2005 Saturn ION
small car / 4-door sedan
Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 2005-07 models
Tested vehicle: 2005 Saturn ION 2 4-door
The Saturn ION was introduced in the 2003 model year as a replacement for the SL. The size of the steering wheel was increased beginning with 2005 models and its number of spokes was increased from two to four. Also, the driver airbag deployment characteristics were changed slightly.
| 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. During rebound, the dummy's head hit the B-pillar. Also during the impact, the steering wheel broke off from the column. |
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 reasonably well.
Late in the crash test, the steering wheel broke off from its column. None of the dummy injury measures appeared to be adversely affected by this breakage.
Forces on the lower right leg were high enough to indicate the possibility of injury.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CEF0419 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 9 |
| Left (cm) | 12 |
| Center (cm) | 18 |
| Right (cm) | 14 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 15 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 9 |
| Right (cm) | 7 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | 9 |
| Rearward (cm) | 9 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 7 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CEF0419 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 245 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | 87 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.0 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 46 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.37 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 23 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 1.7 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 2.3 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 4 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 2 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.54 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 0.81 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 2.6 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 2.6 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 50 |
| Right | 112 |
Side: original test
Rating applies to 2003-07 models
Tested vehicle: 2005 Saturn ION 2 4-door with optional front and rear head curtain airbags
The Saturn ION was introduced for the 2003 model year as a replacement for the Saturn SL.
Two tests of an ION were conducted, one with an optional side 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.
| 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. Even so, forces recorded on the head were moderately high.
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 | CES0426 | CES0427 |
|---|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | ||
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CES0426 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 650 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.9 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.2 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 54 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 2.8 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 51 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 45 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 8.34 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 2.13 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 2.1 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 3.1 |
| Combined force (kN) | 5.2 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.3 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 83 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 46 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | CES0426 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 387 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.0 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.3 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 54 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 2.4 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 44 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 38 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 4.81 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.85 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 0.6 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 3.4 |
| Combined force (kN) | 3.6 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.6 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 61 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 59 |
Rating applies to 2003-07 models
Tested vehicle: 2005 Saturn ION 2 4-door without optional side airbags
The Saturn ION was introduced for the 2003 model year as a replacement for the Saturn SL.
Two tests of an ION were conducted, one with an optional side 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.
| 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, producing moderately high head injury measures. |
|
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Rear passenger head protection The dummy's head was hit by the window frame of the rear passenger door, producing high head injury measures. |
|
View of the vehicle just after the crash test.
View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing damage to the occupant compartment.
Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head being hit by the intruding barrier.
Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy's head was hit by the window frame, which was bent by the impact.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CES0426 | CES0427 |
|---|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | 1.0 | 0.5 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | ||
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CES0427 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 739 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 2.4 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.4 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 55 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 3.4 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 53 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 42 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 9.48 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 1.82 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 3.1 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 3.2 |
| Combined force (kN) | 6.1 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.4 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 85 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 37 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | CES0427 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 849 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 2.5 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.2 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | |
| Lateral force (kN) | 3.0 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 47 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 40 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 4.07 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.77 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 1.1 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 3.3 |
| Combined force (kN) | 3.7 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.8 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 86 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 53 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: All seats
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | All seats |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 78 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | 60 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Fail |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 12.2 |
| Head contact time (ms) | 89 |
| Force rating | 2 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | 208 |
| Max neck tension (N) | 622 |
About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.