1997 Jeep Wrangler

small SUV / 2-door SUV

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test

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 1997-2006 models

Tested vehicle: 1998 Jeep Wrangler SE 2-door 4wd

The Jeep Wrangler was redesigned for the 1997 model year. As in previous model years, it was available only as a 2-door (the 4-door model was not introduced until the next redesign, in the 2007 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
Dummy movement was reasonably well controlled. After the dummy moved forward into the airbag, it leaned toward the driver door. Its head and left shoulder moved outside the door because the doors on the soft-top model tested aren't high enough for optimal restraint.

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.

The dummy's head and left shoulder leaned out of the vehicle after rebounding from the airbag. The problem is the driver door, which is too low to restrain the dummy optimally.

The driver space was maintained reasonably well, with only moderate intrusion into the footwell area.

Red paint on the knee bolster indicates where the dummy's left knee hit, producing moderately high forces on the femur.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CF98008
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 18
Left (cm) 22
Center (cm) 18
Right (cm) 9
Brake pedal (cm) 21
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) -1
Right (cm) -1
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 7
Rearward (cm) 3
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 8

Driver injury measures

Test ID CF98008
Head
HIC-15 335
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 2.1
Extension bending moment (Nm) 18
Maximum Nij 0.41
Chest maximum compression (mm) 46
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 6.6
Femur force - right (kN) 3.0
Knee displacement - left (mm) 10
Knee displacement - right (mm) 6
Maximum tibia index - left 0.56
Maximum tibia index - right 0.33
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.5
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 1.5
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 108
Right 60

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 1997-2006 models

Tested vehicle: 2003 Jeep Wrangler X 2-door 4wd without side airbags (not available)

The Jeep Wrangler was redesigned for the 1997 model year. As in previous model years, it was available only as a 2-door (the 4-door model was not introduced until the next redesign, in the 2007 model year).

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 window sill of the driver door. This impact did not produce high head injury measures, but the head protection is inadequate.
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection
The dummy's head was hit by the by the diagonal steel tube supporting the convertible top. This impact did not produce high head injury measures, but the head protection is inadequate.

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

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

Smeared greasepaint and glass marks show where the driver dummy's head was hit by the window sill.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy's head was hit by the diagonal steel tube supporting the convertible top.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0306
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -12.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0306
Head HIC-15 294
Neck
Tension (kN) 2.3
Compression (kN) 0.0
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 65
Lateral force (kN) 4.1
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 63
Average deflection (mm) 50
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 8.35
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 2.45
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.2
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.1
Combined force (kN) 4.2
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.4
L-M moment (Nm) 34
A-P moment (Nm) 34

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0306
Head HIC-15 135
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.5
Compression (kN) 0.5
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 2
Lateral force (kN) 0.2
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 30
Average deflection (mm) 18
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.61
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.46
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.5
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.9
Combined force (kN) 2.0
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.9
L-M moment (Nm) 185
A-P moment (Nm) 33

About the original side crash test