Mid-size cars were tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
WASHINGTON – Six midsize sedans fared poorly in bumper crash tests conducted by the insurance industry, with each averaging more than $500 in repairs after crashes at 5 mph.
The 2004 Mitsubishi Galant fared best, averaging $525 in repairs in each of four tests, according to results released Sunday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The 2004 Chevrolet Malibu and the 2004 Acura TSX earned the group’s lowest rating, averaging more than $950 in damage in each of the four tests.
New models of the Suzuki Verona, the Nissan Maxima and the Acura TL earned the agency’s second-worst rating. They averaged between $613 and $731 in each of the four tests.
“These midsize models range from inexpensive to luxury, but all but one of them share bumpers that don’t bump,” said Adrian Lund, the institute’s chief operating officer.
Automakers stress the tests aren’t related to vehicle safety, but they look closely at the institute’s results. General Motors Corp. is redesigning the Malibu’s bumper as a result of the tests, Lund said.
Each of the institute’s four tests are conducted at a speed of 5 mph to simulate low-speed crashes in a parking lot or in heavy traffic. The front bumper is crashed into a flat barrier and an angled barrier, and the rear bumper is crashed into a flat barrier and a pole.
The institute tests new or redesigned vehicles as they go on the market for the public.
The Acura TSX had the costliest accident, sustaining $1,559 in damage when it crashed into a pole. Lund said the bumper failed to protect the trunk and rear body panel, and the trunk lid alone required $500 to straighten and finish.
Lund criticized some new designs in which bumpers are flush with the side of the vehicle.
“It’s terrible for consumers because it puts expensive sheet metal and safety components such as head lamps closer to the point of impact in a routine fender-bender,” Lund said.
On the Net:
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: http://www.iihs.org
AP-ES-02-29-04 0933EST
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