2003 Subaru Forester

small SUV / 4-door SUV

2003 Subaru Forester 4-door SUV

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: 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 2003-08 models

Tested vehicle: 2003 Subaru Forester 2.5X 4-door 4wd

The Subaru Forester was redesigned for the 2003 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 liner during rebound. Head acceleration from this hit was negligible.

Forces on the lower right leg were high enough to indicate the possibility of injury.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0214
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 5
Left (cm) 5
Center (cm) 13
Right (cm) 11
Brake pedal (cm) 12
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 1
Right (cm) 2
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 0
Rearward (cm) 0
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0214
Head
HIC-15 188
Peak gs at hard contact negligible
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.3
Extension bending moment (Nm) 21
Maximum Nij 0.35
Chest maximum compression (mm) 34
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 1.3
Femur force - right (kN) 2.7
Knee displacement - left (mm) 6
Knee displacement - right (mm) 2
Maximum tibia index - left 0.42
Maximum tibia index - right 0.54
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.1
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 4.5
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 79
Right 103

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2003-08 models

Tested vehicle: 2003 Subaru Forester 2.5X 4-door 4wd with standard front seat-mounted combination head and torso airbags

The Subaru Forester was redesigned for the 2003 model year.

Two tests of the Forester were conducted. The injury and head protection ratings for the driver are based on just the second test; measures for the driver in the first test were not used because the seating procedure was not comparable to other tested vehicles. Injury and head protection ratings for the rear seat passenger are based on both tests. Structural ratings also are based on both tests.

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
In both tests, the dummy's head was hit by the pillar behind the rear passenger door. This pillar is required by federal standard to provide some protection for occupants' heads.

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 was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side airbag.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy's head was hit by the pillar behind the rear passenger door (second test shown).

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0202 CES0312
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -7.0 -8.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0312
Head HIC-15 141
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Compression (kN) 0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 58
Lateral force (kN) 1.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 44
Average deflection (mm) 34
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 4.48
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.67
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 3.1
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.5
Combined force (kN) 5.7
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.4
L-M moment (Nm) 75
A-P moment (Nm) -34

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0202 CES0312
Head HIC-15 326 332
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.5 0.5
Compression (kN) 1.2 0.8
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 33 33
Lateral force (kN) 1.6 1.6
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 32 34
Average deflection (mm) 29 30
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.03 4.03
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.41 0.58
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.8 1.2
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.6 2.7
Combined force (kN) 3.2 3.7
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.5 0.4
L-M moment (Nm) 64 83
A-P moment (Nm) -16 14

How the side crash test is conducted