Just 3 of 11 pickups rated good in IIHS passenger-side crash tests

The

Ford F-150

and

Nissan Titan

join the

Ram 1500

in earning good ratings from the

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s

passenger-side small overlap front

crash test

, the only

trucks

of 11 tested to earn that score. The test simulates a crash in which the front corner of a vehicle clips another vehicle or stationary object.

Two pickups — the

Toyota Tacoma

and the

Honda Ridgeline

— were ranked acceptable on the passenger-side test, which

IIHS

began conducting in 2017, while five received marginal ratings: the

Chevrolet Colorado

,

GMC Canyon

,

Nissan Frontier

,

Chevy Silverado 1500

and

GMC Sierra 1500

. IIHS gave the

Toyota Tundra

a rating of poor.

“We commend

Ford

,

Nissan

and Ram for providing state-of-the-art crash protection for both drivers and front passengers of their large pickup models,” David Zuby, IIHS’ chief research officer, said in a statement. “As a group, however, the pickup class still has a lot of work to do.”

The

Ridgeline

is the only pickup so far that has earned IIHS’ Top Safety Pick award, but only when equipped with the options of

Honda

Sensing front crash prevention and LED headlights, which none of the other trucks offer. IIHS tested the

Ram 1500

late last year and gave its headlights a marginal rating.

IIHS said the

F-150

did the best job of protecting passengers in the test, with minimal intrusion at the rightmost section of the toepan and the seatbelts and

airbags

working well in tandem to minimize risk of injury.

Ford

says its 2019 model benefits from a high-strength steel frame and military-grade aluminum alloy body, plus 31 safety-related features to manage crash forces.

The structure of the

Tundra

, meanwhile, was worryingly compromised, with maximum intrusion of 15 inches in the rightmost toepan and more than a foot at the lower door hinge pillar. The passenger dummy’s head also hit the grab handle attached to the A pillar as it intruded into the passenger space. It and the

Nissan Frontier

represent the oldest designs of the 11 trucks tested, with basic structures that date to 2007 and 2005, respectively. As a result, both struggle with the small overlap front crash tests, earning marginal ratings for driver-side protection.

Overall, IIHS says pickup trucks have taken longer than other vehicle segments to meet its challenge for providing protection in driver- and passenger-side small overlap crashes. The higher weight of trucks makes front crashes more severe than for smaller vehicles.