2009 Buick LaCrosse
large car / 4-door sedan
Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 2005-09 models
Tested vehicle: 2005 Buick LaCrosse CX 4-door
The Buick LaCrosse was introduced in the 2005 model year as a replacement for the Buick Century and Regal. (A limited number of Buick Century models were produced for the 2005 model year.) The Pontiac Grand Prix was redesigned for the 2004 model year and was was discontinued after the 2008 model year.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Leg/foot, left | |
| Leg/foot, right | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics |
Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.
The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well.
Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy’s head hit the roof and head restraint during rebound. Head accelerations from these hits were low.
Intrusion into the driver's space was minimal, and all leg and foot injury measures were low.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CEF0511 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 6 |
| Left (cm) | 11 |
| Center (cm) | 11 |
| Right (cm) | 6 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 6 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 0 |
| Right (cm) | 2 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | 0 |
| Rearward (cm) | -2 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 1 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CEF0511 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 328 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | 8 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.9 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 19 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.33 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 38 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 2.8 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 5.0 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 0 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 2 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.33 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 0.71 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 1.3 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 3.0 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 58 |
| Right | 62 |
Side: original test
Rating applies to 2008-09 models
Tested vehicle: 2006 Buick LaCrosse CX 4-door with optional front and rear side curtain airbags
The Buick LaCrosse was introduced in the 2005 model year as a replacement for both the Buick Century and Regal. Beginning with 2008 models, side curtain airbags were made standard for retail and fleet buyers (they had been optional in all 2005 models and in 2006-07 models originally sold to fleets).
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Driver head protection | |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Rear passenger head protection | |
View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.
View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbag and damage to the occupant compartment.
Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag.
Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CES0605 |
|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | -6.5 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CES0605 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 398 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.5 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.2 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 57 |
| Lateral force (kN) | |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 60 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 47 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 8.77 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 1.93 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 3.3 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 3.1 |
| Combined force (kN) | 6.3 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.4 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 73 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 34 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | CES0605 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 605 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.4 |
| Compression (kN) | 2.2 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 37 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.5 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 37 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 26 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 4.20 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.63 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 0.5 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 2.9 |
| Combined force (kN) | 2.9 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 1.2 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 172 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | -42 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: Leather seats with adjustable lumbar
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | Leather seats with adjustable lumbar |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 98 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | 65 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Fail |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 0.0 |
| Head contact time (ms) | |
| Force rating | 0 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | |
| Max neck tension (N) | |
Seat type: Cloth seats without adjustable lumbar
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | Cloth seats without adjustable lumbar |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 82 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | 62 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Fail |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 10.8 |
| Head contact time (ms) | 102 |
| Force rating | 3 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | 309 |
| Max neck tension (N) | 685 |
About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.