NHTSA MY 2003-2004 Rollover Resistance Ratings

Most rollover crashes occur when a vehicle runs off the road and is tripped by a ditch, curb, soft soil, or other object causing it to rollover. These crashes are usually caused by driver behavior such as speeding or inattention. These are called single vehicle crashes because the crash did not involve a collision with another vehicle. More than 10,000 people die each year in all rollover crashes.

If you currently own or are considering the purchase of a 15-passenger van please read this consumer advisory!

NHTSA's Rollover Resistance Rating is an estimate of your risk of rolling over if you have a single vehicle crash. It does not predict the likelihood of that crash. The Rollover Resistance Rating essentially measures vehicle characteristics of center of gravity and track width to determine how top-heavy a vehicle is. The more top-heavy the vehicle, the more likely it is to roll over. The lowest rated vehicles (1-star) are at least four times more likely to roll over than the highest rated vehicles (5-stars).

NHTSA compared the Rollover Resistance Ratings of vehicles to 220,000 actual single vehicle crashes, and their ratings were found to relate very closely to the real-world rollover experience of vehicles.

While the NHTSA Rollover Resistance Rating does not directly predict the risk of injury or death, keep in mind that rollovers have a higher fatality rate than other kinds of crashes. Remember: Even the highest rated vehicle can rollover, but you can reduce your chance of being killed in a rollover by about 75% just by wearing your seat belt.