2004 Saturn L Series

midsize car / 4-door sedan

2004 Saturn L Series 4-door sedan

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
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 2000-05 models

Tested vehicle: 2000 Saturn LS2 4-door

The Saturn L Series was introduced in the 2000 model year and discontinued after a limited number of 2005 models were manufactured.

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. During rebound from the airbag, the dummy moved toward the driver door, and its head went partway through the open window. Then the head moved back in and hit the B-pillar and top of the door opening.

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 reasonably well.

Moderate footwell intrusion contributed to the likelihood of right leg injury.

Damage was minimal in a 5 mph rear-into-pole impact.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CF99022
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 17
Left (cm) 20
Center (cm) 18
Right (cm) 19
Brake pedal (cm) 14
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 5
Right (cm) 4
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 7
Rearward (cm) 0
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 3

Driver injury measures

Test ID CF99022
Head
HIC-15 236
Peak gs at hard contact negligible
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.8
Extension bending moment (Nm) 17
Maximum Nij 0.32
Chest maximum compression (mm) 28
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 4.5
Femur force - right (kN) 1.5
Knee displacement - left (mm) 2
Knee displacement - right (mm) 6
Maximum tibia index - left 0.68
Maximum tibia index - right 1.42
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.1
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 5.7
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 101
Right 138

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2002-05 models

Tested vehicle: 2004 Saturn L300.2 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags

The Saturn L Series was introduced in the 2000 model year. Side curtain airbags for drivers' and front and rear outboard passengers' heads were made optional on 2001 models and standard beginning with 2002 models. The L Series was discontinued after a limited number of 2005 models were manufactured.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
The dummy's head brushed past the side curtain airbag and was hit by the intruding barrier. This impact did not produce high head injury measures, but head hits with intruding objects such as other vehicles, trees, and poles should be prevented.
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 airbag and damage to the occupant compartment.

Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head brushing past the side airbag and about to be hit by the intruding barrier.

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 CES0314
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) 2.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0314
Head HIC-15 284
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.8
Compression (kN) 0.7
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 61
Lateral force (kN) 3.7
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 44
Average deflection (mm) 35
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 8.44
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 1.58
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 3.8
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.6
Combined force (kN) 7.3
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.8
L-M moment (Nm) 79
A-P moment (Nm) 44

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0314
Head HIC-15 386
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.6
Compression (kN) 0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 46
Lateral force (kN) 1.7
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 32
Average deflection (mm) 30
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 4.07
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.45
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.7
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.1
Combined force (kN) 2.6
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.9
L-M moment (Nm) 250
A-P moment (Nm) 17

How the side crash test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: All seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type All seats
Geometry
Backset (mm) 80
Distance below top of head (mm) 125
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Fail
Max T1 acceleration (g) 0.0
Head contact time (ms)
Force rating 0
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N)
Max neck tension (N)

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

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