Is the 2021 Jeep Wrangler Safe? We Take a Look at the Crash Test Results
Ah, the Jeep Wrangler. It’s a favorite of many and a staple among Jeep’s lineup of capable SUVs. But does the 2021 Jeep Wrangler’s capable nature mean that you can count on this year’s model to keep you safe?
2021 Jeep Wrangler standard safety features
The 2021 Jeep Wrangler comes built on a high-strength steel frame and rigid chassis, both of which Jeep says creates a solid foundation for the Wrangler to maximize its crash protection capabilities. But its steel frame isn’t the only protection the Wrangler offers. The 2021 Jeep Wrangler also comes standard with safety features such as driver front-impact airbags, passenger front-impact airbags, driver side-impact airbags, and passenger side-impact airbags. It’s also standard with electronic stability control.
As for driver-assist features? While the 2021 Jeep Wrangler isn’t standard with any driver-assist features, this year’s model is available with several of them. Choose from available driver-assist features such as blindspot monitoring, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high-beams.
The 2021 Jeep Wrangler also offers some more tech-savvy safety features. Opt for the available SOS button, and you can count on the Wrangler to get you the help you need, when you need it. Simply activate the button and it will automatically give you access to emergency services.
How this year’s model did in crashworthiness tests
But maybe the Wrangler’s standard and available safety features aren’t all that impressive to you. Maybe you’re the type that’s more impressed by how an SUV does in crashworthiness tests. We don’t blame you. While a long list of safety features is nice, what’s more comforting is knowing how a vehicle fared when put through the paces.
Fortunately for the 2021 Jeep Wrangler, it didn’t do all that bad in crashworthiness tests. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the 2021 Jeep Wrangler earned a ‘Good’ rating in its moderate overlap front and side crashworthiness tests. It also earned a ‘Good’ rating for its roof strength, head restraints, and seats.
The bad news is that the Wrangler did have some trouble in the IIHS’ small overlap front: driver-side crashworthiness tests. According to the IIHS, “In both of the Institute’s tests, the vehicle tipped onto its passenger side after striking the barrier. The partial rollover presents an additional injury risk beyond what the standard criteria are intended to measure in small overlap frontal crash tests. A vehicle tipping onto its side is not an acceptable outcome for a frontal crash and, as a result, the Wrangler’s overall rating was downgraded to marginal.”
That ‘Marginal’ rating shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, however. The Drive reported just last year that the Wrangler struggled in Euro NCAP’s crashworthiness tests, Europe’s version of the IIHS and NHTSA. In its tests, the Euro NCAP found that the current iteration of the Wrangler was unable to meet its strict standards. Why? According to the Euro NCAP, “”In the full-width rigid barrier test, dummy readings of chest compression showed marginal protection of the driver chest.” For adults, that “marginal protection” mention doesn’t exactly make for great news.
Is the Jeep Wrangler a safe SUV?
The 2021 Jeep Wrangler isn’t the safest SUV out there. That being said, it has earned some fairly respectable crashworthiness ratings from the IIHS. Just keep in mind, while those ratings may be respectable, there are some safety risks to owning a Jeep Wrangler.
