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Eight of nine new mid-size sport-utility vehicles
earned poor or marginal ratings for bumper performance
in 5 mph crash tests conducted by the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety.
In this group, only the 2003 Honda Pilot is equipped
with bumpers that resisted major damage, the
insurance-industry funded institute said in a news
release. The Pilot earned an acceptable rating. The 2004
Mitsubishi Endeavor, 2003 Nissan Murano, and 2004 Lexus
RX 330 are rated marginal. The 2003 Toyota 4Runner, 2004
Chrysler Pacifica, 2003 Infiniti FX35, 2004 Cadillac
SRX, and 2003 Kia Sorento are rated poor.
The Institute says its series of four bumper tests
includes front- and rear-into-flat-barrier plus
front-into-angle-barrier and rear-into-pole impacts. The
tests assess how well bumpers can prevent damage in 5
mph impacts simulating the fender-bender collisions that
are common in commuter traffic and parking lots.
"The manufacturers of these SUVs try to create a
rough-and-tough image for them, but their bumpers are
flimsy," says Adrian Lund, the Institute's chief
operating officer. "Vehicles shouldn't sustain major
damage in a minor collision at a fast walking
speed."
Average damage per test ranged from about $400 for
the Pilot to more than $1,600 for the Sorento and SRX.
Of the 33 current midsize SUV designs the Institute has
tested for bumper performance, 23 are rated poor, 6 are
rated marginal, and 4 are acceptable. None is rated
good.
Rear bumpers on the Chrysler Pacifica, Cadillac SRX,
and Kia Sorento weren't robust enough to keep damage
away from the vehicles' body parts and sheet metal.
Damage totals for these vehicles were five to six times
more than the Pilot in the same test.
"Repair costs in the pole test were about $2,200 for
the Sorento and more than $2,800 each for the Pacifica
and the SRX because the bumpers didn't protect the
expensive-to-repair tailgates," Lund says. "In each
case, the tailgate was crushed and had to be replaced.
Those are big repair bills for a minor bump."
Sorento and SRX are worst performers overall. Damage
to these two vehicles totaled more than $6,500 in all
four tests." In the front-angle test, the SRX's bumper
couldn't prevent major crushing of the right fender.
After the same test, the Sorento's frame had to be
straightened. In the front and rear flat-barrier tests,
which are the least demanding because the crash energy
is spread across the whole bumper, the Kia had repair
bills of more $1,000 in each test," Lund points out.
Infiniti FX35 and Toyota 4Runner also rated poor.
Lund notes that "the Infiniti is getting attention for
its swoopy styling, but Nissan engineers ignored the
basics of good bumper design." After the front-corner
test, there was more than $2,000 damage — much of it
under the bumper cover. The bumper bar was cracked and
bent, the radiator support was broken, and the headlamp
assembly needed to be replaced. In the same test, some
of the damage to the 4Runner was because the bumper
wasn't big enough to protect the whole front end.
"The right fender buckled and the headlamp was
crushed in part because the bumper is too short and
leaves the corners of the front end unprotected," Lund
says.
In this group of midsize SUVs, only the Pilot is
equipped with bumpers that did a reasonable job of
preventing damage to the vehicle." It's not difficult or
expensive to build a decent bumper," Lund says. "The
Honda bumper system isn't great, but it's the best of a
sorry lot. It shows that manufacturers can build SUVs
with bumper systems that prevent costly damage in a
minor collision."
5 MPH CRASH TEST RESULTS, MIDSIZE SUVs
Average damage per test - Bumper rating
2003
Honda Pilot $404 - ACCEPTABLE
2004 Mitsubishi
Endeavor $789 - MARGINAL
2003 Nissan Murano $890 -
MARGINAL
2004 Lexus RX 330 $988 - MARGINAL
2003
Toyota 4Runner $1,246 - POOR
2004 Chrysler Pacifica
$1,315 - POOR
2003 Infiniti FX35 $1,436 -
POOR
2004 Cadillac SRX $1,644 - POOR
2003 Kia
Sorento $1,646 - POOR
All repair costs reflect September 2003 parts and
labor prices.
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