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Ford Bronco falls short of IIHS safety awards, but passes toughest test

The SUV's headlights and head restraints kept it short of a Top Safety Pick award.

Sean Szymkowski
It all started with Gran Turismo. From those early PlayStation days, Sean was drawn to anything with four wheels. Prior to joining the Roadshow team, he was a freelance contributor for Motor Authority, The Car Connection and Green Car Reports. As for what's in the garage, Sean owns a 2016 Chevrolet SS, and yes, it has Holden badges.
Sean Szymkowski
Ford Bronco crash test

The Bronco did very well overall. Just not well enough to get an award.

IIHS

The Ford Bronco will not wear a coveted Top Safety Pick banner after the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released the SUV's final scores on Wednesday. The SUV aced five of the six crash tests with top-rated Good marks, but an Acceptable rating in the head restraint test was its downfall. To qualify for a Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn a Good rating in all six tests.

Still, the Bronco's boxy figure passed the crucial driver- and passenger-side small overlap frontal crash tests, which is a tough ask for some new cars. Overall, even without the award, the SUV is a safe machine. The IIHS only noted the neck of its test dummy "was subject to moderate force in a simulated rear-end test."

The other area the Bronco came up short was its headlights, which the IIHS also takes into consideration for either a Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick Plus award. For the lesser award, a vehicle must offer at least one set of Good or Acceptable headlights. The SUV's two headlight systems only received Marginal ratings due to low beams that do not illuminate a long enough distance on curves. The SUV did earn Superior and Advanced ratings for its vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian crash-avoidance technology.

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