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Quote »Acura RL Best Performer in Crash TestsMon Dec 13, 5:26 PM ETWASHINGTON - The 2005 Acura RL was the only one of 18 vehicles tested to earn the government's highest rating, five stars, for front and side-impact crash tests and rollover prevention, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (news - web sites) said Monday.Vehicles generally performed well, and none earned fewer than three stars on any test. NHTSA is testing 2005 models as they come on the market.The Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x2, Ford Explorer 4x2, Mercury Mountaineer 4x2, Chevrolet Tahoe 4x4 and GMC Yukon 4x4 were the worst performers in the rollover test, earning three stars. That rating means the chance of rollover in a single-vehicle crash is 20 to 30 percent.The Ford Mustang had the lowest chance of rollover, at 8.7 percent. The best-performing sport utility vehicles in the rollover test were the Lincoln Navigator and the Toyota Highlander, which earned four stars and had a 17 percent chance of rolling over.The Nissan Altima, Pontiac G6, Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix were the worst performers in the driver's side-impact test, earning three stars. That means there is an 11 to 20 percent chance of serious injury in a similar, 38.5 mph crash.No vehicle got fewer than four stars in the frontal crash test, which is a 35 mph test.

I disagree with that review.http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/...2.cfmAnd here's one for the Matrixhttp://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/...2.cfmInder

Both your links reflect exactly what this says: the G6, Vibe, and Matrix all received 3 stars for front driver side impact tests.

Curious indeed! Only the '05 Vibe is rated 3-stars in front-seat side impact. The '03 and '04 Vibes are rated 5 stars in front seat side impact. All model-year Vibes are rated 4 stars in rear seat side impact.What the heck could have changed so much? They only reconfigured the front fascia for 05. Is the '05 test at a higher impact speed than 03 or 04???

yeah what gives? We have the JD Power or what ever it is on safety rate poster on the wall in the show room showing the Vibe with a 5 star rating. Of course, its 03-04.

Quote, originally posted by kostby »Curious indeed! Only the '05 Vibe is rated 3-stars in front-seat side impact. The '03 and '04 Vibes are rated 5 stars in front seat side impact. All model-year Vibes are rated 4 stars in rear seat side impact.What the heck could have changed so much? They only reconfigured the front fascia for 05. Is the '05 test at a higher impact speed than 03 or 04???Could be decontenting of the 05's...

Are the seats different in the '05? I saw an interior picture once and they looked like they were, but I could be wrong...

Quote, originally posted by MiVibe-ToolGuy »Could be decontenting of the 05's...I think you're on to something... I blame the doing away with the console power outlet and storage armrest for this reduction in integrity of the vehicle's structure. Seriously though, I wonder if they found a way to use cheaper materials or methods, shaving a a couple bucks off per car during manufacturing and that contributes to this?I've been trying to figure out a pattern here, but just can't... None of this makes any sense. Here are links directly to the cars tested if anyone hasn't checked them out yet, you won't have to search for 'em.2003 AWD: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/NCAP/Cars/2150.html2003 Vibe: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/NCAP/Cars/2189.html2004 AWD: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/NCAP/Cars/2927.html2005 Vibe: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/NCAP/Cars/3385.htmlAt one point, I suspected the test '05 did not have side air bags while the older models did, thus the lower scores - but for 2004, that car didn't have them either and still earned higher marks. It doesn't state whether the '03 models tested had side air bags or not, at least that I found.I guess possible explanations could include something changed with the way they do their testing, something going wrong (or different) with the test compared to the previous cars tested, my thought earlier about GM/Toyota getting cheap, or something of that nature... Do they just smash up one vehicle for testing, or do they test multiple vehicles? I wouldn't think they just tested one, but if they did perhaps that car had some defects with welds or whatnot when it left the factory...

Maybe it's caused by the new option they have installed on some models.You know the leather seating.When you get hit now you slide acrossed the seat and right out of the other door. ROTFLMAO

That is very interesting, it doesn't make to much sense to me. Has anyone emailed GM/Pontiac/Toyota about it?

If you review NHTSA's pages carefully, you will noted that the 2003-04 models tested were models with SIDE-AIRBAGS standard... in contrast, the 2005 model tested was a base model without side airbags... I don't think the decontentization of the 2005 model extended to the materials used for the door...

It does look like that the 2003 lists the Side Airbags as Standard, even though it is an option. That leads me to believe that the 2003 model was tested with side airbag. For 2004, it is very possible that they did not repeat the test and used the 2003 data since they are identical cars. The 2005 probably did not have the Side Airbag, which would explain the big difference in the rating.

Makes me feel better then that we decided to get the airbags as an option.

there may also have been a change in their testing procedure. maybe not as drastic as the flat vs. off centre front impact test, but maybe something has changed on the side impact test procedure over the years???

Did some research on this. This is what the NHTSA had to say:No testing changes were made; all tests were without side airbags.04 was just over the line between 4/5 starts, 05 was was just under the line between 3/4 stars, so change was really on the order of 1 star. Test results can be affected somewhat by where the rig impacts in relation to the acceleration sensors.Toyota indicated they made a door trim change, but no details.This is what Toyota had to say:No structural changes to the doors were made. The only changes were for the addition of the curtain airbag option. They don't know why the results dropped 2 stars.