Tundra keeps trying: CrewMax also gets four stars from NHTSA

[dascrow]

Toyota swung for the fences when they unveiled the Toyota Tundra in Detroit, with an optional 381 HP V8, 10,500 pound tow rating, and huge proportions. The problem is, ever since the vehicle hit dealer lots, it seems as though one piece of bad news is hitting the pickup after another. First came rebates on the brand new Tundra, which is almost unheard of for any Toyota out of the blocks. Almost immediately after that, we told you about the four star NHTSA crash test rating of both the Regular and Double Cab Tundra. Next the folks from Aichi Japan got a bit of a reprieve when the IIHS gave the Tundra a "Good" rating, which lent some credence to Toyota's claim that the Tundra should have scored better on the NHTSA test.

Now NHTSA is giving the Tundra another four star black eye, this time on the popular CrewMax model. Even worse, the folks over at PickupTruck.com astutely pointed out a 40-percent variation in head injury scores between the regular cab and the CrewMax. With lower scores being better, the Crew Max scored a 677, while the Regular Cab receives a 486. At the same time, the Tundra's competitors are hitting five-star crash test scores, Toyota's biggest truck is now sporting an unenviable trifecta of four-star models, although we can't find any pictures or details of the Double Cab tests, and test data of the Regular and Double Cab are identical.

With Toyota's stellar safety record and the "Good" IIHS test scores, we find the results of the NHTSA scores to be puzzling, but with tests completed on more than one Tundra variant, the four-star bottom line doesn't look good for the all-new Tundra. You can check out the short video of the CrewCab crash after the jump.
Tundra keeps trying: CrewMax also gets four stars from NHTSA - Autoblog

[tundrahq]

I think scoring 4 stars in the NHTSA tests is no big deal...like I've read on another board, crash test ratings don't matter unless you crash. With the Tundra's standard VSC, ABS, and traction control, the likelihood of crashing is greatly reduced.

Besides, the much more difficult (and realistic) IIHS tests came out good.

I think this is just Toyota's competitors trying to find a flaw in the near perfect Tundra.