More Rollover Ratings Roll In
The government released rollover risk ratings for 30 more vehicles on Tuesday, giving low marks to eight sport utility vehicles and high grades to four cars.
The ratings of the 2001 vehicles are based on a mathematical formula to measure the vehicle's center of gravity and width. SUVs and pickup trucks are more top-heavy and thus more likely to get lower grades than a car or van.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has not given more than three of five stars to an SUV, while cars are routinely getting four- or five-star ratings.
The agency gave five stars to all four cars it reviewed — Toyota Camry, Ford Crown Victoria, Lincoln LS and Mercury Grand Marquis.
The rating system does not predict the likelihood of a crash. Rather, it estimates the risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash, usually when the vehicle runs off the road into a curb, ditch or soft soil.
The auto industry and consumer groups have been critical of the ratings, arguing that actual driving tests should be used, not just vehicle measurements.
NHTSA argues that the ratings correspond to real-world accidents — more than 60 percent of fatalities in SUVs and more than 40 percent of deaths in pickups happen in rollovers. By comparison, 22 percent of car deaths involve rollovers.
Under a new law written in response to rollover accidents involving failed Firestone tires, the agency will begin conducting rollover tests within three years.
Many of the 174 deaths linked to Firestone tires have occurred when a tire failed on a Ford Explorer and then the vehicle rolled over. NHTSA gave the Explorer 4X2 a two-star rating, meaning it has a 30 percent to 40 percent chance of rolling over in a crash.
Other vehicles with a two-star rating include the 4X2 models of the Infiniti QX4, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Mercury Mountaineer, Mitsubishi Montero Sport and Nissan Pathfinder; the 4X4 models of the Nissan Xterra and Jeep Wrangler; and the Ford F150 4X4 pickup.
The ratings released Tuesday were the second batch issued by NHTSA, for a total of 72. The agency plans to test more 2001 vehicles in coming months.
The rollover ratings, along with frontal and side crash test ratings, are available at NHTSA's website.
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