Ford, Chevrolet, Ram crew cab pickups fall short in IIHS crash test

WASHINGTON — Three of the four full-size pickups evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety earned "poor" ratings in an updated crash test that now considers back seat safety.

The 2023 Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Ram 1500 crew cab pickups were rated "poor" in the institute's revised moderate overlap front crash test, with only the 2023 Toyota Tundra crew cab earning a "marginal" rating.

However, in the institute's updated side crash test, three of the four full-size pickups — the F-150, Ram 1500 and Tundra — all received "good" ratings. The Silverado earned an "acceptable" rating.

"Like most other vehicle classes, large pickups don't perform as well in the new moderate overlap evaluation as they do in the updated side test, which is now a requirement for our Top Safety Pick awards," IIHS President David Harkey said in a statement.

The institute's more challenging moderate overlap front crash test adds a dummy representing a small woman or 12-year-old child positioned in the second row behind the driver. It also uses new metrics focusing on the injuries that most frequently occur for rear-seat passengers.

For vehicles to earn the top "good" rating, there can't be "an excessive risk of injury to the head, neck, chest or thigh, as recorded by the second-row dummy," the insurer-funded institute said.

The dummy also should remain properly positioned during the crash. The head should remain a safe distance from the front seat back and the rest of the vehicle interior, and the seat belt should remain on the shoulder. Measurements taken from the driver dummy also should not show an excessive risk of injuries.

While the four pickups provided good protection in the front seat, the restraint systems in the back seat were inadequate, the institute said.

For the F-150 and Ram 1500, chest injuries and head or neck injuries would be likely, according to post-crash test measurements taken from the rear dummy. In the Silverado, the risk of those injuries was lower but still excessive, the institute said. The risk of chest injuries was also "too high" in the Tundra because of poor seat belt positioning, but the risk of head or neck injuries was only slightly elevated.

In the updated side crash test — which now uses a heavier barrier traveling at a higher speed to simulate the striking vehicle — the F-150, Ram 1500 and Tundra provided "solid protection" to driver and rear passenger dummies. In the Silverado, the institute said, there was an increased risk of chest injury to the rear passenger.