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Explorer Tips Onto Two Wheels During Rollover Test |
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There are some familiar names on the list of vehicles that did poorly on the government's latest rollover tests -- names like Ford Explorer, Chevrolet Tahoe and the GMC Yukon. In fact, most two-wheel-drive SUVs scored badly in the latest round of tests. Leading the pack was the rear-wheel-drive version of the Ford Explorer. It tipped up on two wheels as government testers put it through a series of tight fishhook turns, designed to simulate what happens when drivers drift off the road, then overcompensate trying to jerk the vehicle back on. The test results became public just a few days after a California jury awarded $369 million to a mother of two paralyzed in an Explorer rollover accident. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said three other popular SUVs also tipped onto two wheels during the tests: the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon and the rear-wheel-drive version of the Mercury Mountaineer, essentially a rebadged Explorer. The extended cab version of the Toyota Tacoma pickup truck also tipped up on two wheels. The Dodge Durango and Honda PIlot did not. The latest batch of test results also included 17 passenger cars, one minivan, three pickup trucks and six SUVs. The best possible score in the tests is a five, something very few vehicles achieved. Most of the passenger cars got less than four. The good news for Ford, however, is that the RX-8 from its Mazda unit got a five-star rating. Many consumer groups have been critical of NHTSA's new scoring system, which tends to give fairly high scores even to vehicles that tip onto two wheels. The Tacoma, for example, got a four, even though it tipped during the test. The government only recently began conducting the tests on a track. Previously, they had been based on a mathematical calculation. Congress ordered NHTSA to begin conducting real-world tests after nearly 300 people died in rollover accidents involving Ford Explorers. However one interprets the scores, the tests make clear what has long been known to safety experts: vehicles with a relatively high center of gravity are more likely to tip over during sharp, fast turns. This explains why a few SUVs did relatively wheel on the rollover tests. The four-wheel-drive Explorer, for example, did not tip onto two wheels, unlike its two-wheel-drive cousin. That's because the four-wheel-drive mechanism adds more weight below the vehicle's center of gravity, thus making it more stable. While most manufacturers have expressed "concern" about the increasing number of rollovers, General Motors issued a statement after the latest round of tests that points to drivers as the culprits. "The dominant causes of rollover crashes and injuries are: excessive vehicle speed; impaired driving due to alcohol, drugs, fatigue and distraction; and failure to wear seat belts," the company said. |
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