HIGHWAY SAFETY RESEARCH & COMMUNICATIONS
BumpersQ&A: BumpersInformational videoLow-speed crash test program, March 2007 Selected research bibliographyHighlights from the Institute's research since 1969 News releasesDecember 2, 2010 Huge cost of mismatched bumpers: when bumpers on cars and SUVs don't line up (and many of them don't), low-speed collisions produce more damage and higher repair costs August 6, 2009 Bumpers on 4 of 6 midsize sedans improve; none earns good rating in low-speed tests June 11, 2009 Mini and microcar bumpers allow pricey damage; none of the 7 tested rates good under new system September 4, 2008 Most small cars aren't economical for crash repairs: Ford Focus performs the best; Rabbit & Prius are the worst in bumper tests July 1, 2008 Federal bumper rules should apply to SUVs, pickups, vans, and cars alike December 20, 2007 Minivan bumper test results: Nissan Quest is by far the worst performer August 2, 2007 Bumpers on luxury cars aren't luxurious: worst is Infiniti G35; 4 of 11 cars sustain more than $10,000 damage in 4 minor bumps March 1, 2007 First results of new crash tests: most car bumpers don't work in low-speed crashes; 3 cars sustain $4,500 damage in 6 mph test while old Ford Escort sustains little damage September 13, 2004 Huge
cost of mismatch bumpers: when bumpers on cars and SUVs don't line
up (and many of them don't), low-speed collisions produce more damage
and higher repair costs February 29, 2004 5
of 6 midsize cars earn low ratings in 5 mph crashes to test the bumpers December 11, 2003 Ford
redesigns pickup and minivan but bumper performances get worse in 5
mph crash tests November 28, 2003 8
of 9 new midsize SUVs sustain big damage in 5 mph bumper tests September 7, 2003 Mazda
6 gets acceptable rating in 5 mph crash tests; 3 of 6 vehicles tested
have poor bumpers, and damage to some is worse than to earlier models March 18, 2003 Honda
equips new SUV with acceptable bumpers, but bumpers on six other vehicles
fail to bump December 3, 2002 Audi
A4's bumpers earn praise; Toyota Corolla also is rated good, but two
other cars have subpar bumpers May 24, 2002 5
mph crash tests: none of 9 midsize cars earns good rating for bumper
performance; 5 of the 9 are poor March 13, 2002 Bumpers
on 3 small cars fail to resist low-speed damage; frontal airbags in
Kia Sedona minivan inflate in 5 mph impact November 29, 2001 Bumpers
on one new SUV and one large pickup improve dramatically, two other
new SUVs are equipped with bumpers that still don't bump July 31, 2001 7
new sport SUVs sustain big damage in 5 mph bumps; only new Acura MDX
is equipped with bumpers that resist damage April 9, 2001 Flimsy
bumpers on large pickups and small saves don't resist damage; six of
seven vehicles tested earn lowest possible bumper ratings January 30, 2001 Bumper
crash tests: Hyundai Elantra performs best; 2 cars improve since previous
tests, but 4 others fail to improve September 13, 2000 Flimsy
bumpers on SUVs fail to resist damage; four of five tested earn lowest
possible rating March 29, 2000 Passenger
vehicles sustain huge damage in 5 mph crash tests: Mazda promises improvement;
Volvo looks into airbag deployment September 28, 1999 Bumpers
on large family cars and luxury cars don't bump; every model tested
sustains extensive damage in 5 mph impacts June 16, 1999 SUV
bumpers don't resist damage in impacts at little more than walking
speed March 10, 1999 Two
automakers improve car bumpers; another new model has worse bumpers July 21, 1998 Bumpers
on small SUVs aren't utilitarian; minor bumps cause damage costing
thousands to repair April 28, 1998 Excellent
bumpers on Volkswagen's New Beetle; minimal damage is sustained in
5 mph crash tests April 7, 1998 Chevrolet
S-10 bumpers are 'the best of a bad lot;' bumpers on Toyota Tacoma
worst among pickups January 22, 1998 Consumers
will save as VW, Nissan, & Lexus improve bumpers; expensive damage
repairs cut to fraction of previous costs August 27, 1997 Saturn
fares best among 9 small 4-door cars in low-speed crash tests; one
of best performers in 16 years of testing May 8, 1997 Lexus
and Mercedes rate worst among luxury cars in low-speed bumper tests
while domestics Lincoln and Cadillac perform best Status Report special issue
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