Rear Crash Tests Show Disappointing Results for Pickups, SUVs and Vans

The redesigned 2007 Toyota Tundra was the only pickup that received a good rating for seat and head restraints in the new round of rear crash testing by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The test results showed there was lots of room for improvement across the board. "It's not a major feat of engineering to design seat and head restraints that afford good protection in these common crashes," said David Zuby, senior vice president of the institute's Vehicle Research Center. The test results were released on Tuesday.

In the latest evaluation, seat/head restraint systems in 17 of 59 SUV models were rated good, and five were acceptable. The remaining 37 were judged marginal or poor. In vans, three were rated good and two acceptable. In pickups, only the Tundra posted a good score, and five were marked acceptable. The remaining 11 were marginal or poor.

The institute said, "Some manufacturers have introduced new models with subpar seat designs." The ones in the BMW X5, Dodge Nitro and Suzuki XL-7 are rated poor. Those in the Mazda CX-7 and CX-9 are rated marginal. Among the lowest-rated seats, according to the institute, are those in the Cadillac SRX, Ford Ranger and Nissan Quest. "They can't be positioned to protect many taller people, so the institute doesn't test them," it said in a statement.

The Acura MDX, Honda CR-V, Honda Element, Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento improved from their previous ratings of poor to good. Those in the Honda Pilot and Mercedes-Benz M-Class improved from marginal to good. The Ford Edge crossover posted a good rating in its first rear crash assessment.