The redesigned 2013 Toyota RAV4 recently earned a "Poor" rating for performance in the small overlap front crash test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The score has to be disappointing for Toyota after it made changes to models this past spring to improve the stability of the steering column and added more padding under the footwell carpeting.
"The changes, however, weren't enough to lift the RAV4's performance in the small overlap test," said the IIHS according to Edmunds. "A combination of poor structure and inadequate control of the dummy's movement prevented the RAV4 from earning better than a poor rating overall."
"The driver's space was seriously compromised by intruding structure, and the dummy's left foot was trapped by crushed and buckled sheet metal in the footwell," the IIHS added.
The "Poor" rating is the lowest designation on the small overlap test, with "Good" being the highest.
Despite the rating, the RAV4 still earned the "Top Safety Pick" honor from the IIHS after achieving "Good" ratings in the side, rollover, moderate overlap, and rear tests.
"The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) periodically develops new, more severe or specialized tests that go beyond federal requirements," said Toyota in a press statement. "With the small over-lap test, the Institute has raised the bar again, and we are responding to the challenge. We are looking at a range of solutions to achieve greater crash performance in this area."
The IIHS test simulates what could happen is a driver crashes the left front quarter of a vehicle into an object like a tree, another car, or a pole.
The institute recently released results for 13 different models but they delayed the results for the RAV4 after Toyota decided to make changes to the redesigned model according to the IIHS.
"This is a challenging test," said Adrian Lund, IIHS president, in a press statement. "Most manufacturers are going to need to make significant changes to their vehicles in order to improve protection in these kinds of serious frontal crashes."
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