Toyota Camry And Prius Wagon Get Sammed For Flunking New Crash Test

America's most popular car fared poorly in a new crash test from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The auto safety group, which is financed by the insurance industry, recently tested a group of new family sedans, including the Camry, Honda Accord and Ford Fusion.

The cars, 18 different models in all, were subjected to a new type of front crash test in which a car strikes a crash barrier with just a small part of the front bumper on the driver's side. It's a tough test, since it concentrates impact forces into a small area. When the IIHS put a group of luxury cars through the same test in August, only two cars out of 11 got top marks.

In the latest test, the two cars that did the worst, earning ratings of "Poor," were the Toyota Camry and the Toyota Prius v hybrid wagon. In the test, the Camry's front wheel was pushed back, bending the passenger compartment footwell inward.


Read Article

Yonder7 - 12/20/2012 1:44:58 PM

-2 Boost

M... also BMW did marginal and MB poor....then whats up ..is a new test...does that means that Only Toyota is bad ? also as new test it is plausible that happens with several other cars...why did you mention only Toyota ?.....

CarCrazedinCali - 12/20/2012 9:01:55 PM

+4 Boost

someone owns a Toyota :(

Lexus - 12/21/2012 12:59:41 AM

0 Boost

Hey autospies,

you forgot to make a post for this ; )

http://www.insideline.com/hyundai/veloster/2012/2012-hyundai-veloster-recalled-for-parking-brake-problem.html

Oh..., And happy holiday!! ; )

lexworld - 12/20/2012 2:22:47 PM

-4 Boost

...You guys are not that smart, trust me. Toyota is smart enough to know it saves them billions on staying away from the dictates of the IIHS for crash test on their #1 money makers, the Camry and Prius. So, believe me you, they'll improve the Camry and other new models as they always have in the past and come out on top as they always do. Next!

Agent009 - 12/20/2012 3:23:33 PM

+1 Boost

Everyone builds to the test. they change the test and you get issues such as this. I also discovered the Jetta failed as well, due to an a technicality, but a poor is a poor.

lexworld - 12/20/2012 2:29:52 PM

-2 Boost

Oh...Haters, anymore discouraging news about TMC. I guess me and millions of other buyers wont be purchasing that new 95mpg Prius plug in or that new 43mpg Camry Hybrid because this article/post has just educated us on the poor build quality and engineering on the WORLDS Two Most Popular selling automobiles. Give me a break!!!

lexworld - 12/20/2012 3:32:42 PM

-2 Boost

Wow, I like your deboost Agent, it let's me know your're listening. Obviously Toyota is aware and it's not a serious deal breaker for customers or build quality.

lexworld - 12/20/2012 3:36:17 PM

-2 Boost

...By the way 009, everyone does not build to the test. That's an overated assumption the industry would have the public to believe.

HughJass - 12/20/2012 4:43:49 PM

+1 Boost

New test, back to the drawing board to see what beams can be reinforced.
I doubt it will affect sales for Toyota. I'm sure Honda will enjoy a slight bump in sales to go with a nice new redesign.

222max - 12/20/2012 5:22:02 PM

0 Boost

Doesn't matter. People will continue to buy then like crazy. I've never understood the allure of the Camry but it is the sweetheart of the segment. On the other hand, regardless of what happens in chats like this people do pay attention to these ratings. This is a middle-of-the-road family sedan after all.

USNA1999 - 12/20/2012 8:00:05 PM

+1 Boost

You are absolutely correct.! No matter what any of these institutions or publications print, consumers will continue purchasing what they like regardless of crash results, reliabilty ratings and all the other BS they write. That is why I posted this article since I find it funny when all this posers on this board fall in love with a car brand and claim they are the best. As we can see, ALL these brands have either reliability, crash worthiness or recall issues.

LexSucks - 12/20/2012 5:32:21 PM

-1 Boost

What about the "Toyota Quality" that's mentioned here all the time? Does that quality not apply to crash worthiness? Apparently not.

USNA1999 - 12/20/2012 8:14:46 PM

-1 Boost

It applies to number of recalls. The higher the quality, the greater the number of recalls. LoL!

MrEE - 12/20/2012 7:33:42 PM

0 Boost

Expect Toyota to revise and have retested within a year. Most top models do this after such results. Safety has been a hallmark for Toyota for 20 years, long before the domestics got on board. Interesting is the luxury brands will wait for a new model launch to make improvements.

MrEE - 12/20/2012 7:59:17 PM

+1 Boost

Anyway, what's with the phony picture of a Camry, looks like the last Taurus hood/grill.

LACMAN - 12/21/2012 10:37:27 AM

+1 Boost

I think thats their home market Camry. (correct me if I'm wrong)

Lexus - 12/21/2012 1:00:19 AM

-2 Boost

Hey autospies,

you forgot to make a post for this ; )

http://www.insideline.com/hyundai/veloster/2012/2012-hyundai-veloster-recalled-for-parking-brake-problem.html

Oh..., And happy holiday!! ; )

LACMAN - 12/21/2012 10:38:22 AM

+3 Boost

It hurt watching both the Camry AND the Prius from the inside camera. :(

MrEE - 12/21/2012 9:33:38 AM

0 Boost

Both still are still top safety picks.
The test allows some cars to glace or slide off the barrier, so key will be to change structure to exploit this. Also airbags that extend to the very front of the door are a plus due to the driver momention shifts toward the A piller. This will likely be the best improvement that results from the new test.

skytop - 12/21/2012 11:30:55 AM

+1 Boost

Can Auto Spies writers PLEASE LEARN HOW TO SPELL.

What's the problem with these new "writers." Did they all flunk English?

knowitall1985 - 12/22/2012 11:02:23 AM

-1 Boost

This crash is not real world so it doesn't matter.........

knowitall1985 - 12/27/2012 6:05:18 PM

+1 Boost

No a Mercedes apologist. The C-Class flunked the test.....