2011 Chevrolet Colorado

small pickup / Crew cab pickup

2011 Chevrolet Colorado Crew cab pickup
2010 Chevrolet Colorado Crew cab pickup shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
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 2004-12 models

Tested vehicle: 2008 Chevrolet Colorado LT Crew Cab 2wd

The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon were introduced in the 2004 model year as replacements for the Chevrolet S-10 and GMC Sonoma. The Isuzu i-series pickup was introduced in the 2006 model year and discontinued after the 2008 model year.

During the crash, intrusion by the tire and wheel into the driver footwell area combined with separation of the footwell from the rocker panel and door sill caused the dummy's left foot to be trapped underneath the brake pedal. The pedal had to be cut off to free the foot. This entrapment resulted in a structure rating downgrade from acceptable to marginal.

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, together with the footwell intrusion, indicate that the driver's survival space wasn't maintained well.

Dummy movement was well controlled. During rebound, the dummy's head hit only the head restraint, as indicated by smeared greasepaint.

Intrusion by the tire into the footwell area caused separation of the floor, which trapped the dummy's left foot under the brake pedal.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0811
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 21
Left (cm) 18
Center (cm) 14
Right (cm) 14
Brake pedal (cm) 18
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 8
Right (cm) 10
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 6
Rearward (cm) 5
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 5

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0811
Head
HIC-15 225
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.1
Extension bending moment (Nm) 20
Maximum Nij 0.24
Chest maximum compression (mm) 30
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 2.8
Femur force - right (kN) 1.7
Knee displacement - left (mm) 9
Knee displacement - right (mm) 1
Maximum tibia index - left 0.80
Maximum tibia index - right 0.37
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 7.3
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 3.2
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 136
Right 85

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2010-12 models

Tested vehicle: 2010 Chevrolet Colorado LT Crew Cab 2wd with standard front and rear head curtain airbags

The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon were introduced in the 2004 model year as replacements for the Chevrolet S-10 and GMC Sonoma. Side airbags became standard beginning with 2010 models (they had been optional in 2004-09 models). Structure ratings are based on this test and on an earlier test of a 2008 Colorado model without side airbags.

These side impact crash test ratings also apply to the Isuzu i-series pickup, which was introduced in the 2006 model year, because crew cab models had standard side airbags. The i-series was discontinued after the 2008 model year.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
The side curtain airbag adequately covered the window opening near the dummy's head during deployment, but the head then moved outward and downward into near proximity with the intruding barrier. Although the barrier did not hit the dummy's head in this test, this near miss indicates that only slightly different crash circumstances could produce a direct hit to a person's head.
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection
The side curtain airbag did not deploy properly, and the dummy's head was hit by the window frame of the rear passenger door and the pillar behind the door. 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 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 leaning outward below the side curtain airbag and approaching the crash test barrier.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy's head was struck by the window frame and pillar behind the rear passenger door despite the deployment of the side curtain airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0817 CES0932
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) 1.5 2.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0932
Head HIC-15 367
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.8
Compression (kN) 0.1
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 58
Lateral force (kN) 6.6
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 64
Average deflection (mm) 55
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 9.72
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 2.73
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 5.7
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.8
Combined force (kN) 9.3
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 1.1
L-M moment (Nm) 223
A-P moment (Nm) -39

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0932
Head HIC-15 379
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.4
Compression (kN) 0.9
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 43
Lateral force (kN) 1.5
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 43
Average deflection (mm) 35
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.41
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.72
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.4
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.4
Combined force (kN) 2.4
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.4
L-M moment (Nm) 104
A-P moment (Nm) -42

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2004-12 models

Tested vehicle: 2010 Chevrolet Colorado LT Crew Cab 2wd

Overall evaluation
Curb weight 3,807 lbs
Peak force 10,869 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio 2.86

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Bench seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Bench seats
Geometry
Backset (mm) 55
Distance below top of head (mm) 45
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Fail
Max T1 acceleration (g) 10.5
Head contact time (ms) 85
Force rating 2
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 161
Max neck tension (N) 589

Seat type: Bucket seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Bucket seats
Geometry
Backset (mm) 55
Distance below top of head (mm) 40
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Fail
Max T1 acceleration (g) 11.8
Head contact time (ms) 92
Force rating 2
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 212
Max neck tension (N) 719

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