The Safest Full-Size Truck Still Needs Improvements
Trucks haven’t exactly had a reputation for being safe, but things are getting better. The Toyota Tundra gets to brag about being the full-size pickup truck. However, the 2024 Toyota Tundra could do a few things a little better.
Is the 2024 Toyota Tundra the safest full-size truck?
Yes, the 2024 Toyota Tundra is the safest full-size truck available. It’s the only large truck to earn the Insurance Institute Highway Safety (IIHS) title of Top Safety Pick. No trucks earned the Top Safety Pick+ accolade.
It’s impressive for the Tundra to earn this tidal as the IIHS has been raising its standards and updating its safety tests. For example, the side impact sled weight was increased from 3,100 lbs to 4,200 lbs to better reflect the size of today’s cars.
The 2024 Tundra has excellent safety crash ratings. The IIHS scale includes Good, Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor ratings. Good is the best.
The Toyota Tundra earned 39 Good ratings for its ability to protect drivers and passengers. It earned two Acceptable scores and didn’t get any Marginal or Poor ratings. It’s pretty rare to see a vehicle without at least one Marginal score.
One Acceptable rating is from the small overlap front test on the driver’s side. The Acceptable score is related to protecting the driver’s lower leg and foot.
Another Acceptable rating is for the LED headlights on the SR, SR5, and Limited trims. At night on a straight away the visibility on the right side was good but only fair on the left side.
Around curves, visibility was fair on the right and inadequate on the left. The low beams also created some glare.
The active safety systems are scored a bit differently with the ability to earn A Superior, Advanced, Basic, or Acceptable score.
The 2024 Tundra has the standard Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 system and it got an Acceptable score. During the night and day, the Tundra avoided collisions with pedestrians at speeds of 12 and 25 mph.
During the parallel night crossing test at 25 mph, the Tundra impact speed was reduced by 23 mph. At 37 mph with its low beams, speed was reduced by 31 mph and a warning was issued 1.6 seconds before impact.
At 37 mph with its low beams on, the Tundra reduced its speed by 12 mph and a warning was issued 0.7 seconds before impact.
So, while we praise the 2024 Toyota Tundra for making a difference by having advanced safety features, it could use better headlights to avoid collisions with pedestrians.
