2009 Dodge Charger

large car / 4-door sedan

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Head restraints & seats

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2006-10 models

Tested vehicle: 2005 Chrysler 300 Touring 4-door

The Chrysler 300 was introduced in the 2005 model year, and the Dodge Charger was introduced in the 2006 model year.

The moderate overlap frontal crash test ratings also apply to the station wagon version of the 300 and Charger: 2005-08 models of the Dodge Magnum (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.

Dummy movement was well controlled. During rebound, the dummy's head hit only the head restraint.

Intrusion into the driver's space was minimal, and all leg and foot injury measures were low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0518
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 11
Left (cm) 10
Center (cm) 9
Right (cm) 6
Brake pedal (cm) 3
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 0
Right (cm) 1
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 0
Rearward (cm) 0
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0518
Head
HIC-15 149
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.1
Extension bending moment (Nm) 14
Maximum Nij 0.30
Chest maximum compression (mm) 34
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.5
Femur force - right (kN) 1.0
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.24
Maximum tibia index - right 0.50
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.1
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 1.5
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 47
Right 61

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2006-09 models

Tested vehicle: 2006 Chrysler 300 Touring 4-door without optional side airbags

The Chrysler 300 was introduced in the 2005 model year, and the Dodge Charger was introduced in the 2006 model year.

Two tests of a 2006 model 300 were conducted, one with an optional side curtain airbag for the driver and rear passenger, and one without. These vehicles are rated separately, except that the structural ratings for both vehicles are based on both tests.

In 2008-09 models, optional side airbags designed to protect drivers' and front passengers' torsos were added to the optional side curtain airbags previously available; therefore the earlier test ratings with optional side airbags do not apply to 2008-09 models. (With torso protection, the side test rating for 2008-09 models so equipped could improve, but the Institute did not test this configuration.)

In the 2010 models, the side curtain airbags were made standard; therefore these ratings without side airbags do not apply to 2010 models.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
The dummy's head was hit by the intruding barrier. This hit did not produce high head injury measures, but head impacts with intruding objects such as other vehicles, trees, and poles should be prevented.
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection
The dummy's head was hit by the pillar behind the rear passenger door. This pillar is required by federal standard to provide some protection for occupants' heads.

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the damage to the occupant compartment.

Smeared greasepaint and scrape marks indicate where the driver dummy's head hit the barrier.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy's head was hit by the pillar behind the rear passenger door.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0614 CES0615
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -6.0 -5.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0615
Head HIC-15 608
Neck
Tension (kN) 2.0
Compression (kN) 0.1
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 63
Lateral force (kN) 2.9
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 67
Average deflection (mm) 47
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 7.34
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 1.96
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 4.7
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.5
Combined force (kN) 8.3
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.5
L-M moment (Nm) 110
A-P moment (Nm) 34

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0615
Head HIC-15 327
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.4
Compression (kN) 1.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 19
Lateral force (kN) 0.9
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 33
Average deflection (mm) 22
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.84
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.54
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.8
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.0
Combined force (kN) 2.6
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.2
L-M moment (Nm) 62
A-P moment (Nm) 29

About the original side crash test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Manual leather seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Manual leather seats
Geometry
Backset (mm) 35
Distance below top of head (mm) 52
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 13.7
Head contact time (ms) 59
Force rating 3
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 198
Max neck tension (N) 1,045

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.