1. Welcome to Tundras.com!

    You are currently viewing as a guest! To get full-access, you need to register for a FREE account.

    As a registered member, you’ll be able to:
    • Participate in all Tundra discussion topics
    • Transfer over your build thread from a different forum to this one
    • Communicate privately with other Tundra owners from around the world
    • Post your own photos in our Members Gallery
    • Access all special features of the site

Tundra Front End Safety Concerns

Discussion in 'General Tundra Discussion' started by Kurt7700, Sep 9, 2020.

  1. Sep 9, 2020 at 6:39 AM
    #1
    Kurt7700

    Kurt7700 [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2020
    Member:
    #51905
    Messages:
    52
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Kurt
    Ocala, FL
    Vehicle:
    2009 Tundra DC V6
    I realize this is a year-old study but how does everyone feel about the poor Tundra crash ratings, especially for front seat passengers? My apologies if this has been discussed at length.

    "But Toyota's full-size Tundra was rated as one of the most unsafe trucks the IIHS evaluated. In the frontal tests, the Tundra was "seriously compromised by intruding structure," which is an engineer's way to explain that you're likely to be seriously injured by the Tundra's cabin compressing around your body. In the passenger-side test, the Tundra's footwell caved in 15 inches, compared to the F-150's five inches. It scored the worst rating of Poor. Plus, its A-pillar "intruded into the passenger's space," and the lower part of the B-pillar caved in more than a foot, IIHS said. The driver's score was slightly better at Marginal. Roof strength was also the weakest of any pickup tested."

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2019/03/21/iihs-gm-toyota-pickup-truck-safety/3221070002/
     
  2. Sep 9, 2020 at 6:41 AM
    #2
    GODZILLA

    GODZILLA Hail to the King, Baby.

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2019
    Member:
    #35514
    Messages:
    27,092
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Adam
    Wyoming
    Vehicle:
    2023 Solar Octane TRD Pro TACOMA, 2022 Honda CB500X
    Trying not to mod it
    Look at it's crash ratings from 2007. These trucks are an old platform that was built to old standards. The standards have gotten more strict, but the trucks haven't changed.
     
  3. Sep 9, 2020 at 6:45 AM
    #3
    Kurt7700

    Kurt7700 [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2020
    Member:
    #51905
    Messages:
    52
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Kurt
    Ocala, FL
    Vehicle:
    2009 Tundra DC V6
    Wow. Stellar marks for crash ratings in 2007. Thanks. I'll keep driving the coolest looking truck on the road. ;)
     
    Rex Kramer and GODZILLA like this.
  4. Sep 9, 2020 at 4:28 PM
    #4
    Shifless Joe

    Shifless Joe New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2019
    Member:
    #39259
    Messages:
    77
    Gender:
    Male
    Mesa AZ
    Vehicle:
    2016 TRD Off-Road
    Still not buying a Ford
     
    MTRock, Hurricane, berto40 and 5 others like this.
  5. Sep 9, 2020 at 6:49 PM
    #5
    tacomawv

    tacomawv New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2016
    Member:
    #4369
    Messages:
    307
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Richard
    I drive a 20 year old jeep wrangler with the doors off almost everyday. I feel very safe in my Tundra.
     
  6. Sep 9, 2020 at 8:37 PM
    #6
    chickunfut

    chickunfut Low-buck Ramp Truck

    Joined:
    Dec 7, 2017
    Member:
    #11401
    Messages:
    95
    Gender:
    Male
    Fort Worth, TX
    Vehicle:
    2007 Tundra Crewmax
    Don’t crash it....

    No vehicle fares well in a real world crash. Speeds on roads today are insane and death is certain for all combatants! DO NOT PARTICIPATE IN CRASHING!!
     
    Rex Kramer likes this.
  7. Sep 10, 2020 at 1:56 AM
    #7
    glowblue

    glowblue From time to time

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2019
    Member:
    #28267
    Messages:
    1,941
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Brian
    VA
    Vehicle:
    2021 Tundra SR5 —> 2021 F-250 XLT
    Black Wolf likes this.
  8. Sep 10, 2020 at 2:52 AM
    #8
    Cpl_Punishment

    Cpl_Punishment Young men never die.

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2019
    Member:
    #25048
    Messages:
    14,231
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Rosy
    Alberta, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2020 MGM SR5 CM 4X4
    Boost Auto mirrors, RSB, Leer Legend canopy, Line-X bed liner
    In a similar vein, to get out of debt, STOP BEING POOR!
     
    AZBoatHauler, Rex Kramer and GODZILLA like this.
  9. Sep 10, 2020 at 5:41 AM
    #9
    Kurt7700

    Kurt7700 [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2020
    Member:
    #51905
    Messages:
    52
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Kurt
    Ocala, FL
    Vehicle:
    2009 Tundra DC V6
  10. Sep 10, 2020 at 5:52 AM
    #10
    berto40

    berto40 Always a noob.

    Joined:
    Jul 4, 2020
    Member:
    #48818
    Messages:
    76
    Gender:
    Male
    Texas
    :thumbsup:
     
  11. Sep 10, 2020 at 6:58 AM
    #11
    glowblue

    glowblue From time to time

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2019
    Member:
    #28267
    Messages:
    1,941
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Brian
    VA
    Vehicle:
    2021 Tundra SR5 —> 2021 F-250 XLT
    :hattip::thumbsup:

    It’s interesting the IIHS data rates the headlights marginal for crash avoidance. The Tundra OEM halogen headlights are awful - just no other way to describe them. Many have upgraded to LEDs or in my case the TRD Pro OEM LED headlights which are awesome! Literally a night and day difference.
     
  12. Sep 10, 2020 at 11:20 AM
    #12
    GODZILLA

    GODZILLA Hail to the King, Baby.

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2019
    Member:
    #35514
    Messages:
    27,092
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Adam
    Wyoming
    Vehicle:
    2023 Solar Octane TRD Pro TACOMA, 2022 Honda CB500X
    Trying not to mod it
    :rofl:
     
  13. Sep 10, 2020 at 11:27 AM
    #13
    Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer Vinyl Spinner

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2017
    Member:
    #7181
    Messages:
    6,620
    Gender:
    Male
    Georgia
    Vehicle:
    2002 4.7L RCLB 4X4 2007 5.7L RCSB 4X2
    A buddy and I took a road trip in an old Corvair in the late 70's, we survived because we did not hit or get hit by anything. These days, knowing how to drive and concentrating on accident avoidance are under appreciated.
     
    Ericsopa likes this.
  14. Sep 10, 2020 at 11:36 AM
    #14
    Kurt7700

    Kurt7700 [OP] New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2020
    Member:
    #51905
    Messages:
    52
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Kurt
    Ocala, FL
    Vehicle:
    2009 Tundra DC V6
    I hear you, Rex. Just avoiding retirees in grocery store parking lots from backing into me is like playing a game of Pac Man each week!
     
  15. Sep 10, 2020 at 11:43 AM
    #15
    Oey12

    Oey12 New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2020
    Member:
    #45061
    Messages:
    1,492
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Joey
    New York
    Vehicle:
    2020 SR5 TRD OFFROAD
    Coach Builder 1 inch lift strut spacers Coach Builder 1 inch shackles TRD Sway Bar Diode Dynamics SS
    I couldn’t agree with you more on that point. Today’s drivers are driving at excessively high speeds. It’s crazy and you can’t expect any vehicle to hold up in a crash at the average highway speeds these days. 90% of the time people are trying to run me off the road in the far right lane doing 70 mph on a three lane highway. The northeast is horrible...
     
    Cpl_Punishment likes this.
  16. Sep 10, 2020 at 11:53 AM
    #16
    Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer Vinyl Spinner

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2017
    Member:
    #7181
    Messages:
    6,620
    Gender:
    Male
    Georgia
    Vehicle:
    2002 4.7L RCLB 4X4 2007 5.7L RCSB 4X2
    Slow drivers cause more accidents than fast drivers.

    Lead, follow or get out of the way.
     
    Black Wolf, Ericsopa and betotundra like this.
  17. Sep 11, 2020 at 1:15 PM
    #17
    Wintersun

    Wintersun New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2019
    Member:
    #24102
    Messages:
    67
    Gender:
    Male
    Modern cars and trucks are designed so that the area in front of the passenger compartment collapses and absorbs most of the impact and the passenger compartment is strengthened so it does not allow a front wheel to come inside with a head on collision.

    Friends with a van hit a 10 mph earthmover on the highway that was creating a cloud of dust behind it and could not be seen and both front wheels ended up in the front seat area. The driver needed to have a hysterectomy as a result of the damage she received and so they could not have children. Not a joking matter.

    Too many people who drink and drive or who text while driving and nearly no one seems to use their phones hands free, so the odds of a serious accident have gone up over the past years. Front and side impact protection are important to me. I bought a new Toyota pickup in 1989 to get the air bags. I will probably buy something other than a Toyota for my new truck next year.

    None of the people who end up in the morque left the house thinking that it was going to be their last day alive.
     
    Elduder likes this.
  18. Sep 11, 2020 at 1:23 PM
    #18
    Elduder

    Elduder New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2017
    Member:
    #7206
    Messages:
    1,400
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Chris
    Having just gotten rear ended by someone doing 50ish all I can say is, they base these test largely around the truck hitting stationary objects that dont move. While we still very much felt the impact, the actual compression of the vehicle body surprised me. The other vehicle, an Acura SUV had the hood and front pressed all the way up to the cabin. Our Tundra, frame was bent and the box hit the cab but if you were to just look at it the only really visible damage was the bumper, tail gate and bedside. After this experience I almost feel even more apt to get another Tundra for how it handled the accident, safety was not a major concern before but now I feel extremely safe in a Tundra.

    The corner impact is newer, as stated already, but it again focuses on hitting a stationary object like a building, at a precise angle. Not to say it doesnt happen, just rather, youre more likely to hit or be hit by another vehicle. In terms of vehicle to vehicle impacts, the Tundra does well.
     
  19. Sep 11, 2020 at 1:30 PM
    #19
    bleach

    bleach MEME Fiend

    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2020
    Member:
    #41465
    Messages:
    1,406
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    DJ
    Battle Ground, WA
    Vehicle:
    1991 White Xtra-cab SR5 4X4 V6 5 speed 148K
    Funny, Ford used to have the worst crash ratings of any truck.
     
  20. Sep 11, 2020 at 1:38 PM
    #20
    Kung

    Kung Dead sexy

    Joined:
    Mar 10, 2020
    Member:
    #43761
    Messages:
    3,429
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Matt
    KG, VA
    Vehicle:
    2020 SR5 CM 4WD, TRD Off-Road, Voodoo Blue
    Spiffy console tray Spiffy N-Fab steps Spiffy Katzkin seats
    This. I mean, is it 'concerning'? Sure, I suppose. With that said, I've known many people who have gotten in crashes, and exactly *NONE* of them who owned a Toyota had any issues. The vast majority of them did not hit stationary corners off-center. LOL
     
    Elduder[QUOTED] likes this.
  21. Sep 11, 2020 at 1:41 PM
    #21
    Elduder

    Elduder New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2017
    Member:
    #7206
    Messages:
    1,400
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Chris
    That test specifically has made a lot of news, sites love to publish how poor the ratings are in that test. A test that covers a tangible risk sure, but a risk that likely makes up a minute fraction of actual collisions.
     
  22. Sep 12, 2020 at 9:43 AM
    #22
    Lovetrucks

    Lovetrucks Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2020
    Member:
    #43266
    Messages:
    1,315
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Bryan
    Vehicle:
    2019 Ram Rebel
    To be fair , the whole reason they started testing vehicles for that type of crash was because most “head on” collisions were only hitting the front drivers side of the vehicles as opposed to a full head on collision .
     
    Cpl_Punishment likes this.
  23. Sep 12, 2020 at 10:06 AM
    #23
    Elduder

    Elduder New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2017
    Member:
    #7206
    Messages:
    1,400
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Chris

    The specific test Im referring to is the corner test or small overlap test. Its done with a wall, it was to test whether the wheel would enter the cab space and cause leg and low torso damage. It was a newer test, only a few years old, so designs like the Tundra arent going to preform well in it because they haven't fully addressed it with a structural redesign.

    Vehicle to vehicle crashes with this test are difficult simply because the testing method for vehicle/vehicle impacts relies on a track mounted test vehicle that will stay stationary at impact unlike vehicles on the road. Toyota will almost certainly address this in a redesign. This test alone though wouldn't affect my purchase consideration. The other issue with impact testing is again stationary focus. If a Tundra were to impact the majority of smaller vehicles on the road the outcome would almost certainly favor the Tundra due to size and mass.

    Its kind of the common claim when someone cites how safe a vehicle did in testing. Real world outcomes would show that the case is largely determined by the other vehicles size dictating the outcome. There are exceptions of course. We do have a distinct advantage over cars, as I just learned, having at least 6' of rear impact protection. We also have a higher risk of roll over compared to cars.

    These pictures illustrate the consideration for overlap testing, but with another vehicle the overlap damage is less than that of the stationary object used in testing. The physics of 2 vehicle intersecting at opposing trajectories equates to a greater impact force than hitting the stationary object. The difference being the stationary object doesnt have any forgiveness and the force is translated mostly into the vehicle.

    These pictures are both from head on collision. The overlap pushes the wheel back but not into the cab enough to incur life threatening injuries.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]



    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeTizNY0zDA
     
  24. Sep 12, 2020 at 1:13 PM
    #24
    Lovetrucks

    Lovetrucks Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2020
    Member:
    #43266
    Messages:
    1,315
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Bryan
    Vehicle:
    2019 Ram Rebel
    I agree with you 100% that’s the test I was referring to also . I’ve made the same argument with others about the crash tests especially a car vs a pick up .
     
    Elduder[QUOTED] likes this.
  25. Sep 12, 2020 at 5:10 PM
    #25
    Asimov2025

    Asimov2025 Not Sure

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2020
    Member:
    #42850
    Messages:
    1,009
    Gender:
    Male
    North Texas
    Non-stop mods
    I wonder if a transmission cooler would decrease the damage.
     
  26. Sep 13, 2020 at 9:55 AM
    #26
    Cpl_Punishment

    Cpl_Punishment Young men never die.

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2019
    Member:
    #25048
    Messages:
    14,231
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Rosy
    Alberta, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2020 MGM SR5 CM 4X4
    Boost Auto mirrors, RSB, Leer Legend canopy, Line-X bed liner
    Heck, the fully redesigned 2019 GMs score poorly on this test. It's one thing to say an old vehicle doesn't meet new standards but for a new vehicle to do badly? Doesn't speak well for the corporation as a whole. I'm sure the Toyota engineers will be able to figure out how to make the new Tundra do well on this test.
     
    Oey12 likes this.

Products Discussed in

To Top