Best-selling Car in U.S. Gets Poor IIHS Rating

In the most recent crash test conducted by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), America’s best-selling car, the Toyota Camry, reportedly received poor safety rating for this year.

Reports said that the Camry failed to get the best safety rating during the latest crash test which measured how well people are protected once the front corner of a car was hit by another car or an object during a head-on collision. It was rated “Poor” on the said safety aspect.

On the other hand, although Camry failed the crash test, it nevertheless did a great job on the institute’s four other tests and earned a ”Top Safety Pick” certification. However, when it comes to earning a ”Top Safety Pick-Plus” rating, Toyota again failed to receive one due to its bad performance on the new ”small overlap” test of corner crashes.

Moreover, the institute also rated Toyota’s Prius v gas-electric hybrid wagon poorly during the crash test. However, the same still received a ”Top Safety Pick” rating.

Nevertheless, both Prius v and Camry performed well in moderate front-end crash test, side impact, roof strength, and rear impact tests, according to the IIHS. 

Meanwhile, ten moderately priced mid-size cars received the institute’s highest rating: Honda Accord, Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, Kia Optima, Dodge Avenger, Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy and Outback, Volkswagen Passat, and Suzuki Kashai.

In a statement, IIHS’ President, Adrian Lund, claimed that the Japanese automaker’s engineers still have a lot of work to do to match the performance of its competitors while on the other hand, Toyota said that IIHS has recently raised that bar with the new test, exceeding the usual U.S. government requirements. Nevertheless, Toyota pledged that it plans to evaluate the new test protocols to achieve a greater crash performance in the said area. For the company, it is a challenge to respond.

Toyota has reportedly sold over 373,000 Camry in the U.S. alone through November. In fact, it has been the top-selling car in the U.S. almost every year.

Apparently, the IIHS is devoted in conducting crash tests to reduce deaths, injuries, and damage losses to properties from car and other vehicle accidents. Because of such aims, a Los Angeles vehicle accident lawyer here recently expressed his full support to the institute.