Popular Minivans Flunk Crash Test

The Ford Freestar minivan is one of the most popular family vehicles on the road.

But when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety performed its first tests to see how minivans hold up in side-impact crashes, the Freestar without optional side airbags was anything but a star,

The institute's David Zuby says occupants could be endangered in Freestars that don't have that option: "We saw evidence of risk of a serious head injury."

The Mazda MPV, without its optional side airbags, also got a "poor" rating.

The latest round of tests looked at how well minivans would protect occupants in a side-impact crash with an SUV or pickup, "the kind of crash that might occur in an intersection," Zuby points out.

The Toyota Sienna, Nissan Quest and Honda Odyssey all come with standard side airbags and received the institute's highest rating of "good."

"In a vehicle rated 'good,' " Zuby says, "we'd expect most people to walk away from that crash."

The institute tested two versions of the Freestar, the first with optional side airbags. It was rated "acceptable."

"The types of injuries that occur might be more severe (than in vehicles rated "good"), or maybe there would be a few people who couldn't walk away, but most people would," Zuby says.

But the heads of test dummies in the Freestar without the optional side airbags go crashing through the window. That model received the lowest possible rating of "poor."

"People in a crash similar to the test we ran would likely suffer serious injuries, possibly life-threatening injuries, that would require immediate medical attention," in vehicles rated "poor," Zuby says.

The message? The institute suggests you make sure any minivan you buy has side airbags, even if they cost extra.

"Side impact airbags," Zuby says, "when they're optional equipment, range in price from an additional $500 to a little over $1,000. We feel that it's very important that people spend this extra money to provide the extra crash protection in the event of a serious side impact crash."

Experts at the institute say side airbags with head protection are reducing deaths by about 45 percent.

As for the minivans that received a rating of "poor," Mazda and Ford say they stand behind the safety of those vehicles, Koeppen says. And they point out both have received "5-star" ratings in crash tests done by the federal government.

Minivans from Chrysler and GM weren't tested because the companies say they are making design changes to improve side impact protection, the institute says. These models will be tested early next year.