IIHS midsized sedan bumper test–None rated Good

Fixing bumpers can be expensive. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) tested six midsized sedans and found none of their bumpers held up well in the kinds of low-speed impacts bumpers are supposed to sustain.

The Institute tested the Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Mazda 6, and Nissan Maxima. None were rated Good. Bumpers on the Mazda 6, the best performer in the test, rated Acceptable. IIHS rates cars on a scale of Good, Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor. The Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata rated Marginal. The other three cars received Poor ratings. (Follow the links in this paragraph for complete crash test and safety ratings, available to online subscribers.)

In the tests, the cars’ bumpers are rammed straight into a solid barrier at 6 mph in the front and rear. One front and one rear corner are also subjected to 3 mph impacts. Current federal standards call for 2.5 mph for the front and rear barrier portion of their tests, and 1.5 mph for the corner impacts. Repair estimates for the four impacts are totaled and averaged according to how prevalent each type of accident is in the real world. The evaluation includes a weighting that reflects real-world accident patterns. Weighted average repairs of less than $500 merit a Good rating, under $1,000 is Acceptable, and less than $1,500 is marginal. Any estimate over $1,500 is considered Poor.

The bumper tests have no bearing on crash safety. But they do impact insurance rates, since many accidents submitted to insurance companies are minor and involve repairing body damage that could have been avoided with better bumpers.

The best bumpers prevent damage to other body parts such as headlights, radiator supports, fenders, and trunk lids, which are usually more expensive to repair or replace than bumper materials. The Institute noted significant changes with the Accord helped it to lower repair costs, while the design changes for the Fusion and Malibu have increased potential repair costs. However, there is more to a vehicle redesign than bumper performance and buyers need to weigh all the factors, including crash test performance.

Four of the six new vehicles tested improved relative to their predecessors. IIHS rated 9 other midsized sedans on the market in 2007 that have not been redesigned since the test. None of those vehicles earned better than a Marginal score. Only the Mitsubishi Galant and the Toyota Camry received Marginal ratings, the rest scored Poor, indicating average repair costs of more than $1,500 in low-speed accidents.

In June, IIHS released bumper tests of small cars, and in that category the tested cars performed poorly. (Read: “Most small cars rate Poor in IIHS bumper tests.”) 

Over 300 crash tests conducted by IIHS can be seen in our crash test video player. Also, videos on current-generation vehicles are now available from the model overview pages (for subscribers).

—Eric Evarts

Comments

[CyCarConsulting]

That's a tough one. In much earlier cars the heavy chrome bumper would bend. Remove it easily from the 4 bolts send it out, straighten and re-plate it. Very cost effective. Today the plastic covers hide an impact strip, reinforcement bar, 2 shock absorbing bumper brackets on some cars, and in the body shop manuals, 3 hours labor to disassemble and reinstall. Not counting the extra parts required ,it is not an easy fix today, and with every manufacturer with the same basic design, doesn't look like much will change here in the near future. Here is where it gets ugly for the consumer. A bump in the parking lot could result in a cash settlement of a hundred dollars on the spot, not wanting to report it as an insurance claim. Everyone's happy, right. Not always, the extensive unseen damage below the plastic cover could be very expensive, leaving the owner of the damaged car high and dry.

[David Brodbeck]

There's also a tradeoff, here. To provide good crash protection, a car has to absorb energy that would otherwise be transferred to the occupants. A stiff, unyielding bumper structure works against that goal, which is why you don't see the thick steel bumpers on cars that you used to.

[Krystal Kid]

The two most frequent vehicle accidents are getting hit while parked and the rear end collision. That's why I purchased one of these from superbumper.com

Bumpers don't bump anymore and I don’t want tailgaters, people who “park by feel”, uninsured drivers and distracted text messengers wrecking my vehicle.

[UH2L]

Part of the reason bumpers have become so expensive to repair is that consumers prioritize styling over practicality and the manufacturers are giving it to them. A prime example are the grills that integrate into and extend into the bumper. There's no way that a grill can survive unscathed in a low speed impact.

[David]

I've been a Consumer Reports subscriber for well over 15 years. I remember back in the 1990s CR tested bumpers on every car they evaluated (except for large SUVs and pick-ups). Most of these cars (Toyota Camry, Honda Accord...etc.) emerged from the bumper basher unscathed. What happened? Are bumpers today less sturdy than those from the 1980s and 1990s? Second, why did CR see fit to stop testing bumper design and quality?

[coolcar]

WOW....

has IIHS tested the bumpers of small cars such as the Corolla, Civic, Elantra, Forte, Focus, Cobalt, and Lancer, among others? If these midesize sedans did poorly, small sedans with lighter body structures and most likely smaller bumpers would fare much worse...

[M.Jamil Khan]

I am using diffrent make cars since 1971.Occording to my observations the old car with steel hydralic bumpers were good. They could obsorb a reasonable hit, either from back or to the front, were very cheap to repair them now in today car a slight hit upset the whole month budget. Is there any org. who can guide the car designer to consider the user monthly budjet.?