2004 Pontiac Grand Am
midsize car / 4-door sedan
Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 1999-2005 models
Tested vehicle: 1999 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4-door
The Pontiac Grand Am was redesigned for the 1999 model year and the Oldsmobile Alero was introduced in the 1999 model year. Note: 2005 model Grand Am sedans were sold as new cars only to fleets and were discontinued altogether after the 2005 model year. The Alero was discontinued after the 2004 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 wasn't well controlled. During rebound, the dummy moved toward the driver door, which had bowed outward, and its head hit the window sill. Then the head moved up and back and hit the B-pillar. Plus there was too much upward movement of the steering wheel. |
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 -- plus footwell intrusion and door sill crushing -- indicate the driver's survival space wasn't maintained well.
Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head hit the B-pillar during rebound, producing a high head acceleration.
Footwell intrusion contributed to the possibility of injury to the lower right leg.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CF99026 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 23 |
| Left (cm) | 29 |
| Center (cm) | 28 |
| Right (cm) | 18 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 20 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 13 |
| Right (cm) | 10 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | 14 |
| Rearward (cm) | 6 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 6 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CF99026 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 331 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | 88 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.7 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 26 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.37 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 27 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 4.2 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 2.8 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 2 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.48 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 1.14 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 2.8 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 4.0 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 90 |
| Right | 67 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: Cloth seats
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | Cloth seats |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 85 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | 95 |
| 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) | |
About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.