Bumper misalignments increasing claims severity: IIHS study

SUV bumpers that don’t line up with those on cars can increase the severity of a claim in what should be a minor collision in stop-and-go traffic, reports the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
Car bumpers line up reasonably well and are more likely to engage during low-speed collisions to absorb energy and prevent damage, but SUV bumpers tend to be flimsier and higher off the ground, the IIHS reports.
As a result, IIHS is suggesting automakers should make bumpers compatible across all of their respective models.
The IIHS conducted 10-mph front-into-rear crash tests involving seven pairs of 2010-11 models, each composed of a small car and small SUV from the same automaker.
In the tests, an SUV going 10 mph struck the back of its paired car, which was stopped. Then the configuration was reversed, with the car striking the back of its paired SUV.
“If bumpers don’t match up, they’ll bypass each other when vehicles collide, and the resulting crash energy will crumple the vehicle body,” the IIHS said in its report.
For example, when the Nissan Rogue struck the back of the Nissan Sentra, the Rogue’s bumper overrode the Sentra’s resulting in $7,444 in combined damage for the par. The impact crumpled the car’s bumper cover, trunk lid and rear body. The Rogue ended up with a crushed and leaking radiator that kept the SUV from being driven after the test, the IIHS reported.
“We picked vehicles from the same manufacturer because we think automakers should at least pay attention to bumper compatibility across their own fleets,” said Joe Nolan, IIHS’s chief administrative officer. “The results show that many don’t.”