Saturn Outlook Rear End Crash Test
There have been no rear crash test ratings posted for the Outlook. I see that Acura had the May07-forward modeles tested for rear crash test recently, so it not as if GM couldn't have gottent this done if they had wanted to. Does anyone know when GM will submit the Outlook to have the rear crash tests done? GM has not done well in other rear crash tests, so let's hope the Outlook does not earn the poor rating as their other SUVs have.
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It is up to the manufacturer to provide the seat for the test, which GM has not done yet for the Lambda vehicles. My own measurement of the static criteria at a dealer shows a poor rating (too much room between the head and the headrest). I hope I am wrong, because I like the Outlook, but why buy a car that is not going to protect you in a rear crash? The Honda Pilot, for example, has the highest rating for rear crash protection.
I posted this same link on the Enclaveforum.net website as I would like GM to take notice and make a change immediately to their design for the Lambda trio. The linked news release explains it but essentially, if headrests do not adjust to fit a range of body sizes, then IIHS will not even test the subject vehicle.
In this case, all 3 of the new GM CUV's 2nd and 3rd row head restraints DO NOT ADJUST -- thus, they fit only a portion of the human beings that will ride in those seats and cannot provide adequate protection in a rear end collision.
IIHS will never test the GM CUV's because of the poor headrest design -- GM has apparently designed the seats with this fixed headrest feature in order to provide a flip/fold feature for the 2nd and 3rd rows.
It is a shame that the Outlook and the other Lambda's neglected the headrest issue. It is big deal for me since I know of someone who has been perminatly injured due to a rear end crash. I otherwise like the Outlook.
As we wish for better news, it does not seem likely that GM would want to rush into publishing the Poor rating. For reference, here is the recent press release about the Taurus X that was released after the Outlook. Ford paid attention to the headrest geometry, paid for the testing, and now has the results to prove it.
Ford SUV earns TOP SAFETY PICK
ARLINGTON, VA — The 2008 Ford Taurus X, a midsize SUV, meets the criteria to win the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's TOP SAFETY PICK award. Winners of this designation afford superior overall crash protection among the vehicles in their class. To qualify for TOP SAFETY PICK, a vehicle must earn the highest rating of good in all three Institute tests — front, side, and rear — and be equipped with electronic stability control.
The NHTSA has tested the '07 Outlook and it got all 5 stars for front and side risk ratings and 4 stars on the rollover rating.
"The device on which dynamic tests of seat/head restraints are conducted is a steel flatbed sled that runs on fixed rails. The sled is moved to simulate vehicle crash accelerations, recreating the forces on occupants inside vehicles during real-world crashes. The changing acceleration or deceleration over the time duration of a crash is referred to as a crash pulse, and the key aspect of a sled is that it can be programmed to produce specific crash pulses. To evaluate seat/head restraints, vehicle seats and their attached restraints are fixed to the sled, which is accelerated to simulate a stationary vehicle that's rear-ended by another vehicle of the same weight going 20 mph. To accomplish this, compressed air is pumped into a special cylinder, thrusting a ram forward in a pre-programmed pattern of acceleration (crash pulse). Peak accelerationin the sled test is 10 g (5 g mean acceleration), and the duration is 91 ms."
Saturn's overall rear crash protection rating has been marginal at best (link).