Saturn VUE

Test details:

The Saturn VUE was redesigned and enlarged for the 2008 model year. Its size and weight have increased sufficiently to reclassify it as a midsize SUV (2002-07 models were classified as small SUVs).

Two tests of the VUE were conducted. In the first test, the side curtain airbag did not deploy properly, and the rear passenger dummy's head was hit by the window sill of the rear door. This impact did not produce high head injury measures, but the head protection was inadequate. In response, General Motors redesigned the side curtain airbags to ensure more rapid inflation and greater extension of the airbag next to the rear dummy's head. In the second test, the fix was successful, and the head protection rating improved to Good. The side airbag modifications apply to all 2008 and later models manufactured after December 2007 (note: information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door).

The two vehicles are rated separately, except that the structural ratings for both vehicles are based on both tests.

Injury measures:

Driver — Measures taken from the dummies in the two tests indicate that rib fractures would be possible in a crash of this severity. The risk of significant injuries to other body regions is low.

Rear passenger — Measures taken from the dummy indicate a low risk of any significant injuries in a crash of this severity.

Head protection:

Driver — The dummy's head was protected from being hit by any hard structures, including the intruding barrier, by a side curtain airbag that deployed from the roof and a side airbag that deployed from the seat.

Rear passenger — The side curtain airbag did not deploy properly, and the dummy's head was hit by the window sill of the rear passenger door. This impact did not produce high head injury measures, but the head protection is inadequate.