Rollovers • Feds Delay New Roof-Crush Rule til October • Report: NHTSA Seeks More Time for Roof-Crush Rule • Senators Seek Delay in New Roof Strength Safety Rules • Senators Question Roof Strength Safety Rules • Nader Protests Feds' Roof Crush Plan • Treacherous Treads Still Taking Lives • Ford Class Action Settlement Leaves Consumers in the Dust • Feds' Roof Crush Rule Inadequate, Critics Charge • New Study: Stronger SUV Roofs Save Lives • Ford Loses $82 Million Rollover Verdict Appeal • Feds Delay Roof Strength Rule Again • Ford Settles Explorer Rollover Lawsuits • Safety Crusaders Seek Action on Roof Crush Injuries • Roof Crush Summit Highlights Safety Shortcomings • Feds Ignore Roof Crush Conference • Feds Delay New Roof Strength Rule • GM to Offer Rollover Airbags, Ford to Strengthen Roofs • Safety Groups Want Earlier Stability Control Rule --- • More about Rollovers ...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2001 -- Two General Motors sport utes -- the 2001 Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Jimmy -- got the worst ratings in the federal government's new rollover rankings. The Honda Accord sedan got the best rating.

The two-wheel-drive versions of the Blazer and the Jimmy were the only vehicles tested to earn a dismal one out of five stars, indicating a greater than 40 percent chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash. Four-wheel-drive versions of those vehicles got a two-star rating, on a par with the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ford Explorer.

The tests conducted for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) were prompted largely by the increasing popularity of SUVs and other light trucks as family vehicles. The ratings are compiled mathematically rather than through on-road testing of vehicles, a compromise criticized by automakers, consumer advocates, the insurance industry and nearly everyone else.

Adrian Lund of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said the test was imperfect but "a good step in the right direction." He urged motorists to use the rollover rankings along with front and side-impact crash test ratings to make buying decisions.

NHTSA Rollover Results
NHTSA Crash Tests
Insurance Institute Tests