2005 Toyota RAV4

small SUV / 4-door SUV

2005 Toyota RAV4 4-door SUV
2004 Toyota RAV4 shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side
Side: original test with optional side airbags
Side: original test without optional side airbags
Head restraints & seats

Other available safety features

  • Optional daytime running lights

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 2004-05 models built after December 2003

Tested vehicle: 2004 Toyota RAV4 4-door 4wd

The Toyota RAV4 was redesigned for the 2001 model year, and advanced frontal airbags were added to 2004 models. All RAV4 models manufactured after December 2003 also include structural changes to improve occupant protection in frontal offset 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 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has evaluated the crashworthiness of a 2004 RAV4 with the structural changes in a 40 mph frontal offset crash test into a deformable barrier.

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 B-pillar and roof rail during rebound. Head accelerations from these hits were low.

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

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0411
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 9
Left (cm) 16
Center (cm) 16
Right (cm) 14
Brake pedal (cm) 13
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 1
Right (cm) 1
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 5
Rearward (cm) -1
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0411
Head
HIC-15 294
Peak gs at hard contact 65
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.9
Extension bending moment (Nm) 29
Maximum Nij 0.60
Chest maximum compression (mm) 0
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 1.0
Femur force - right (kN) 4.1
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 1
Maximum tibia index - left 0.46
Maximum tibia index - right 0.85
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.6
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 4.9
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 77
Right 150

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2004-05 models

Tested vehicle: 2004 Toyota RAV4 L 4-door 4wd with optional front and rear head curtain airbags and optional front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Toyota RAV4 was redesigned for the 2001 model year. Beginning with 2004 models, side airbags were added as options and structural changes were made to improve occupant protection in side-impact crashes. (Toyota reported that the structural changes alone would not significantly affect side-impact performance; therefore, the overall side impact rating for 2004-05 models without side airbags is the same as for 2001-03 RAV4s.)

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 curtain airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0407
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -6.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0407
Head HIC-15 174
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.2
Compression (kN) 0.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 46
Lateral force (kN) 2.1
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 34
Average deflection (mm) 27
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 2.58
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.50
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 3.3
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.2
Combined force (kN) 4.9
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.6
L-M moment (Nm) 40
A-P moment (Nm) 35

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0407
Head HIC-15 210
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.1
Compression (kN) 0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 37
Lateral force (kN) 1.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 32
Average deflection (mm) 28
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 4.03
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.47
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.9
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.7
Combined force (kN) 5.0
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.8
L-M moment (Nm) 84
A-P moment (Nm) -42

Rating applies to 2001-05 models

Tested vehicle: 2003 Toyota RAV4 L 4-door 4wd without optional side airbags

The Toyota RAV4 was redesigned for the 2001 model year. Beginning with 2004 models, side airbags were added as options and structural changes were made to improve occupant protection in side-impact crashes.

Note: Toyota reported that the structural changes alone would not significantly affect side-impact performance; therefore, the overall side impact rating for 2004-05 models without side airbags is the same (Poor) as for 2001-03 RAV4s. However, based on an Institute test of a 2004 RAV4 with side airbags, the structure rating improves to Acceptable for all 2004-05 models.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
The dummy's head 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
The dummy's head was hit by the window sill and glass of the rear passenger door. These impacts did not produce high head injury measures, but the head protection is inadequate.

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

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

Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head being hit by the intruding barrier.

Smeared greasepaint and glass marks show where the driver dummy's head hit the barrier.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0302
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 CES0302
Head HIC-15 338
Neck
Tension (kN) 2.3
Compression (kN) 0.0
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 51
Lateral force (kN) 3.3
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 43
Average deflection (mm) 33
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 10.34
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 1.44
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 6.7
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.3
Combined force (kN) 9.0
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.8
L-M moment (Nm) 57
A-P moment (Nm) -32

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0302
Head HIC-15 206
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.3
Compression (kN) 0.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 49
Lateral force (kN) 2.0
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 45
Average deflection (mm) 33
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.90
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.80
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 3.9
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.7
Combined force (kN) 6.4
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.3
L-M moment (Nm) 69
A-P moment (Nm) 23

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) 45
Distance below top of head (mm) 58
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Fail
Max T1 acceleration (g) 13.4
Head contact time (ms) 93
Force rating 2
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 18
Max neck tension (N) 996

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