2009 Lexus GS

large luxury car / 4-door sedan

2009 Lexus GS 4-door sedan
2006 Lexus GS shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

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 2006-11 models

Tested vehicle: 2006 Lexus GS 300 4-door

The Lexus GS was redesigned for the 2006 model year.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

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 that the driver's survival space was maintained well.

Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy’s head hit the roof rail. Head acceleration from this hit was low.

The GS features an airbag that deploys from the knee bolster underneath the steering wheel. The dummy's knees and shins hit this airbag as indicated by smeared greasepaint.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0520
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 11
Left (cm) 11
Center (cm) 11
Right (cm) 8
Brake pedal (cm) 6
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 4
Right (cm) 2
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 5
Rearward (cm) 0
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0520
Head
HIC-15 251
Peak gs at hard contact 47
Neck
Tension (kN) 2.1
Extension bending moment (Nm) 24
Maximum Nij 0.33
Chest maximum compression (mm) 31
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 1.4
Femur force - right (kN) 2.7
Knee displacement - left (mm) 1
Knee displacement - right (mm) 3
Maximum tibia index - left 0.36
Maximum tibia index - right 0.46
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.6
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 2.9
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 46
Right 52

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2006-11 models built after August 2005

Tested vehicle: 2006 Lexus GS 300 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Lexus GS was redesigned for the 2006 model year. Beginning with 2006 models manufactured after August 2005, changes were made to the front seat-mounted torso airbags to ensure better abdomen coverage in side impact crashes (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 tested car was manufactured after the side torso airbags had been modified.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0533
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -10.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0533
Head HIC-15 227
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.6
Compression (kN) 0.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 43
Lateral force (kN) 2.0
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 29
Average deflection (mm) 27
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 4.52
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.48
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.9
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.6
Combined force (kN) 3.4
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.2
L-M moment (Nm) 94
A-P moment (Nm) 52

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0533
Head HIC-15 109
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.1
Compression (kN) 0.5
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 27
Lateral force (kN) 1.4
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 21
Average deflection (mm) 17
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 1.93
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.20
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.1
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.6
Combined force (kN) 2.6
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.3
L-M moment (Nm) 106
A-P moment (Nm) 20

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2006-11 models

Tested vehicle: 2010 Lexus GS 350 4-door

Rating does not apply to the GS Hybrid (gas-electric) version of this model. Rating of the GS Hybrid is Marginal.

Overall evaluation
Curb weight 3,718 lbs
Peak force 12,590 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio 3.39

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Power leather seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Power leather seats
Geometry
Backset (mm) 68
Distance below top of head (mm) 62
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Fail
Max T1 acceleration (g) 13.9
Head contact time (ms) 87
Force rating 2
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 116
Max neck tension (N) 1,044

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.