2007 Tundra Falls Short in NHTSA Frontal Crash Test Rating

NHTSA crash ratings of the new Tundra is in: http://www.pickuptruck.com/html/news/tundranhtsa.html

Apparently, the Tundra falls just short at 4 stars for both front passengers...surprising in this day and age where manufacturers design vehicles from the start to pass these crash testings with flying colors. What is bad for sales is that these crash ratings may appear on the window sticker! (It is required for 2007 for cars, but i am not sure about trucks.)

"The NHTSA crash test results are likely to put Toyota's truck team into a deep defensive posture as the Tundra tries to prove itself an equal to the incumbents, and Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler pounce on any perceived weakness in the new truck's armor."

We will see how the Tundra does on IIHS crash testings, which emphasize more body structure strength. NHTSA's testings favor vehicle with better airbags and restraint system.

This has sparked a pretty lively debate over at Tundra Solutions in the new Tundra forum. Some people think its a major oversight on Toyota's part, and some don't really think its that big of a deal.

Personally, I don't plan on driving into a brick wall at 50 mph. And if I do, I don't think my body will be able to tell the difference between one star...

OUTRNNR said:

This has sparked a pretty lively debate over at Tundra Solutions in the new Tundra forum. Some people think its a major oversight on Toyota's part, and some don't really think its that big of a deal.

Personally, I don't plan on driving into a brick wall at 50 mph. And if I do, I don't think my body will be able to tell the difference between one star...

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I agree with the "not that big of a deal" part. I am more interested in the IIHS crash test data (when it comes out). However, unlike IIHS, these NHTSA results may be posted on the window sticker, which i am sure GM/Ford/Dodge will make sure everyone sees. Although it is not a big deal, it is still odd that Toyota would bring out a vehicle that is not perfect on any crash test. A bad test result may cost a manufacturer lots of $$$$...thus, every manufacturer (even Kia, Hyundais, etc.) nowadays pre-tests their vehicles before release. It is rare (aka unheard of) for a fresh design to fail in these crash tests...of course, the Tundra did not fail, it just was not perfect. Unfortunately for Toyota, their major competitors are perfect in this area.

As for the one-star difference, it is a significant difference if you read the NHTSA data.

Thai said:

I agree with the "not that big of a deal" part. I am more interested in the IIHS crash test data (when it comes out). However, unlike IIHS, these NHTSA results may be posted on the window sticker, which i am sure GM/Ford/Dodge will make sure everyone sees. Although it is not a big deal, it is still odd that Toyota would bring out a vehicle that is not perfect on any crash test. A bad test result may cost a manufacturer lots of $$$$...thus, every manufacturer (even Kia, Hyundais, etc.) nowadays pre-tests their vehicles before release. It is rare (aka unheard of) for a fresh design to fail in these crash tests...of course, the Tundra did not fail, it just was not perfect. Unfortunately for Toyota, their major competitors are perfect in this area.

As for the one-star difference, it is a significant difference if you read the NHTSA data.

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I agree that they missed an opportunity, or may have even shot themselves in the foot with this oversight. But from what I've read, the stars are assigned on the likelihood of injury in a certain test. 5 stars is less than 10% and 4 stars is less than some other percent. So the Tundra could have scored 11% on the test and gotten 4 stars instead of 5, where say, the F-150 scored a 9% and got 5 stars. Therefore, the difference is minimal, do I have that right?

OUTRNNR said:

I agree that they missed an opportunity, or may have even shot themselves in the foot with this oversight. But from what I've read, the stars are assigned on the likelihood of injury in a certain test. 5 stars is less than 10% and 4 stars is less than some other percent. So the Tundra could have scored 11% on the test and gotten 4 stars instead of 5, where say, the F-150 scored a 9% and got 5 stars. Therefore, the difference is minimal, do I have that right?

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Yeah, maybe...if you look on the 2nd page of the link above, you can see the breakdown. It seems that the F150 is the closest to Tundra in terms of points. But, then one can argue that the F150 was designed 2 years ago, while Tundra is fresh out of the oven.

Thai you continue to impress me with your broad knowledge of every subject there is about cars...

Pretty fly for a doctor...

Thanks mklttdv.

Recently, at least in TX, Toyota is giving factory rebates on 2007 Tundras! This is quite odd for a vehicle that has just been out only a few months. Is Toyota having a hard time selling them??? For one, i have been seeing more new 2007 Chevys and GMCs on the road than the new Tundra. The new Tundra is about as rare as the new Ford F250/350...and those Fords are on national backorder due to conflict between Ford and their diesel manufacturer. I do know that my local dealer has at least 2-3 Tundras on the lot.

mklttdv said:

Thai you continue to impress me with your broad knowledge of every subject there is about cars...

Pretty fly for a doctor...

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Oh great, now Thai's head is gonna get so big it will explode

GatorGreg said:

Oh great, now Thai's head is gonna get so big it will explode

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You're just jealous that i am "Board Certified SUV Nut" and you are not.