By Joe Benton
ConsumerAffairs.com
April 4, 2008
Federal regulators at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) say they have a safety concern about the Smart Fortwo minicar.
During the side impact test, the driver door unlatched and opened. A door opening during a side impact crash increases the likelihood of occupant ejection, NHTSA reported on its Web site Safercar.gov.
The Smart Fortwo received 4 stars for protecting the driver and 3 stars for protecting the passenger in a frontal crash, according to the agency Web site. A 3 star rating means that safety regulators estimate a passenger in the minicar risks a 21 to 35 percent chance of serious injury.
NHTSA gave the car its top score of 5 stars in side testing because of the ability of the car to protect the driver and passenger from injuries in a crash, while noting the safety concern about the passenger side door opening during the test.
NHTSA crashes vehicles into a barrier at 35 mph during its tests to simulate a head-on crash with a vehicle of the same size.
Consumers are snapping up the fuel-sipping German cars despite the size of the Smart Fortwo. The car the smallest vehicle on the road.
The Smart car weighs about 1,800 pounds, 500 less than the next smallest car on U.S. roads, the Toyota Yaris.
Many popular pickup trucks weigh 3 times more than the Smart Fortwo. Heavier vehicles usually provide better protection in a highway crash.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety plans its own tests of the Smart Fortwo. Smart this week.
The Smart was designed for European roads where smaller vehicles are more common. The little car carries reinforced passenger cell and airbag systems.
Sales of the two-door Smart Fortwo began in the U.S. this year.
Penske Automotive Group, which is distributing the car in North America, has said it expects to sell up to 25,000 two-seat Smart cars in the United States in 2008.
The car gets 33 miles per gallon in the city and 41 miles per gallon on the highway. Smart has marketed the vehicle as a good choice for consumers fighting rising gasoline prices.
