Bumped up

This report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety was fascinating in that Prius was almost the worst performing vehicle they tested. No, the Prius isn’t unsafe, it’s just very expensive repair if involved in a low speed collision. And having been “bumped” twice on the road, I can attest to the veracity of that report myself. Body parts for the Prius are outrageously expensive and if somone “bumps” you there’s a good chance you’ll be learning about it directly, as I have.

Here are some of the conclusions of the report.

Most small cars aren’t economical for crash repairs: Ford Focus performs the best; Rabbit & Prius are the worst in bumper tests

ARLINGTON, VA — Low-speed collisions happen every day in commuter traffic and parking lots. These “fender benders” end up costing car owners a lot of money and aggravation because the bumpers on many cars aren’t designed to handle what should be a no-damage event.

In a series of crash tests, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently assessed how well the bumpers of 20 small car models would protect the vehicles from damage in low-speed collisions. The worst performers are the Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Prius, and Volkswagen Rabbit, each sustaining about $4,000 damage or more in a single test. The Ford Focus performed the best, with about one-third that amount of damage in its worst test.

“Small cars are supposed to be economical, but there’s nothing economical about three or four thousand dollars in repairs after a low-speed collision,” says Institute senior vice president Joe Nolan. “Ford did the best job of putting bumpers on a small car that largely do what they’re supposed to do. In 3 of the 4 tests, the bumpers on the Focus protected sheet metal and most other expensive parts from damage.

Why bumpers don’t bump: To assess and compare bumper performance in low-speed impacts, the Institute conducts a series of 4 crash tests — full front and rear into a barrier designed to mimic the front or back bumper on another vehicle plus front and rear corner impacts. The full-width impacts are conducted at 6 mph while the corner impacts are run at 3 mph.

The purpose of a bumper is to absorb the energy of a low-speed collision and slow the vehicles before there’s damage to expensive-to-repair parts like fenders and hoods. But there are multiple problems, the first of which is that the bumpers on colliding vehicles often don’t line up vertically so they don’t engage to begin with. Even some that do line up don’t stay engaged during an impact. Modern front-end styling results in bumper designs that can either slide under the bumpers of vehicles they strike or that simply don’t have enough room to absorb the energy of a low-speed crash. Even if they do engage the bumper of the vehicle they crash into, the bars underneath bumper covers often aren’t up to absorbing the energy. They may not be big enough to provide much protection from damage, especially if they don’t extend to vehicle corners, or they may be too flimsy to absorb much energy.

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In the front corner test of the right side of the Prius, damage was much less, about $1,200, involving the fender and headlight. But had the test been conducted on the left side, the barrier would have crushed a coolant tank which costs more than $1,000 to replace, not including labor.

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A taillight costs $205 to replace on the Prius compared with just $65 on the Focus.

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To illustrate how small changes to bumper design can make a significant difference in repair costs, the Institute worked with Tech-Cor, the research division of Allstate Insurance, to modify the front bumper of the Prius. The reinforcement bar and foam absorber were extended another 10 inches on the passenger side under the headlight. When the Institute tested the Prius again, the headlight and fender were undamaged and the repair cost dropped from $1,200 to $254.

“There’s plenty of room under the bumper covers of most cars to make this simple change,” says Nolan.

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Bumper performance in low-speed crash tests:
VEHICLE REPAIR COSTS
Front full Front corner Rear full Rear corner TOTAL DAMAGE
Toyota Prius $2,876 $1,208 $3,964 $1,022 $9,070

The Prius was the second most expensive vehicle to repair of the twenty that were tested.