WIMPY BUMPERS
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Joined: Aug 1999
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From: Native New Yorker in Cary NC
WIMPY BUMPERS
You can climb the highest mountain, go through streams and go off road with your truck, but, if you go through a PARKING LOT, you could be in for over $5,000 worth of damage on your Truck.
Our Beloved Ford Trucks were rated POOR for an impact of only FIVE MPH.
READ THIS ARTICLE!!!
Tests show tough pickups, SUVs have wimpy
bumpers
April 9, 2001
CNN Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- They are advertised as rough and rugged, but according to a new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study, some large pickups and small sport utility vehicles have bumpers that are anything but sturdy. In fact, the institute characterizes the bumpers as "flimsy."
The institute most recently tested four large-model pickup trucks and three small
SUVs, all 2001 models, in four 5-mph crashes designed to simulate the kind of
collisions that occur in slow-moving commuter traffic or parking lots. In all but
one case, the vehicles sustained "excessive" damage.
"The performances of the four large pickup
trucks ranged from poor to awful," said Adrian Lund, the institute's chief operating officer.
The tests were the latest in an ongoing series of low-speed crash tests conducted by the institute.
The organization tested the Dodge Ram, Toyota
Tundra, Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado large trucks and the Ford Escape, Hyundai Santa Fe and Toyota RAV4 sport utility vehicles.
All vehicles were tested in four categories:
front-into-flat barrier, rear-into-flat barrier,front-into-angle barrier and rear-into-pole.
Dodge advertises its Ram pickup truck as the "mother of all trucks," but in the
institute's crash test it performed poorly, with damage in the four separate crash
tests totaling more than $8,000. The front-into-flat-barrier test caused damage
not only to the bumper but to the grille, hood, air-conditioner condenser and
radiator support, according to the institute.
In response, a DaimlerChrysler statement said: "It is important to note that the
results of this test reflect insurance claim costs, not vehicle safety. Bumpers on
all Chrysler Group vehicles meet or exceed all federal safety standards."
The Toyota Tundra and Ford F-150 could not be driven after the front-bumper
into angled-barrier test, which caused the bumpers to lodge against tires. The
cost for repair -- combining all the tests -- was $7,044 for the Toyota and $5,159 for the Ford.
"These pickups may look tough, but they're clearly not tough at all when it comes to preventing damage in low-speed crashes," Lund said.
Toyota said the way the tests are conducted is not representative of actual crashes.
"The cumulative damage estimate has nothing to do with a real-world crash," said Toyota Public Affairs Director John McCandless. But he added, "We're
going to take a look at the test results to see why the numbers came up high."
The best-performing vehicle was the Chevrolet Silverado, Chevy's most popular
model. Still, the truck sustained nearly $766 in damage to its bumper system
after the flat-barrier tests, in which vehicles should not be damaged at all.
The total cost of damage to the truck after all four tests was $4,261.
Of the small SUVs, only the Ford Escape earned an acceptable rating. The
institute said its bumpers were the only "halfway decent" bumpers of all vehicles
tested.
The Escape averaged $485 in repair costs in individual bumper tests.
Ford defended both the Escape and F-150 in an official statement, saying both
vehicles "meet or exceed government standards, the company's more stringent
internal requirements and the expectations of our customers."
Ford said the tests are a way to measure costs for insurance companies and are
not related to safety. The statement criticized the simulations, saying the tests --in particular, the rear-pole test -- did not simulate what happens in real-world
situations.
The redesigned Toyota RAV4 turned in a worse performance than last year and
the worst performance of all vehicles tested. After its bumpers collapsed in the
tests, the institute said the RAV4's styling almost assures excessive damage.
"The Toyota RAV4, like a number of other sport utility vehicles, has the spare
tire mounted on the tailgate. This design, which is predominately for styling
reasons, guarantees excessive damage in a whole range of rear collisions," said
Brian O'Neill, president of the institute.
In its testing, the institute said, it found the RAV4 has a bumper made only of
exterior molding with no energy-absorbing material and no reinforcement bars.
Toyota's statement echoed other carmakers in saying its vehicles meet or exceed
all federal crashworthiness requirements. "The low-speed tests conducted by the
IIHS were devised not to address safety issues, but to address insurance
industry loss issues," the statement said.
Toyota also questioned the motives and testing procedures of the institute.
The federal government's bumper standards currently apply only to passenger
cars. Bumper protection is at the discretion of auto manufacturers, so long as the
bumper is between 16 and 20 inches above the road's surface.
Since a full bumper is not required, some manufactures omit the bumper
altogether and place bumper guards over vehicle equipment instead.
The government has said it does not plan to regulate bumpers on sports utility
vehicles, minivans or pickup trucks. Creating a standard, government officials
have said, could compromise the performance of these vehicles.
------------------
99 F150 SC,5.4L,4x4 ORP,TTP,Gibson Single Side Cat-Back Exhaust System,Airaid,Duraliner Bedliner,Lund Bug Deflector Shield,SmittyBilt Outland Sport Bumper Guard in SS,Two KC DayLighters Off Road Lights,Two Eagle Eye Off Road Lights,A.R.E. Cab High Bed Cap,Valentine Radar Detector,ICOM 2M/70CM Ham Radio,R.F.Concepts Linear Amplifier,2watts in,170 watts out,Diamond SG Series Dual Band Antenna.
[This message has been edited by I95 (edited 04-09-2001).]
Our Beloved Ford Trucks were rated POOR for an impact of only FIVE MPH.
READ THIS ARTICLE!!!
Tests show tough pickups, SUVs have wimpy
bumpers
April 9, 2001
CNN Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- They are advertised as rough and rugged, but according to a new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study, some large pickups and small sport utility vehicles have bumpers that are anything but sturdy. In fact, the institute characterizes the bumpers as "flimsy."
The institute most recently tested four large-model pickup trucks and three small
SUVs, all 2001 models, in four 5-mph crashes designed to simulate the kind of
collisions that occur in slow-moving commuter traffic or parking lots. In all but
one case, the vehicles sustained "excessive" damage.
"The performances of the four large pickup
trucks ranged from poor to awful," said Adrian Lund, the institute's chief operating officer.
The tests were the latest in an ongoing series of low-speed crash tests conducted by the institute.
The organization tested the Dodge Ram, Toyota
Tundra, Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado large trucks and the Ford Escape, Hyundai Santa Fe and Toyota RAV4 sport utility vehicles.
All vehicles were tested in four categories:
front-into-flat barrier, rear-into-flat barrier,front-into-angle barrier and rear-into-pole.
Dodge advertises its Ram pickup truck as the "mother of all trucks," but in the
institute's crash test it performed poorly, with damage in the four separate crash
tests totaling more than $8,000. The front-into-flat-barrier test caused damage
not only to the bumper but to the grille, hood, air-conditioner condenser and
radiator support, according to the institute.
In response, a DaimlerChrysler statement said: "It is important to note that the
results of this test reflect insurance claim costs, not vehicle safety. Bumpers on
all Chrysler Group vehicles meet or exceed all federal safety standards."
The Toyota Tundra and Ford F-150 could not be driven after the front-bumper
into angled-barrier test, which caused the bumpers to lodge against tires. The
cost for repair -- combining all the tests -- was $7,044 for the Toyota and $5,159 for the Ford.
"These pickups may look tough, but they're clearly not tough at all when it comes to preventing damage in low-speed crashes," Lund said.
Toyota said the way the tests are conducted is not representative of actual crashes.
"The cumulative damage estimate has nothing to do with a real-world crash," said Toyota Public Affairs Director John McCandless. But he added, "We're
going to take a look at the test results to see why the numbers came up high."
The best-performing vehicle was the Chevrolet Silverado, Chevy's most popular
model. Still, the truck sustained nearly $766 in damage to its bumper system
after the flat-barrier tests, in which vehicles should not be damaged at all.
The total cost of damage to the truck after all four tests was $4,261.
Of the small SUVs, only the Ford Escape earned an acceptable rating. The
institute said its bumpers were the only "halfway decent" bumpers of all vehicles
tested.
The Escape averaged $485 in repair costs in individual bumper tests.
Ford defended both the Escape and F-150 in an official statement, saying both
vehicles "meet or exceed government standards, the company's more stringent
internal requirements and the expectations of our customers."
Ford said the tests are a way to measure costs for insurance companies and are
not related to safety. The statement criticized the simulations, saying the tests --in particular, the rear-pole test -- did not simulate what happens in real-world
situations.
The redesigned Toyota RAV4 turned in a worse performance than last year and
the worst performance of all vehicles tested. After its bumpers collapsed in the
tests, the institute said the RAV4's styling almost assures excessive damage.
"The Toyota RAV4, like a number of other sport utility vehicles, has the spare
tire mounted on the tailgate. This design, which is predominately for styling
reasons, guarantees excessive damage in a whole range of rear collisions," said
Brian O'Neill, president of the institute.
In its testing, the institute said, it found the RAV4 has a bumper made only of
exterior molding with no energy-absorbing material and no reinforcement bars.
Toyota's statement echoed other carmakers in saying its vehicles meet or exceed
all federal crashworthiness requirements. "The low-speed tests conducted by the
IIHS were devised not to address safety issues, but to address insurance
industry loss issues," the statement said.
Toyota also questioned the motives and testing procedures of the institute.
The federal government's bumper standards currently apply only to passenger
cars. Bumper protection is at the discretion of auto manufacturers, so long as the
bumper is between 16 and 20 inches above the road's surface.
Since a full bumper is not required, some manufactures omit the bumper
altogether and place bumper guards over vehicle equipment instead.
The government has said it does not plan to regulate bumpers on sports utility
vehicles, minivans or pickup trucks. Creating a standard, government officials
have said, could compromise the performance of these vehicles.
------------------
99 F150 SC,5.4L,4x4 ORP,TTP,Gibson Single Side Cat-Back Exhaust System,Airaid,Duraliner Bedliner,Lund Bug Deflector Shield,SmittyBilt Outland Sport Bumper Guard in SS,Two KC DayLighters Off Road Lights,Two Eagle Eye Off Road Lights,A.R.E. Cab High Bed Cap,Valentine Radar Detector,ICOM 2M/70CM Ham Radio,R.F.Concepts Linear Amplifier,2watts in,170 watts out,Diamond SG Series Dual Band Antenna.
[This message has been edited by I95 (edited 04-09-2001).]
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 207
Likes: 0
From: Little Elm, Texas USA
More anti truck/suv rhetoric! The key is, have insurance and don't hit stuff! Flimsy or not, the proven safety is the key. The insurance people just don't want to pay the bills, thats why they have these tests done so they can discourage people from buying them...but NOT ME!
Senior Member
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 3,188
Likes: 3
From: Kansas side of the greater KC area
90% of the problem is all that plastic in the front bumber it should be steel since its a truck but because of the truck boom thats been going on for many years now the govement made it to where the trucks and suv's had to have soft bumbers since more and more of them have been on city streets instead of being on the farm like the old days they need to go back to the steel bumbers and screw the folks driving cars if there car is totaled out when we use our chrome horns 
to get them out of our way.
to get them out of our way.
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 1998
Posts: 1,719
Likes: 1
From: Blue Ridge Mountains, GA
Unfortunately the downside of higher fuel mileage is lighter and thinner steel. This is a direct result of that. I'd still rather be in a truck than a small car in a serious collision.
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1997 XLT Reg. Cab, 4.2L V6, 5spd, Superchipped, K&N Air Filter, Lund Deflector, Dash Mat, Clear Corner Lenses, MagnaFlow Muffler, Hellwig Rear Sway Bar, Edelbrock Shocks, Duraliner, Extang Saber Tonneau, Painted Tailgate Handle, Bell-Tech 2" Rear Drop, Amer. Rac. Atlas Wheels Clad in 275/60/17 Eagle GTII. Likes straightaways, loves twisties.
------------------
1997 XLT Reg. Cab, 4.2L V6, 5spd, Superchipped, K&N Air Filter, Lund Deflector, Dash Mat, Clear Corner Lenses, MagnaFlow Muffler, Hellwig Rear Sway Bar, Edelbrock Shocks, Duraliner, Extang Saber Tonneau, Painted Tailgate Handle, Bell-Tech 2" Rear Drop, Amer. Rac. Atlas Wheels Clad in 275/60/17 Eagle GTII. Likes straightaways, loves twisties.
Member
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 79
Likes: 0
From: Southaven, MS
Yes today's bumpers are very fragile. I gave my dad my 1989 dodge d150 after I bought my new ford. The truck was spotless when I gave it to him. He hit a concrete pole in the parking lot going around 8 mpg. The bumper handled the lick pretty well. He simply pull the damaged bumper out with a chain and use of a tree. You could not tell that it was ever damaged. I wouldn't want to hit that same pole in this ford!
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 219
Likes: 0
From: Broken Arrow, Ok
I guess they could standardize Ranchhand bumpers on all suv's, 1/4 in. steel could do some damage to even a concrete pole, but then the tree huggers would gripe they are dangerous. No one's ever happy. The collapsing bumpers, I'm sure, are more of a safety thing than anything, as every car manufacturer said.
BTW, those reports of collapsed bumpers to undrivable conditions makes me think after hiting the pole they used that 345 ft lbs to further destruct the front.
------------------
2001 SuperCrew ORP 5.4L Gen I
MODS-Ramsey Brush Guard and Pro Plus 9000 winch, MAAP steps, Airaid, True Duals w/ 50 series muffs, Line-x, and huskyliners.
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1508480&a=11420452&f=0
BTW, those reports of collapsed bumpers to undrivable conditions makes me think after hiting the pole they used that 345 ft lbs to further destruct the front.
------------------
2001 SuperCrew ORP 5.4L Gen I
MODS-Ramsey Brush Guard and Pro Plus 9000 winch, MAAP steps, Airaid, True Duals w/ 50 series muffs, Line-x, and huskyliners.
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=1508480&a=11420452&f=0
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 749
Likes: 0
From: Lakeville, Minnesota, USA
If you made bumpers that satisfied the demands of the insurance industry (who sponsors these tests), nothing would break in any impact. Of course, that would **** of the people who think we should all be driving nerf cars at walking speed because these vehicles would inflict immense damage on other vehicles currently on the road. A no win situation, either way.
In any event, while I do have to admit not liking the amount of damage caused in these low speed impacts, I would rather have my vehicle give a little bit to absorb some of the energy from a high energy impact - ie: a crumple zone. That way, the cars take the brunt of the energy, not my body. Of course this doesn't agree with the group that conducts these tests, as that causes excessive damage repair costs. Just some food for thought!
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1997 F150 XLT, Flareside , Moonlight Blue, 4x2, SC, Auto, 4.6L, 3:08's, Cargo Cover by Century, Penda bed liner, Blue Oval reciever hitch plug, Driver Design bug deflector, Monroe Reflex Shocks, 235/70/16 Firestone Wilderness AT's, sliding rear window, captain's chairs, Valvoline Durablend Oil, Purolator Pure One Oil Filter, 280 lbs. of traction sand (ahh, winter in the great white north!
), and 119,000 miles and counting!
In any event, while I do have to admit not liking the amount of damage caused in these low speed impacts, I would rather have my vehicle give a little bit to absorb some of the energy from a high energy impact - ie: a crumple zone. That way, the cars take the brunt of the energy, not my body. Of course this doesn't agree with the group that conducts these tests, as that causes excessive damage repair costs. Just some food for thought!
------------------
1997 F150 XLT, Flareside , Moonlight Blue, 4x2, SC, Auto, 4.6L, 3:08's, Cargo Cover by Century, Penda bed liner, Blue Oval reciever hitch plug, Driver Design bug deflector, Monroe Reflex Shocks, 235/70/16 Firestone Wilderness AT's, sliding rear window, captain's chairs, Valvoline Durablend Oil, Purolator Pure One Oil Filter, 280 lbs. of traction sand (ahh, winter in the great white north!
), and 119,000 miles and counting!
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Senior Member
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 1,007
Likes: 0
From: liquid sunshine state (oregon)
I can personally testify to just how wimpy our front bumper is.About a yea and 1/2 ago,I was lucky enough to rear end somebody in my 98 f150 2wd.I hit a nissan maxima at aproximately 2-3mph (if I had another 2-3 feet I would have stopped).The airbags didn't deploy. The bottom portion ,below the slot of the bumper just curled right under and cracked on both sides.Damage to the nissan one scratch the shape of my bumper. Repair costs: Me new bumper around 350 installed, Nissan 400 to get bumper repainted and blended to match the rest of the car.
A minor side note here, the only reason the guy driving the nissan even had his bumper fixed is that his wife insisted.He didn't care and it really wasn't that noticable. Oh well that 's what insurance is for.I paid for my repairs out of pocket.My deductable is 250 andwhats another 100 right? I did get lucky because total damge was less than a 1000, my insurance company siad it was not gonna make my rates go up.Something about a non chargable accident.Beats me
A minor side note here, the only reason the guy driving the nissan even had his bumper fixed is that his wife insisted.He didn't care and it really wasn't that noticable. Oh well that 's what insurance is for.I paid for my repairs out of pocket.My deductable is 250 andwhats another 100 right? I did get lucky because total damge was less than a 1000, my insurance company siad it was not gonna make my rates go up.Something about a non chargable accident.Beats me
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 329
Likes: 0
From: Cary, NC
Don't crash. And if you do crash, have a good insurance policy.
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98 F-150 XLT 4X4 ORP Super Cab Short Bed, 4.6, Auto, 4.10's, Mag-Hytec diff. cover, Magnacharger supercharger, K&N FIPK, Superchip, Gibson single cat-back, 80/100w German head lamps, 80w amber fog lamps, Warn HS9500i winch with semi hidden mount, Wrangler dual battery kit with red & yellow top Optima batteries, 285/75R16 Goodyear MT/R's, 16x8 Center Line Hell Cats (JUNK WHEELS), Rancho RSX shocks, B&M deep aluminum trans pan, Rhino bedliner. Needs one more door.
http://hometown.aol.com/ninetyeightfword
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98 F-150 XLT 4X4 ORP Super Cab Short Bed, 4.6, Auto, 4.10's, Mag-Hytec diff. cover, Magnacharger supercharger, K&N FIPK, Superchip, Gibson single cat-back, 80/100w German head lamps, 80w amber fog lamps, Warn HS9500i winch with semi hidden mount, Wrangler dual battery kit with red & yellow top Optima batteries, 285/75R16 Goodyear MT/R's, 16x8 Center Line Hell Cats (JUNK WHEELS), Rancho RSX shocks, B&M deep aluminum trans pan, Rhino bedliner. Needs one more door.
http://hometown.aol.com/ninetyeightfword
Member
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 44
Likes: 0
From: Austin, TX
I saw the dateline story too.
Bsically all the vehicles had weak bumpers.
I wanted to know what that objects the trucks were running into was made of. It sure didn't look like a car to me and who's gonna run head on into a big metal box?
The only thing that really showed weakness was the pole to the rear bumper test. I guess that's why I see so many trucks with that dented tailgate driving around!
I guess it's good to know these things.
Red
Bsically all the vehicles had weak bumpers.
I wanted to know what that objects the trucks were running into was made of. It sure didn't look like a car to me and who's gonna run head on into a big metal box?
The only thing that really showed weakness was the pole to the rear bumper test. I guess that's why I see so many trucks with that dented tailgate driving around!
I guess it's good to know these things.
Red
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 200
Likes: 0
From: Canada
I have trouble understanding this! I'm going to run my own test! Yup this weekend I'm going to throw a metal box at Ford truck bumpers!
I ran into a rock on the trails once I wasn't going 5mph maybe 2 or 3 but my push bar bent in and also bent my bumper! I fixed it by chaining my push bar to a tree and backing up with the truck! The bent bumper didn't show very much!!!
As for the rear, buy a class III hitch!!
I ran into a rock on the trails once I wasn't going 5mph maybe 2 or 3 but my push bar bent in and also bent my bumper! I fixed it by chaining my push bar to a tree and backing up with the truck! The bent bumper didn't show very much!!!
As for the rear, buy a class III hitch!!
Senior Member
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 3,188
Likes: 3
From: Kansas side of the greater KC area
I watched dateline lastnight as I figured after reading about it here first that it would be coming up on dateline soon wel all I can say is the pole test opened the tailgate on the chevy.Tthe dodge and FORD as well as the toyota kept theres up on that test.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 2,233
Likes: 0
I don't know about the back bumper, but I know my front bumper is stronger than the rear bumper of a Lexus.
About a year ago, a friend of mine backed his Lexus SC400's left rear into my driver's side front bumper. What an awful sound it made. People from 50' around heard it. I thought my truck suffered some expensive damage.
His Lexus had a cracked tailight and the rear quarter panel was deformed. Cost about $2500. My '99 4x4 bumper? Just a couple of scuff marks around the fog light and a little tiny scratch on the plastic trim at the top of the bumper. It's so minor, I cut my friend a break and decided to just leave it.
About a year ago, a friend of mine backed his Lexus SC400's left rear into my driver's side front bumper. What an awful sound it made. People from 50' around heard it. I thought my truck suffered some expensive damage.
His Lexus had a cracked tailight and the rear quarter panel was deformed. Cost about $2500. My '99 4x4 bumper? Just a couple of scuff marks around the fog light and a little tiny scratch on the plastic trim at the top of the bumper. It's so minor, I cut my friend a break and decided to just leave it.