The Toyota 4Runner is pretty old school. Unlike other SUVs on the market, it’s a body-on-frame SUV that’s designed to conquer rocky trails and uneven terrain. But don’t expect its old school nature to mean that this SUV is lacking in the safety department. In fact, the 2021 Toyota 4Runner comes stocked to the tee with all sorts of confidence-inspiring safety features. But do all those safety features make the 2021 Toyota 4Runner a safe SUV?

These safety features come standard on the 2021 Toyota 4Runner

Toyota did not compromise when it came to equipping the 2021 Toyota 4Runner with the latest in safety technology. This year’s model comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense P, which includes sought after safety features like a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane departure alert, automatic high beams, and dynamic radar cruise control. It also comes standard with Toyota’s Star Safety System, including vehicle stability control, traction control, an anti-lock brake system with electronic brake-force distribution, brake assist, and smart stop technology.

To further inspire confidence every time that you hit the road, every 2021 Toyota 4Runner comes standard with a one year trial to Toyota’s Safety Connect service. Should you find yourself in an accident, simply press the vehicle’s emergency assistance button to be connected to a 24/7 response center. And, if necessary, a response center agent will notify local emergency services and request services to your vehicle’s location.

How the 2021 Toyota 4Runner fared in the NHTSA’s crashworthiness tests

While the 2021 Toyota 4Runner’s long list of safety features is undoubtedly impressive, what matters most is how they fare during crashworthiness tests. Fortunately for the 2021 Toyota 4Runner, it did pretty well in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA)  crashworthiness tests. It earned a four out of five overall front star rating and a five out of five overall side star rating. 

What the IIHS’ safety scores have to say about this year’s model

Unfortunately, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has yet to rate the 2021 Toyota 4Runner. The 2021 model is, however, a carryover model and won’t see any significant changes. With that in mind, it’s worth taking a look at how last year’s 4Runner fared when the IIHS put it through the wringer. 

Fortunately, the 2020 Toyota 4Runner fared pretty well in the IIHS’ crashworthiness tests. It earned a ‘Good’ rating in the IIHS’ moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, head restraints, and seats crashworthiness tests. It did, however, earn a ‘Marginal’ rating in small overlap front: driver-side tests. The 2020 model also took a hit for how difficult it can be to use its child seat anchors.

How safe is the Toyota 4Runner?

In the end, the Toyota 4Runner is a safe SUV. While it certainly hasn’t earned the highest of all safety ratings, it comes with all of the safety features needed to inspire confidence every time that you get behind the wheel. Add on features like Toyota’s Safety Connect service, and the 2021 Toyota 4Runner becomes an even more confidence-inspiring option.