Toyota Tundra Safety Ratings

You probably know the Toyota brand as reliable and safe. Its high standards refer to every Toyota model, including the full-size track Toyota Tundra. Let us take a look at what the official safety institutes say about this outstanding pickup.

The NHTSA Rating

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) arranges several tests and gives each of them a separate mark. It has two tests for the driver’s side and the passenger’s side, a rollover test, and two front crash tests. In both side tests, Toyota Tundra got a perfect 5 out of 5 marks. For the front crash test and the rollover test, this truck got 4 out of 5 stars. 

Another parameter that NHTSA evaluates is the possibility for Tundra to roll over. Once the driver fails to control the car, this Toyota pickup has 20% to turn upside down. The NHTSA also considers the recalls of car models. The Toyota Tundra had four of those in total, but three were minor issues, luckily. The trucks were recalled because of the mistakenly marked weigh capacity on their labels. However, the fourth recall happened because some of Tundra’s airbags did not work correctly and had issues with deployment. In general, the Toyota Tundra got 4 of 5 stars from the NHTSA for its safety.

The IIHS Rating 

As for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), their safety rate for Tundra pickup was a bit different. The Institute also makes frontal crash tests for the driver’s side and the passenger’s side. For the first experiment, the pickup got the ‘marginal’ mark, and the second test brought Tundra even the ‘poor’ grade. Though these are the two worst marks, further details slightly change the picture. The Tundra’s safety is rated poor only considering the lower part of the driver’s (or passenger’s) body - feet and legs. At the same time, the test dummy’s chest and the head remained relatively unhurt. For some reason, Toyota Tundra’s headlights also got the ‘marginal’ grade. In all other crash tests, Tundra boasts two best marks possible: good and acceptable ones. 

Available Safety Features 

Let us take a look at other safety features that Toyota Tundra has. In case you fall asleep when driving, the lane departure alert is supposed to keep you awoken. Other standard safety characteristics are crash imminent braking system and dynamic support of the brake that help you cope with challenging situations on the road. 

Recently, many manufacturers tend to add-on equipment that allows detecting pedestrians. Unfortunately, the statistic shows that the number of pedestrians’ deaths grows, and many people were hit by vehicles. To be more specific, people are hit by big vehicles: sport utility vehicles (SUVs) or trucks. Pedestrian detection systems have cameras and special sensors (usually radars) to help the driver detect people or animals. Such detective systems are effective even when the driver cannot physically notice the moving object. Toyota Tundra was one of the first to get this system in operation. The Tundra is also equipped with seat belts, head restraints, and airbags (without additional, though). Also, it has an anti-pinch window safety option for children.