Jeep Wrangler scores ‘marginal’ rating in IIHS frontal overlap test, FCA working on changes – report

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released a video of the 2019 JL-generation Jeep Wrangler undergoing the frontal small overlap crash test, which was remarkable for the outcome which saw the American 4X4 tip over and come to a halt on its side following the impact.

The Jeep Wrangler is the first vehicle to have flipped over in the IIHS frontal small overlap crash test, according to Jalopnik, and reported that the IIHS told the website it wasn’t immediately clear why the latest JL-generation model had tipped over whereas the previous, JK-generation model did not, adding that its engineers did not expect the vehicle to flip over in the test.

“Rollovers, even partial ones like those that occured in the Wrangler tests, are especially dangerous crashes, in part due to the risk of complete or partial ejection. This is a particular concern in the Wrangler, which has a roof and doors that can be removed,” the IIHS said in its statement.

“The Wrangler also lacks side curtain airbags designed to deploy in a rollover to keep occupants inside, and it is not required by regulation to have side curtain airbags because of its removable roof,” it continued. The organisation noted to Jalopnik that while “a partial roll would not happen in every real-world crash, if it does happen it is not a good outcome.”

A response from parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to the website said that the company is ‘unaware of any incidents that correlate with the vehicle dynamic portion of the IIHS test result,” and that its vehicles are designed “for real-world performance, and real-world data, along with continuing demand indicates the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited meets or exceeds customer expectations.”

According to a representative of the IIHS, the organisation has been informed by FCA that changes to the Wrangler are being worked on, and the IIHS will retest the model once those changes have been applied. “FCA would be best to describe what changes they are contemplating,” the representative added.

Watch the crash test video, here.

2020 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon in Malaysia

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