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Home » Consumer Information » Automobile Safety » Rollover Accidents

SUV risks

A sport utility vehicle (SUV) has the highest rollover fatality rate among all types of automobiles. SUVS like the Ford Explorer, Toyota 4 Runner, Isuzu Rodeo, and Honda Passport are notorious for rollovers that have resulted in harmful auto accident injury or death to their passengers. SUVS are have a propensity to roll almost three times that of the average car, and government studies prove that the safest SUV is more unstable than the passenger car most prone to rollovers.

A rollover is one of the most dangerous accidents a passenger can experience due to the chances of ejection from the vehicle and head injury. Based on research from the year 2000, it was found that 10,108 people were killed during SUV rollovers. An astounding 62 percent of all SUV deaths were the result of a rollover. It was also shocking how SUV manufacturers seemed to be hiding this information from consumers. Since SUVs have become popular family vehicles, similar to the minivan, it is the consumer's right to be warned of the potential risk associated with transporting their loved ones in an SUV. When this study was released, the auto industry persuaded Congress to block these findings before they became public knowledge.

The extreme popularity of the SUV bolstered sales in the 1990s, and the high demand encouraged carmakers to continue to produce these vehicles in record numbers. Over time, due to the evolution of the SUV going from off-road vehicle to family car, manufacturers have discontinued the installation of roll bars. Roll bars were used to protect SUV occupants during a rollover situation and prevented the roof from being crushed onto them. The majority of SUV rollovers happen as a result of their instability during maneuvers that involve an abrupt jerk of the steering wheel to avoid an accident. The size and ground clearance of an SUV may contribute to rollovers as well. Defects such as fragile roofs and safety restraint system failures are two considerable risks that lead to serious injury during rollovers.

In an email obtained by CBS, Ford engineers stated that there were concerned about the ability to their SUVs to pass rollover tests as far back as 1989. Ford claimed that these engineers were "worried," but one single document stating this is practically insignificant.