Back in 2020, the latest generation of the Jeep Wrangler received a punishing “Marginal” rating after flipping over not once, but twice in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s driver-side small overlap crash test. Despite the automaker’s reported attempts to resolve the issue with structural modifications to the vehicle’s design, the 2022 Jeep Wrangler flipped over again in the latest round of IIHS testing. If it has to be said, vehicles don’t usually roll over from front-impact collisions, and it’s particularly alarming on a convertible vehicle like the Wrangler.
It’s unclear what specific modifications Jeep made to the 2022 model year vehicle, but it is clear that it did not work to mitigate rollover risk. Back in 2020, the 2019 model year Wrangler did not roll over in Jeep’s private testing. It did roll over in an audit crash test by the IIHS, the first time any vehicle had flipped in the driver-side small overlap crash test. It rolled over again after Jeep requested a modified second test. “Structural modifications made by the manufacturer did not eliminate the issue,” for the 2022 model year, according to the IIHS.
The test vehicle this year was a 2022 four-door Wrangler with the roof removed, windows opened, but doors attached. Here’s what happened to the vehicle and crash test dummy occupant:
“The safety cage surrounding the driver held its structure well. The restraints also effectively controlled the movement of the dummy, though the test indicated a significant risk of injury to the driver’s left leg and foot and the combination head and torso side airbag did not deploy. However, tipping onto its side presents an additional injury risk beyond what the standard criteria are intended to measure, in part because the IIHS test does not include a dummy seated on the passenger side.”
However, as is pointed out in the report, the convertible Wrangler puts occupants at higher risk of ejection in such a crash, which puts occupants at greater risk of injury. The 2022 Wrangler’s “Marginal” safety rating in this category of crash test means it’s automatically disqualified as one of the Institute’s “Top Safety Picks,” which requires a minimum “Good” rating in the crash test (IIHS ratings go from Good, Acceptable, Marginal, to Poor). And for what it’s worth, the 2015 model year Wrangler, the previous generation, did not roll over in the same crash test. You can check out our in-depth guide to the IIHS rating system here.
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