Mid-Size Cars Show Improvement In Passenger Side Crashes

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WASHINGTON (CBSMiami) - The Ford Fusion is one of ten mid-sized cars that earned good marks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in new passenger side crash tests.

"Overall, we're seeing much improved performance in midsized cars, compared to some of the research tests that we did," said IIHS's Becky Mueller.

In the test, the cars crashed just 25 percent of the vehicle's front end into a barrier while traveling at 40 mph.

The Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Lincoln MKZ, the 2018 Subaru Legacy and Outback, Hyundai Sonata, Mazda 6, Nissan Altima and Maxima, and the 2018 Toyota Camry all earned good marks.

The of the tested cars did not.

The Volkswagen Jetta received an acceptable rating while VW's Passat and the Chevrolet Malibu both received marginal ratings. Crash test researchers say the main problem was their restraint systems.

"For these vehicles, the passenger dummies head slid off the frontal air bag either came close to, or contacted the dash, which we consider to be a risk for passengers heads," said Mueller.

The IIHS is calling on auto makers to improve passenger airbags and safety belts in those cars.

All of the tested vehicles previously received good ratings in similar tests on the driver's side.

The IIHS says it plans to release more passenger-side crash tests for many other car categories by the end of the year.