Watch: Jeep Wrangler Rolls Over Again in IIHS Crash Test
Small front overlap crash tests performed on a four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited two years ago raised a lot of eyebrows after the vehicle hit the barrier and rolled over—not once but twice, using different methods of testing.
The automaker responded by saying it did not record a rollover while conducting its own tests and was unaware of any such incidents involving the hundreds of thousands of units that it put on the road.
- Also: How Do Removable Doors Work On the Jeep Wrangler?
- Also: Third of Midsize SUVs Fail IIHS’ New Side Crash Test
Fast-forward to 2022. The U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has just tested a 2022 Wrangler in the same small front overlap crash test, and the result was the same. Check out the video:
Clearly, the structural modifications made by the manufacturer have not eliminated the issue, although it must be said the safety cage surrounding the driver held its structure well during the latest test. The restraints also effectively controlled the movement of the dummy.
In the end, the 2022 Wrangler gets a “marginal” rating for driver-side small overlap protection, failing to earn a “good” or “acceptable” score and just barely escaping the worst rating of “poor.”
Even partial rollovers are dangerous, the IIHS insists, as they increase the chances that an occupant may be completely or partially ejected from the vehicle. That’s especially true for the Wrangler, which has a removable roof and doors and lacks side curtain airbags.
The Wrangler does receive a good rating in the moderate front overlap crash test, where about 45 percent of the vehicle’s nose collides with the barrier. However, its lateral crashworthiness is rated as marginal like many other midsize SUVs, as we reported recently.
In case you’re wondering, the Wrangler’s new arch nemesis, the Ford Bronco, came out of every IIHS crash test with a good rating. It has yet to pass the updated side crash test performed at a higher speed, though.