When car-shopping, you want to choose a vehicle that’ll keep the rubber side down on the road. This statement seems obvious at first, but you’ll be surprised to know how many cars that are out there on the market that have a substantial risk of tipping over.
Rollover accidents are no joke. They are among the most lethal type of accidents. In fact, they account for around 20% of people killed while riding in a passenger vehicle. And those who are lucky enough to survive often suffer life-changing head and back injuries.
You can significantly reduce the risk of a rollover accident by practicing safe driving strategies, such as slowing down before a curve and accelerating gradually through it. However, the vehicle you drive is just as important to rollover prevention as how you drive it. While improved safety features like electronic stability control (ESC) have made larger vehicles safer now more than ever, their high clearance still makes them prone to tipping over when hitting an obstruction on the road. Here are the 10 vehicles that present the highest rollover risk.
Jeep Renegade
The Jeep Renegade may be pretty to look at, but it has some glaring faults. Jeep’s four-wheel drive models scored low on rollover accident assessments. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or the NHTSA for short, the Renegade had a 24% in tests. It’s not likely to tip by oversteering, but it has a high chance of tipping over when running over an obstruction at highway speeds. Good looks aren’t everything. Your life matters more.
Chevrolet Colorado
On rollover tests, the Chevy Colorado scored a mediocre three out of five stars. If you’re a rough rider like many 4×4 enthusiasts, then avoid this vehicle. You may push it past its limits and end up, well, upside down.
Chevrolet Tahoe RWD
Are you starting to see the pattern here? Although sports utility vehicles (SUVs) usually provide more protection against collisions, they also tend to have higher rollover risks. The Chevrolet Tahoe, for instance, had a 22.9% chance of rollover in NHTSA tests. This vehicle certainly has some attractive features, but its high rollover risk negates them.
Nissan Pathfinder
While the Nissan Pathfinder is capable of handling 95% of situations on the road safely, it registered an estimated 15-30% danger of rolling over in government tests. If you like bigger vehicles, just be aware that they have higher centers of gravity, which make them more prone to rollover accidents compared to smaller vehicles with lower centers of gravity.
Ford Explorer Sport Trac
As mentioned before, SUVs tend to do badly on rollover tests and the Ford Explorer Sport Trac is among the worst. There’s no doubt that its crossover style gives it huge appeal. However, it scored two stars out of five in safety tests. Again, looks aren’t everything.
Cadillac Escalade
This extravagant, full-sized vehicle is among the 10 most dangerous SUVs on the market. Even the 2017 model had a 22.9% rollover risk as determined by NHTSA testing. Compared to other large models like the Lincoln Navigator or Toyota Sequoia, the Escalade led the pack.
Ford F-250
The Ford F-250 may be a well-known model, but its 24.7% rollover risk puts it near the bottom in its vehicle category. Incident reports confirm that the F-250 has a not insignificant risk of tipping over, especially when driven at high speeds. This model may be familiar, but there are better offerings out there.
Ram 2500
Both the 2016 and 2017 models scored three stars on rollover tests and displayed above 23% danger of rolling over. Not only that, the 2016 model had been involved in a few recalls since being released to the public, making it a vehicle that consumers should be wary of.
Toyota 4Runner
The 2017 4Runner had an appalling 24.6% risk of tipping over in both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive models. If that wasn’t enough, its automatic braking system also tends to pull to the right or left when activated. Clearly, safety isn’t this vehicle’s strong suit.
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4WD
This SUV has a history of doing badly on rollover tests, and that hasn’t improved with age. The 2017 edition of the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited had an alarming 27.9% danger according to NHTSA assessments. Stay away from this potentially dangerous machine.
While auto manufacturers cannot prevent all incidents of people being injured in a rollover accident, they can help keep consumers safe by producing safe vehicles. The industry needs to take a closer look at larger vehicles in particular and take the necessary steps to make them less prone to rollover accidents. Perhaps future innovations in technology and design will make rollover accidents a thing of the past. We can only hope.
Judy lees are a super-connector with AYC Web Solutions who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. She frequently writes about the latest advancements in digital marketing and focuses her efforts on developing customized blogger outreach plans depending on the industry and competition.
