Ford Ford Windstar Van YES NO
GM Buick Century 4-dr YES YES
GM Buick LeSabre 4-dr NO YES
GM Chevrolet Blazer 4-dr Utility YES NO
GM Chevrolet C/K PU ExCab YES NO
GM Chevrolet Cavalier 2-dr YES NO
GM Chevrolet Cavalier 4-dr YES YES
GM Chevrolet Lumina 4-dr YES NO
GM Chevrolet Malibu 4-dr YES NO
GM Chevrolet S-10 PU ExCab
Honda Honda Civic 2-dr NO YES
Honda Honda Civic 4-dr YES NO
Honda Honda CR-V 4-dr Utility YES NO
Hyundai Hyundai Elantra 4-dr NO YES
Isuzu Isuzu Rodeo 4-dr Utility YES NO
Mazda Mazda 626 4-dr YES YES
Mercedes-
Benz Mercedes-Benz C-Class 4-dr NO YES
Mitsubishi Mitsubishi Eclipse 2-dr HB YES YES
Nissan Nissan Altima 4-dr YES YES
Nissan Nissan Frontier PU ExCab YES NO
Nissan Nissan Maxima 4-dr YES NO
Nissan Nissan Pathfinder 4-dr Utility YES NO
Nissan Nissan Sentra 4-dr YES YES
Subaru Subaru Legacy 4-dr YES NO
Toyota Lexus ES300 4-dr YES YES
Toyota Toyota 4-Runner 4-dr Utility YES NO
Toyota Toyota Avalon 4-dr YES YES
Toyota Toyota Camry 4-dr YES NO
Toyota Toyota Corolla 4-dr YES YES
Toyota Toyota Tacoma PU ExCab YES NO
Volkswagen Volkswagen Beetle 2-dr YES YES
Volkswagen Volkswagen Jetta 4-dr YES YES
* Extended cab pickup
SOURCE U.S. Department of Transportation
