2012 Nissan Altima
midsize car / 4-door sedan
Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 2007-12 models
Tested vehicle: 2007 Nissan Altima 2.5 S 4-door
The Nissan Altima was redesigned for the 2007 model year. Two moderate overlap frontal tests of the Altima were conducted, one by the Institute and the other by Nissan. Ratings are based on both tests.
| 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 Institute's moderate overlap frontal 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 well (Institute test car shown).
Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head brushed the side curtain airbag and dislodged headliner. This airbag did not deploy in the test conducted by Nissan.
Intrusion into the driver's space was minimal in both tests, and all leg and foot injury measures were low.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | VTF0616 | CEF0703 |
|---|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | ||
| Footrest (cm) | 5 | 4 |
| Left (cm) | 8 | 7 |
| Center (cm) | 7 | 4 |
| Right (cm) | 14 | 7 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 7 | 3 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | ||
| Left (cm) | 1 | 2 |
| Right (cm) | 1 | 2 |
| Steering column movement | ||
| Upward (cm) | 1 | -4 |
| Rearward (cm) | 3 | 1 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 0 | 0 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTF0616 | CEF0703 |
|---|---|---|
| Head | ||
| HIC-15 | 205 | 160 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | 27 | no contact |
| Neck | ||
| Tension (kN) | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 10 | 27 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.27 | 0.29 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 29 | 29 |
| Legs | ||
| Femur force - left (kN) | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 1.0 | 1.9 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 1 | 0 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 0 | 1 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.28 | 0.40 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 0.40 | 0.30 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 2.0 | 2.2 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | ||
| Left | 47 | 58 |
| Right | 44 | 53 |
Side: original test
Rating applies to 2010-12 models
Tested vehicle: 2009 Nissan Altima S 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags
The Nissan Altima was redesigned for the 2007 model year. Beginning with 2010 models, the body side structure was modified to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes. Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Nissan. The car tested was a 2009 model fitted with the improved body side structure and was representative of production 2010 models.
| 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 | |
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | VTS0906 |
|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | -7.5 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTS0906 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 295 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.0 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.1 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 46 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.7 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 46 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 40 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 6.40 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.85 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 1.6 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 1.8 |
| Combined force (kN) | 3.3 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 2.4 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 50 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 269 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | VTS0906 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 299 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.7 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.2 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 27 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.3 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 38 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 32 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 2.90 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.44 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 0.4 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 2.1 |
| Combined force (kN) | 2.3 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.6 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 45 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 114 |
Roof strength
Rating applies to 2007-12 models
Tested vehicle: 2009 Nissan Altima 2.5 S 4-door
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Curb weight | 3,196 lbs |
| Peak force | 12,111 lbs |
| Strength-to-weight ratio | 3.79 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: Manual cloth seats AHR
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | Manual cloth seats AHR |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 45 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | 39 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Fail |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 10.3 |
| Head contact time (ms) | 88 |
| Force rating | 1 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | 112 |
| Max neck tension (N) | 488 |
About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.