This is the small overlap front crash test. It replicates a crash in which the front corner of a vehicle strikes another vehicle, a tree, or a utility pole.
In the test, a vehicle is driven into a rigid barrier at 40 miles per hour with only 25 percent of its front end making contact. That narrow overlap lets the crash forces completely bypass the main longitudinal rails and drive straight into the front wheel, the hinge pillar, and the footwell. When the structure wasn’t designed for it, the wheel is forced into the cabin and the survival space collapses.
This test has produced some of the most devastatingly poor results in modern crash testing. These are the worst of them.
Nissan Quest
The 2014 Nissan Quest produced the most extreme intrusion measurements on this list, and it isn’t even close.
The lower hinge pillar was driven 59 centimeters into the cabin — roughly 23 inches. The upper hinge pillar moved a dangerous 48 centimeters. Almost every point measured moved more than a foot.
The dummy’s left leg was trapped between the seat and the instrument panel. Engineers had to remove the seat just to extract the dummy. Risk of injury to the left thigh, left knee, and left lower leg and foot was rated high.
What makes the Quest unusual is that its restraints actually worked. Driver restraints and dummy kinematics earned a Good. The structure alone sank it.
Nissan Versa
The 2014 Nissan Versa sedan recorded 42 centimeters of lower hinge pillar intrusion — about 16 and a half inches — the second-highest figure on this list.
The steering column moved upward and to the right. The dummy’s head barely contacted the frontal airbag before sliding off the left side, leaving it exposed to the forward structure. Hinge pillar and instrument panel intrusion produced a high risk of injury to the left lower leg.
Chrysler Town & Country
In the 2014 Chrysler Town & Country, the lower hinge pillar and the upper dash both intruded 39 centimeters. The parking brake pedal moved 36 centimeters and ended up deeply embedded in the skin of the dummy’s lower leg. Injury risk was high for the left hip, left knee, and left lower leg.
The steering column shifted a dramatic 22 centimeters to the right. The dummy’s head grazed the frontal airbag, slid off, and struck the intruding instrument panel.
Toyota Camry
The 2012 Toyota Camry was the best-selling car in America when it earned a Poor.
The lower hinge pillar intruded 37 centimeters and the parking brake pedal 31. The hinge pillar partially tore open as the wheel and tire were violently forced rearward.
The steering column moved 19 centimeters to the right, so the dummy’s head only grazed the airbag before sliding off. The belt allowed the dummy to travel far enough forward that the head struck the instrument panel. Injury readings were actually among the better ones on this list. It was the structure and restraints that produced the Poor.
Mazda 5
In the 2014 Mazda 5, the driver door unlatched during the crash — an extremely dangerous outcome, since an open door means the driver could be partly or completely ejected.
The side curtain airbag never deployed. The steering column moved to the right, the dummy’s head slid off the frontal airbag, and the belt allowed enough forward travel for the head to strike the instrument panel. The lower hinge pillar intruded 35 centimeters and the upper hinge pillar 34, producing a high risk of injury to the left thigh and left lower leg.
Fiat 500
The 2013 Fiat 500’s driver door hinges were shockingly torn apart, and the door opened at the front.
Intrusion was modest by the standards of this list — 21 centimeters at the lower hinge pillar — but the side curtain airbag didn’t extend far enough forward toward the A-pillar. As the steering column moved right, the dummy’s head slid off the frontal airbag. Risk of injury to the left lower leg was high.
Jeep Patriot
In the 2012 Jeep Patriot, nearly every restraint failed at once.
The steering column moved 21 centimeters upward and 15 centimeters to the right. The seat belt allowed excessive forward movement of the head and torso. The driver’s seat itself tipped forward and toward the B-pillar. And the side curtain airbag never deployed, leaving the head exposed to the side structure and outside objects.
Intrusion in the lower occupant compartment reached up to 29 centimeters, producing a high risk of injury to the left lower leg.
Toyota Prius v
The 2012 Toyota Prius v shows a failure mode that appears nowhere else on this list: the side curtain airbag deployed, but too late.
It dropped onto the back of the dummy’s head and pushed the head outboard of the inflating curtain — the opposite of what it’s supposed to do. The frontal airbag was no help either. The steering column moved 13 centimeters to the right, the head slid off it, and then struck the instrument panel.
The left front wheel was forced rearward and inward into the hinge pillar, footwell, and instrument panel, driving the lower hinge pillar in 35 centimeters. Injury risk to the left hip and lower leg was high.
Kia Forte
The 2014 Kia Forte recorded the largest steering wheel movement on this list. The column moved 23 centimeters to the right, taking the frontal airbag completely out from in front of the dummy.
The head barely touched the bag before sliding off the left side. The belt then allowed enough forward travel for the head to strike the intruding A-pillar, producing a moderate risk of head injury. The side curtain airbag deployed, but it lacked enough forward coverage to protect a head that far outboard.
Intrusion was 27 centimeters at the lower hinge pillar and 28 at the upper, with a high risk of injury to the left thigh.
Hyundai Tucson
The 2013 Hyundai Tucson’s hinge pillar intrusion was 22 centimeters, but the parking brake pedal moved 41 centimeters — the largest pedal intrusion measured in this group.
The side curtain airbag did not deploy. The steering column moved to the right, and the head slid off the frontal airbag into the instrument panel.
Toyota RAV4
The passenger side of the 2015 Toyota RAV4 recorded 40 centimeters of intrusion at the lower hinge pillar and the footrest. To make matters worse, the passenger door opened during the crash — something that should never happen.
Ford Escape
The passenger side of the 2018 Ford Escape measured 27 centimeters at the upper hinge pillar and 22 at the lower. The side curtain airbag did not deploy, and the dummy’s head dangerously rolled off the frontal airbag to the right. Risk of injury to the right hip was rated likely.
Toyota Tundra
Passenger-side intrusion in the 2019 Toyota Tundra reached up to 37 centimeters in the lower occupant compartment. The airbags did their job — but the A-pillar came in far enough that the dummy’s head hit the grab handle mounted on it. Greasepaint transfer confirms the contact. Injury risk was likely for the right lower leg and significant for the right hip.
Nissan Rogue
The 2012 Nissan Rogue has 38 centimeters of lower hinge pillar intrusion — a figure that sits fourth highest on this list.
The steering column moved 15 centimeters right and upward. The head contacted the frontal airbag, then slid off the left side.
Jeep Wrangler
The Jeep Wrangler is the most dramatic vehicle ever tested in the small-overlap evaluation. Both the 2019 and 2022 models unbelievably flipped onto their side.
This is an unexpected and unacceptable outcome for a frontal collision and greatly increases the risk for injuries.