2021 Chrysler Pacifica earns highest IIHS accolade

The 2021 Chrysler Pacifica minivan earns a Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

To qualify for either of the Institute’s two awards, vehicles must earn good ratings in six IIHS crashworthiness evaluations, including the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, original side, roof strength and head restraint tests. They must also be available with a front crash prevention system that earns advanced or superior ratings in both the vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations.

Headlight ratings are what separate the higher-tier Top Safety Pick+ award from the lower-tier Top Safety Pick. For the lower-tier award, at least one good or acceptable headlight system must be available. For the “plus,” good or acceptable headlights must be standard across all trims.

Chrysler made several changes in 2021 to ensure the Pacifica would qualify for the highest award. Earlier, the standard front crash prevention system earned a basic rating in the vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluation, and the headlights earned a poor rating, due to excessive glare. Vehicles built after September 2021 are equipped with acceptable headlights and a modified front crash prevention system that earns a superior rating in the vehicle-to-vehicle test and an advanced rating in the vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluation.

The Pacifica’s twin, the Voyager, which is only available for sale to companies that maintain vehicle fleets, misses out on an award due to poor-rated headlights.