— Crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) are typically known as the toughest tests in the country.
One of those tests is called the driver-side small overlap crash test which recently gave a 2022 Jeep Wrangler 4-door a bit of trouble.
While multiple aspects of the small overlap test went well, the 2022 Wrangler tipped over onto the passenger-side after the vehicle struck the barrier.
According to IIHS, a 2019 Wrangler did the same thing during previous Institute testing.
Stellantis (Chrysler) had conducted its own test on the 2019 Wrangler which did not tip over. Video of the test was sent to IIHS, but the 2019 Wrangler did tip over during the small overlap test conducted by IIHS. Chrysler requested a retest but the 2019 Wrangler tipped over again.
Stellantis made modifications to the structure which didn't prevent the 2022 Wrangler from tipping over.
Researchers say even partial rollovers are dangerous, but much can be left to the imagination because the 2022 Wrangler wasn't equipped with a passenger crash test dummy.
The 2022 Jeep Wrangler was awarded a "marginal" rating for the driver-side small overlap test, but the vehicle missed out on a "Top Safety Award" because a "good" rating is required.
Other than the rollover issue, researchers say the 2022 Wrangler did pretty well in the driver's small overlap test.
"The Wrangler performed well by the normal metrics used to evaluate performance in the test. The safety cage surrounding the driver held its structure well. The restraints also effectively controlled the movement of the dummy, though the test indicated a significant risk of injury to the driver’s left leg and foot and the combination head and torso side airbag did not deploy." — IIHS
Stellantis Responds To 2022 Wrangler Results
Stellantis responded to the crash test results by saying its vehicles are engineered for real-world performance, but the automaker "is reviewing this latest result. We routinely consider third-party testing and factor it into our product-development process, as appropriate."
The automaker also says it doesn't know of any real-world incidents that mimic the IIHS crash test results.
"Stellantis has produced more than one million of these vehicles. Real-world performance strongly indicates they afford the level of safety our customers demand and deserve. By conservative estimate, they have accounted for 105 billion on-road travel miles. And we are unaware any of field reports that correspond with the IIHS test results." — Stellantis
Watch the IIHS 2022 Jeep Wrangler Driver-Side Small Overlap Test
