The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said three models performed poorly in a new rear-seat safety test of seven 2023 midsize vehicles.
The 2023 Kia K5, 2023 Volkswagen Jetta and 2023 Hyundai Sonata all received a "poor" rating in the new moderate overlap front crash test, the IIHS announced Wednesday.
In the test, the IIHS placed a dummy the size of a small woman or 12-year-old in the back seat. Measurements from these dummies in all three poorly rated vehicles showed likely head or neck and chest injuries, as well as excessive belt forces.
In the Jetta, the rear dummy's head also came too close to the front seatback, while in the K5 and Sonata the shoulder belt moved off the dummy's shoulder toward the neck.