IIHS does it to Tesla

I am no fan of IIHS because in the past it looked like they went out of their way to whack the Prius. The first was changing the standard within months of the Gen-3 release and even though multiple cars failed, citing the Prius by name. Understand I'm OK with updating tests but no fan of calling out one car over others that equally failed. So we have this: Three Large Sedans Earn Top Crash Ratings – But Tesla Model S Falls Short | TheDetroitBureau.com

. . .
The poor performance by the Tesla Model S came amidst a series of problems for the electric vehicle maker, and at a time when CEO Elon Musk had hoped to focus on the upcoming launch of the maker’s first mainstream model, the Model 3. Production and sales are set to begin on Friday.
. . .
The IIHS wound up testing two versions of the Model S, reflecting an update to the seatbelt system made in January. But, in the second test, there was greater intrusion into the driver’s space as a result of the crash. The group combined the results of the two tests and the Tesla Model S earned an “Acceptable” rating in the Small Overlap test. As a result, it fell short of what was needed to get the overall Top Safety Pick+ ratings

The IIHS also gave a “Poor” rating to the headlights on the Model S.

Though CEO Elon Musk has listed safety as one of his top priorities, Tesla tried to downplay the results of the IIHS tests, stating that, “IIHS and dozens of other private industry groups around the world have methods and motivations that suit their own subjective purposes.”
. . .​

Based on this source, the IIHS tested the Model S twice and got different results. I'm OK with that but it sounds like they may have 'cherry picked' results from the first and second to downgrade the car. I agree with Musk that it sounds like IIHS has an agenda that used to be pointed at the Prius. But it makes sense to actually see what the IIHS published:

• 2017 Tesla Model S - a different story here. It appears the seat belt failed in both tests by letting the dummy head hit through the air bag but in only the small overlap test.
• Three large cars win top award from IIHS - the press release which is less bad than the ones that whacked the Prius, Gen-3.

IMHO, the car remains acceptable, not a top pick, but safe enough. Regardless, if past is prolog, we can expect the Model 3 tests to show up with less than an IIHS top pick.

FYI, the Prius and Prius Prime are listed under small cars and received a top safety pick ... probably because they were distracted by the Model S. Do I give the impression of some skepticism about the IIHS?

Bob Wilson

 

You got me thinking it may be as simple has the cost of claims. My understanding is Tesla insurance claims are unusually expensive just a Prius claims might have been in the past. An Insurance Institute would have an economic reason for whacking the most expensive claims.

Bob Wilson