The Jeep Wagoneer has been named a 2024 TOP SAFETY PICK by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), surpassing the Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition in a series of rigorous crash tests.
The IIHS ratings revealed that while all three large SUVs provided solid front seat protection, they varied significantly in their overall safety performance.
The Wagoneer excelled in the small overlap front crash test, maintaining a good rating and outperforming the Tahoe and Expedition, which received acceptable and marginal ratings, respectively.
The 2023 Ford Expedition earned a marginal rating in IIHS' small overlap crash test. The ratings also applied to the 2024 model.
“The huge mass of these large SUVs provides some additional protection in crashes with smaller vehicles, though that also means they present more danger to other road users,” said IIHS President David Harkey.
The Wagoneer’s structure proved resilient, offering good protection for both the driver and front passenger in the small overlap test. However, the vehicle fell short of achieving the higher-tier TOP SAFETY PICK+ award due to inadequate protection for back seat passengers.
The Tahoe and Expedition exhibited significant issues, with the Tahoe showing high risks of lower leg injuries and the Expedition struggling with structural integrity.
In the updated moderate overlap front evaluation, none of the SUVs offered adequate protection for second-row passengers. High seat belt forces posed a notable risk of chest injuries in all three vehicles.
“These discouraging results show that some popular vehicles still lag behind in meeting the most advanced safety standards,” said Raul Arbelaez, vice president of the IIHS Vehicle Research Center.
Pedestrian crash avoidance and headlight performance were also evaluated. The Wagoneer and Expedition earned good ratings for their pedestrian crash prevention systems, while the Tahoe only managed a marginal rating, particularly struggling in nighttime scenarios. Headlight performance further distinguished the Wagoneer, with all its trims offering acceptable or good-rated headlights compared to the marginal-rated headlights on the Expedition and poor-rated ones on the Tahoe.
Despite their size and intended use as family and towing vehicles, the three SUVs demonstrated significant areas for improvement in passenger safety, particularly for those in the back seat.
