With more driver assistance features in vehicles, we should be in a place where high scores are always received for a crash test.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has been testing vehicles for a variety of crash tests for many years and with the development of stronger materials it seems this would no longer be an issue, but there were some vehicles that scored a rating of “poor” lately for one particular test, which is the lowest score given for the crash tests.

The surprise you may find is that the vehicles that received a poor rating for the passenger-side small overlap front crash test include the Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Both of these SUV models showed a high risk of injury to a front passenger when the SUV strikes an immovable object at a speed of 40 mph. This isn’t good news at all in a world where we should be past this test score while working on ways to avoid more crashes than ever before. It looks like Ford and Jeep may need to go back to the safety drawing board.

The Results of the Test

For the 2018 Ford Explorer that was tested, the structure was seriously compromised during both the driver and passenger-side small overlap crash tests. The lower and upper door hinges show intrusion levels of 15 and 13 inches and the door sill was pushed inward by six inches toward the crash test dummy. These results show us there was a high probability that the front occupant would suffer injuries during the crash to the hips and legs, which should be able to be protected by the vehicle.

The 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee that was tested didn’t fare much better at all. This SUV showed ten inches of intrusion at the lower door hinge pillar and the front passenger crash test dummy’s head hit the dashboard through the front airbag. The side curtain airbag didn’t deploy during the test and the front passenger door opened. These results show us there is a strong chance that several leg injuries would occur, serious head injuries would take place, and with the door opening the potential of being thrown from the vehicle is in place with this car, and the structure is compromised as soon as the door opens.

Those vehicles that received an “acceptable” rating in this test have plenty of room for improvement as well. The 2018 Honda Pilot received this rating with good structural performance during the crash. Two other models that have received this same rating include the 2018 Nissan Pathfinder and 2018 Toyota Highlander, making these three SUVs ones that should be improved to make sure they can protect occupants much better than they currently do. If you’re looking for a vehicle that offers you the safety you want, the five mentioned in this article will be the ones you want to avoid.