1996 Toyota 4Runner

midsize SUV / 4-door SUV

1996 Toyota 4Runner 4-door SUV

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 1996-2002 models

Tested vehicle: 1996 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4-door 4wd

The Toyota 4Runner was redesigned for the 1996 model year.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has evaluated the crashworthiness of the 4Runner in a 40 mph frontal offset crash test into a deformable barrier.

Note: Airbag and safety belt changes beginning with 1998 and 1999 models improved the 4Runner's performance in the federal government's full-width crash test at 35 mph, which evaluates other important aspects of frontal crashworthiness. These changes are not expected to affect the results of the Institute's test, because measures indicate that significant injury to the upper body was unlikely in the tested 1996 model (these measures are most likely to be affected by airbag and safety belt changes).

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Dummy movement was reasonably well controlled. After the dummy moved forward into the airbag, it rebounded into the seat without its head coming close to any stiff structure that could cause injury. However, there was far too much upward movement of the steering wheel.

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates the driver's upper survival space was maintained well, but there was more footwell intrusion than is desirable.

The dummy stayed in position throughout the crash. During rebound, its head hit only the head restraint.

The 4Runner's bumpers are very poor. They allowed excessive damage in low-speed impacts.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CF96005
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 17
Left (cm) 16
Center (cm) 20
Right (cm) 16
Brake pedal (cm) 14
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 3
Right (cm) 5
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 16
Rearward (cm) -1
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Test ID CF96005
Head
HIC-15 463
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.8
Extension bending moment (Nm) 23
Maximum Nij 0.33
Chest maximum compression (mm) 28
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 1.2
Femur force - right (kN) 1.0
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.58
Maximum tibia index - right 0.84
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 3.3
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 4.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 97
Right 141

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted