Click to enlarge.
Four vehicles from four different brands fall short in one or more tests required for a 2024 Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ award in the latest ratings release today from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. To qualify for either award in 2024, vehicles need good ratings in the small overlap front and updated side tests, an acceptable or good rating in the pedestrian front crash prevention evaluation and acceptable- or good-rated headlights across all trim levels.
In addition, a good rating in the original moderate overlap front test is enough to qualify for Top Safety Pick, but a good or acceptable rating in the updated test is needed for the “plus.”
Latest Tests
- The 2025 Kia Sorento qualifies for Top Safety Pick, retaining the status earned by the 2024 model. However, it misses out on the “plus” due to a marginal rating in the updated moderate overlap front test.
- The 2025 Altima, a mid-size sedan, also earns a marginal rating in that test, though it was not in the running for either award due to lackluster performance in other tests.
- Two new electric SUVs, the mid-size luxury 2024 Acura ZDX and mid-size 2024 Honda Prologue, miss out on awards after coming up short in the small overlap front test. To qualify for either award in 2024, vehicles need good ratings in the small overlap front and updated side tests, an acceptable or good rating in the pedestrian front crash prevention evaluation and acceptable- or good-rated headlights across all trim levels. In addition, a good rating in the original moderate overlap front test is enough to qualify for Top Safety Pick, but a good or acceptable rating in the updated test is needed for the “plus.”
- Kia modified the rear seat belts in the Sorento in July 2024 in a bid to improve rear occupant protection, which is a focus of the updated moderate overlap test. Despite that effort, it only managed a marginal rating. Injury measurements taken from the dummy indicated an elevated risk of injury to the rear occupant’s head or neck, and the lap belt moved from the ideal position on the pelvis onto the abdomen, which increases the risk of internal injuries. The rating in this test applies only to models built after the seat belt modifications, as earlier models were not evaluated.
- Nissan also modified the rear seat belts in the Altima, but it too earns a marginal rating. As in the Sorento, the rear dummy’s lap belt migrated from the pelvis onto the abdomen. In addition, the shoulder belt moved too far upward toward the rear dummy’s neck, which can prevent the restraint system from working properly. The Altima previously earned a poor rating in the updated side test and a marginal rating in the pedestrian front crash prevention test.
- Both the Prologue and ZDX earn acceptable ratings in the small overlap front test because the passenger dummy’s head slipped between the front and side curtain airbags during the test. A good rating in this test has been a Top Safety Pick requirement for many years.
- Acura made changes to the headlights supplied with the ZDX, and the current ones earn a good rating. The headlights supplied with vehicles built before September are rated poor.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
IIHS – Latest 2024 Top Safety Pick Laggards
Click to enlarge.
Four vehicles from four different brands fall short in one or more tests required for a 2024 Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ award in the latest ratings release today from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. To qualify for either award in 2024, vehicles need good ratings in the small overlap front and updated side tests, an acceptable or good rating in the pedestrian front crash prevention evaluation and acceptable- or good-rated headlights across all trim levels.
In addition, a good rating in the original moderate overlap front test is enough to qualify for Top Safety Pick, but a good or acceptable rating in the updated test is needed for the “plus.”
Latest Tests
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.