Honda Accord Or Nissan Altima: Which One Does V-6 Better?
A decade ago, both the Honda Accord and Nissan Altima were offered in base four-cylinder versions... Read More
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‘Good,’ frontal offset; ‘good,’ side; ‘good,’ rear; ‘marginal,’ roof strength
Four stars overall, three stars frontal, five stars side (applies to Double Cab only)
SAFETY | 6 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
‘Good,’ frontal offset; ‘good,’ side; ‘good,’ rear; ‘marginal,’ roof strength
IIHS
Four stars overall, three stars frontal, five stars side (applies to Double Cab only)
NHTSA
All the 2012 Toyota Tacoma models include a strong safety-feature list, although all is not perfect if you shop by crash-test ratings.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has given the Tacoma a top 'good' score in frontal, side, and rear impact, but especially of concern though is that the Tacoma earned a 'marginal' rating in the new IIHS roof strength test, which gauges the roof's protection of occupants in a rollover crash. Relative to other types of vehicles, pickups are especially rollover-prone in accidents. Ratings for the Tacoma in federal crash tests are also pockmarked. For the Double Cab (other models haven't been rated), the Tacoma gets just three stars for frontal impact, and four-star ratings in the new side pole test, which isn't figured into the overall rating. Side-impact scores are at a perfect five stars.
That aside, the list of standard safety features is impressive. Anti-lock brakes, brake assist, and electronic stability control are included across the model line, as are active front headrests, front seat-mounted side airbags, and curtain side airbags. Most models also include an Automatic Limited-slip Differential (Auto-LSD).
In all fairness, none of the compact or mid-size pickups have top-notch crash-test results across the board, and if that's a priority, you might want to step up to a full-size truck.
Conclusion
The Tacoma comes with a good list of safety features, but its crash-test ratings aren't all that impressive.
