"BIG Doesn't Always Mean SAFE"

Vehicle instability is a well-known cause of many SUV rollovers. The lack of stability is a common defect which affects virtually all compact SUVs, Light trucks, minivans and 15-passenger vans.There have been numerous rollover lawsuits against almost all brands and model years of compact SUVs including the Ford Explorer, Ford Bronco II, Ford Escape, Jeep Liberty,  Ford Ranger Pickup, Ford Aerostar van, Isuzu Rodeo, Nissan Pathfinder, Isuzu Trooper, Ford Escape, Acura MDX 4x4, Cadillac Escalade 4x2, Cadillac Escalade EXT 4x4, Cadillac ESV 4x4, Chevrolet Avalanche 4x2, Chevrolet Avalanche 4x4, Chevrolet Suburban 4x2, Chevrolet Suburban 4x4, Chevrolet Tahoe 4x2, Ford Explorer 4x2, Ford Freestyle 4x2, Ford Freestyle 4x4, GMC Yukon 4x2, GMC Yukon XL 4x2, GMC Yukon XL 4x4, Honda CR-V 4x2, Honda CR-V 4x4, Hyundai Santa Fe 4x2, Hyundai Santa Fe 4x4, Jeep Wrangler 4x4, Nissan Pathfinder 4x2 and Nissan Pathfinder 4x4, Geo Tracker, Suzuki Samari, Suzuki Sidekick, Mitsubishi Montero, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota RAV4, Jeep CJ  and Jeep Wrangler.

Instability is a leading cause of many of the 15 passenger rollover accidents with Dodge, Ford,Chrysler and GM 15-passenger vans that are used for school, church, carpool, and athletic groups. See: 15 Passenger Van Rollover Accidents  

Many SUV & van buyers believe are safer than cars because of their size and bulk, but in reality, they are far more dangerous to other drivers on the road, and they aren't nearly as safe for occupants as most people believe. SUVs, vans, minivans and lt.trucks are constructed with higher ground clearance for occasional off-road use and  therefore have a higher center of gravity. In order to clear rocks and ravines, you must  raise the center of gravity of a vehicle,  therefore you make it makes the SUV less stable. SUVs' height, along with other factors, contributes to a rollover rate of 98 fatalities per million registered vehicles compared to only 44 fatalities per million registered vehicles for all other light vehicle types, according to the department's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In a recent study more than 60 percent of the SUV occupants killed died in crashes when the vehicle rolled over.                           

SUV Rollover - Crashworthiness Problems

First, SUVs stiff front-ends make occupants more vulnerable to injury in a crash with a solid object like a tree or bridge, because energy that would be absorbed by the front-end of a car is transferred to those inside the very stiff SUV. Air bags would help mitigate this, but SUVs have not been required to meet the same stringent air bag standard that passenger cars have had to meet. Second, SUVs are known rollover risks. In 1998, rollovers accounted for two-thirds of SUV deaths, while rollovers caused about a fifth of deaths in cars, according to NHTSA. Again, the government has recognized this danger for 15 years but has done virtually nothing. In 1991, Congress got involved and ordered NHTSA to act. NHTSA dragged its feet and by 1994 had merely proposed a plan to provide consumers with more information about rollovers, but that languished. Then recently, NHTSA pledged once again to take action but proposed issuing only consumer information guidelines based on government crash tests it could conduct without any regulatory action -- far short of a minimum safety standard that could actually do something to lessen the danger. Because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) under constant pressure from auto manufacturers doesn't require companies to design vehicles in a way that will help people survive rollover crashes. As a result, auto companies that for years have opposed the issuance of key safety standards have seen their customers die needlessly. However, an overlooked issue is NHTSA's failure to issue key rollover crashworthiness standards. See: NHTSA Rollovers Roof Crush

"The Ford  Explorer (and most other SUVs) were not designed to protect its passengers so they could survive a rollover crash a fact Ford knew",says Joan Claybrook of Public Citizen.See: Ford Explorer Rollover When the Ford Explorer and other SUVs roll over, the roof crushes inward, leading to devastating head and neck injuries.See: Rollover-Roof Crush  The sides can buckle inward, the windows splinter and the occupants can be tossed about the cabin or ejected. NHTSA has no set dynamic standards for roof strength for SUVs and doesn't require manufacturers to install pre-tension belts that hold people in place during rollover crashes, seat and door structures that don't fail, advanced glazing safety glass in side windows, and side-impact air bags, ceiling air bags or other extra padding.

Rollover- Electronic Stability Systems

SUVs are more likely to roll because they have a higher center of gravity: Many are taller than a regular sedan, but not much wider at the wheel base. So a sudden maneuver that wouldn’t be a problem in a car, can flip over a top-heavy SUV.  But a computer inside the vehicle, known as an electronic or enhanced stability system, can sense warning signs of a rollover and make rapid adjustments to the brakes and engine speed to help the driver keep control of the vehicle and possibly prevent the vehicle from rolling over. For example, the computer can sense when one wheel is spinning faster than the others, when the vehicle is slipping sideways or when it is beginning to tilt.

Why Should Safety in a SUV be an Option...?