Jeep Wrangler 'changes' in the works following crash test tip over
With the changes, IIHS says it will test the SUV again.
Last week, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety detailed the not-so-great outcome of the 2020 Jeep Wrangler's small-overlap crash test, which left the SUV tipped over on its side, the first vehicle ever to do so. According to the safety group, Jeep's parent automaker, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, has updates coming to rectify this.
An IIHS representative tells Roadshow in a statement, "FCA has indicated that they're working on changes to address the partial-rollover outcome that we observed in our driver-side small overlap crash test." IIHS tested the Wrangler not once, but twice, and the outcome left the vehicle tipped over both times.
The insurance industry-backed group selected the Wrangler as part of a routine audit program to verify automakers' submitted crash test results. The drama comes as FCA said the Wrangler did not tip over in its own test, but did when IIHS tested the vehicle. FCA worked with IIHS to ensure the testing gear suited the vehicle, but in a retest, it tipped over again.
It's entirely unclear what "changes" will be made to the Wrangler to help it perform better in this specific crash test. The Wrangler performed well in all other standard crash tests, earning the best-possible Good marks. The driver-side small-overlap test left it with a Marginal rating in the respective category, however. IIHS also previously told Roadshow the last-generation Wrangler did not tip over during its testing.
FCA said it's currently "examining the test result" and previously told Roadshow, "We design our vehicles for real-world performance. And real-world data, along with continuing demand, indicate the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited meets or exceeds customer expectations."
