JL Crash Tests

[NFRs2000NYC]

As someone that's been in an accident in my Jeep JK, I assure you, if you had to be in an accident, you'd want to be in my poorly rated JKU with armor front/rear/side vs the 5 start all around subaru.....take my word on it....I had some scratched powdercoat, their trunk was in their backseat.

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[Cal_JLU]

I wonder if the Rubicon trim levels fare better in the crash test results, particularly the side impact category. Seeing as the Rubicon trims have steel rock rails and sometimes even steel bumpers, I'd venture to say they are safer than the other trim levels.

it will make a difference. though I doubt a non Rubicon would be any less safe by some substantial margin. I just feel bad for the folks in cars, because they're going to get the brunt of it.

A few years ago I saw a Jetta that was rear ended by a JKU with a stinger bumper, the trunk was smashed in completely. Definitely a total loss on the Vee Dub.

 

[CantThinkOfAHandle]

There's also the question of accident avoidance. I don't imagine the Wrangler does particularly well during panic stops or turns.

 

[offcamber]

A couple of years ago, I was driving home in the snow and ice..mostly slush, on a four lane highway. An Eclipse is coming up on me in the right hand lane and he is going much faster than me. As he gets about 1/4 car length on me, he loses control and slams into the side of my JK, It almost put me into a spin and then into a 20ft ditch but I regained control just before the point of no return. The eclipse's entire driver side is caved in to the point the fenders are crushed into the tires so it can't move. My JK? Nothing. it knocked a bunch of ice off my rocker armor, but not as much as a scratch otherwise.

 

[Jeepster2018]

Standard side airbags will definitely help.

Weren't older cars generally unsafe as well due to lack of airbags and sufficient restraints rather than lack of crumple zones? I can't imagine a crumple zone being always better than having a steel bar to deflect/absorb impact.

 

[RussJeep1]

Standard side airbags will definitely help.

"Help," is IMHO an interest choice of words. I say this because of not only the literal meaning of them adding additional protection in an accident, but now that they are standard in the JL, they will be included in any IIHS crash testing and may help improve the JL Wrangler's safety ratings over the JKs. It's my understanding such side airbags were not included in the JK's IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) testing because they were optional equipment in the JK.

One additional thought: vehicles are "safe" and "unsafe" within their class of vehicle. I'd rather be in a Wrangler than a smaller, lower riding, more airbag equipped sedan even if the Wrangler performs poorer in safety test within its class, than the aforementioned sedan does in its class..

This of course is not to say that I wish certain aspects of the JL had better safety. Side airbags for the rear passengers could have been done. Removable doors that make it harder to engineer was nevertheless overcome in the front seat.

 

[offcamber]

"Help," is IMHO an interest choice of words. I say this because of not only the literal meaning of them adding additional protection in an accident, but now that they are standard in the JL, they will be included in any IIHS crash testing and may help improve the JL Wrangler's safety ratings over the JKs. It's my understanding such side airbags were not included in the JK's IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) testing because they were optional equipment in the JK.

One additional thought: vehicles are "safe" and "unsafe" within their class of vehicle. I'd rather be in a Wrangler than a smaller, lower riding, more airbag equipped sedan even if the Wrangler performs poorer in safety test within its class, than the aforementioned sedan does in its class..

This of course is not to say that I wish certain aspects of the JL had better safety. Side airbags for the rear passengers could have been done. Removable doors that make it harder to engineer was nevertheless overcome in the front seat.

The downside is that you can never add aftermarket seats in the JL. I have the side airbags in my JK and it was my one regret. I wanted to put better seats in it but there is no easy way to get rid of the airbag warning light being on if you swap the airbag equipped seats with non airbag seats.

 

[Jeepster2018]

So you would have preferred to have better seats in place of side airbags???

The downside is that you can never add aftermarket seats in the JL. I have the side airbags in my JK and it was my one regret. I wanted to put better seats in it but there is no easy way to get rid of the airbag warning light being on if you swap the airbag equipped seats with non airbag seats.

 

[Jeep4Life]

My boyfriends 2007 Jeep was legally parked in front of the house on the street, and at 4 am we woke to a bang on the door by the police. A taxi had slammed into the front of his parked Jeep. The taxi had to be hauled off with a flat bed. His Jeep had a scratch on the front bumper. 1

 

[offcamber]

So you would have preferred to have better seats in place of side airbags???

Yes, I'd prefer no airbags. I don't like things exploding around me. My niece was horribly burned in a 35mph collision from airbag gasses. Six surgeries later she can almost cover her scars with make up. No thanks. The one collision I was in with my 2003 TJ was a head on collision and I'm glad to this day the airbag didn't discharge. I got a sleight concussion from hitting my head on the center spreader bars of my cage. That's it.

 

[RonH]

Yes, I'd prefer no airbags. I don't like things exploding around me. My niece was horribly burned in a 35mph collision from airbag gasses. Six surgeries later she can almost cover her scars with make up. No thanks. The one collision I was in with my 2003 TJ was a head on collision and I'm glad to this day the airbag didn't discharge. I got a sleight concussion from hitting my head on the center spreader bars of my cage. That's it.

Give the history your family has, I understand your hesitance. However, mine is different. Back in Jan of last year, I was driving home from work on a straight road (I work about 25 miles from town). Next thing I knew, the world was spinning and I came to rest in a farmer's field. A lady ran a stop sign and nailed me in the passenger door. We were both doing between 55-60 mph. She was in a full sized Econoline van, and I was in a two year old Focus. Long story short, she passed away, I, through the grace of God and airbags (both side curtain and frontal) am still walking this earth...albeit with some aftermarket parts in my neck. Her bumper came almost all the way to my center console. I was actually able to walk about 40 ft. to the gurney. No burns on my face or anywhere else. I don't know when your niece was burned by the bag, but the older ones fired off much faster than the newer ones and I believe that they slowed 'em down precisely due to the burns (I'm no expert on these things, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). I'll take airbags all day long...and seatbelts. Strangely enough, when I ride a motorcycle, I don't wear a helmet...go figure...lol Maybe that's why I don't agree with seatbelt laws...they should be a mandatory piece of equipment, but their use should be left up to the individual.

 

[word302]

Give the history your family has, I understand your hesitance. However, mine is different. Back in Jan of last year, I was driving home from work on a straight road (I work about 25 miles from town). Next thing I knew, the world was spinning and I came to rest in a farmer's field. A lady ran a stop sign and nailed me in the passenger door. We were both doing between 55-60 mph. She was in a full sized Econoline van, and I was in a two year old Focus. Long story short, she passed away, I, through the grace of God and airbags (both side curtain and frontal) am still walking this earth...albeit with some aftermarket parts in my neck. Her bumper came almost all the way to my center console. I was actually able to walk about 40 ft. to the gurney. No burns on my face or anywhere else. I don't know when your niece was burned by the bag, but the older ones fired off much faster than the newer ones and I believe that they slowed 'em down precisely due to the burns (I'm no expert on these things, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). I'll take airbags all day long...and seatbelts. Strangely enough, when I ride a motorcycle, I don't wear a helmet...go figure...lol Maybe that's why I don't agree with seatbelt laws...they should be a mandatory piece of equipment, but their use should be left up to the individual.

I was burned by a 2012 airbag after being forced up a curb at low speed.

 

[Jeepster2018]

Agree...like thousands of others, glad to hear airbags saved your life.

Give the history your family has, I understand your hesitance. However, mine is different. Back in Jan of last year, I was driving home from work on a straight road (I work about 25 miles from town). Next thing I knew, the world was spinning and I came to rest in a farmer's field. A lady ran a stop sign and nailed me in the passenger door. We were both doing between 55-60 mph. She was in a full sized Econoline van, and I was in a two year old Focus. Long story short, she passed away, I, through the grace of God and airbags (both side curtain and frontal) am still walking this earth...albeit with some aftermarket parts in my neck. Her bumper came almost all the way to my center console. I was actually able to walk about 40 ft. to the gurney. No burns on my face or anywhere else. I don't know when your niece was burned by the bag, but the older ones fired off much faster than the newer ones and I believe that they slowed 'em down precisely due to the burns (I'm no expert on these things, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). I'll take airbags all day long...and seatbelts. Strangely enough, when I ride a motorcycle, I don't wear a helmet...go figure...lol Maybe that's why I don't agree with seatbelt laws...they should be a mandatory piece of equipment, but their use should be left up to the individual.

 

[ResponsibleAdult]

The downside is that you can never add aftermarket seats in the JL. I have the side airbags in my JK and it was my one regret. I wanted to put better seats in it but there is no easy way to get rid of the airbag warning light being on if you swap the airbag equipped seats with non airbag seats.

Duct tape.

 

[RussJeep1]

Without question there are circumstances where airbags do more harm than good--it's an accident and occupant specific thing. From burns, to unnecessary deployments, to visibility issues, the list of "problems" they can create is near infinite.

But also without question, even more so, airbags on the whole save lives and reduce the frequency and severity of injuries, which is why they're standard equipment, at least in the front seat, of the vehicles of many countries.

These comments in no way seek to minimize my sympathy for and the suffering of those negatively affected by their presence and deployment in situations where they would have better not been activated.

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