The more advanced automobile technology and engineering get, the safer the vehicles are. But even so, tall and somewhat bulky vehicles like SUVs and pickups naturally come with a rollover risk, mostly because of their elevated center of gravity. These vehicles are narrow, taller, and top-heavy so if there is a loss of control in the vehicle, a top-heavy vehicle tends to tip over that much easier.
Technically speaking, almost all vehicles have a rollover risk associated with them; however, some are steady as a rock. While these are not common accidents, in that a rollover usually accounts for only 3% of accidents, they can be highly life-threatening. And despite automobile manufacturers' best efforts to make their vehicles as safe as possible, taking various design elements such as ride height and weight distribution into consideration, some SUVs and pickups do have a higher rollover risk than others.
So before you head to the used car bazaar, here are 10 modern pickups and SUVs that can become rollover hazards, especially in inclement weather and at the hands of a tired or an inexperienced driver.
10 Chevrolet Tahoe RWD
The Chevy Tahoe is a popular buy being somewhat affordable, but it shares underpinnings with the Cadillac Escalade. While the latter is one popular buy for the rich and the famous being roomy and high enough for better privacy, both vehicles share the same rollover risks.
For the 2016 Tahoe, there is a 22.9% risk of it turning turtle. The upside to the Tahoe is that it has stellar front and side crash test ratings. Simply speaking, it’s a big and bulky vehicle so the bigger they are, the harder they fall. That said; the 2010 Chevrolet Tahoe is still dubbed as the best SUV in the used car bazaar.
9 Ford F-250
The Ford F-150 is a far sleeker model than its big brother and so escapes being part of this tipping-over list. But the Ford F-250 is bang-on mostly because of its size. The 2016 model year of the Ford F-250 Super Crew 4X4 maxed out at a 23.7% chance of it rolling over in mishap.
Even frontal crash tests did not yield the desired numbers and for this model year, the Ford F-250 was simply one big, bad if a weak boy. Having a fully-loaded pickup turn turtle can end up in a loss of life and property in a tragic way.
8 Toyota 4Runner
The Toyota 4Runner was launched way back in 1984 and has been a cheaper and more affordable cousin of the Land Cruiser ever since, although it has been majorly altered over the years. But it's big and bulky and has so much mass that the 2017 model was given a 24.6% chance of a rollover.
It's an SUV that’s top-heavy so there is always a certain amount of risk that comes associated with any vehicle with a high center of gravity. It does have decent safety ratings otherwise, but the tip-over risk remains the same for its AWD or rear-wheel-drive models.
7 GMC Yukon
The GMC Yukon is the equivalent of the Chevy Tahoe in that both vehicles are basically soul-same if body-different. So if the Tahoe makes this list of vehicles tending to tip over, the Yukon cannot be far behind with the same underpinnings.
This is why the 2016 GMC Yukon, Denali trims included, bears the same 22.9% risk of tipping over as does its Chevy sibling. Again, side and frontal-crash test results were a bit better, especially in the rear-wheel models, but you still cannot trust the Yukon all that much on a bad road or in the hands of a prone-to-panic driver.
6 Jeep Renegade
2016 seems to be a bad year for vehicles on the whole, or rather, it seems to be the year most SUVs and pickups with high rollover risks. Entering into this fray is the 4WD Jeep Renegade with a 23% chance of a rollover, which is pretty strange for a vehicle meant for rough roads and inclement weather driving.
Luckily the two-wheel-drive model’s rollover risk stands lower at 18%. Still unfortunate to see an off-roader on this list but better to know the risks before you make a purchase.
5 RAM 2500
The RAM 2500 4WD truck is a popular heavy-duty fleet vehicle that often gets picked up for commercial purposes but the 2017 model was less than what it should have been with plenty of recalls and safety issues.
Safety ratings were less than stellar and the RAM also had a 23.7% rollover risk associated with it, which could make things go bad very fast in case the driver lost control of a fully-loaded one. But then again, this a common problem with heavy vehicles on the whole.
4 Chevrolet Colorado
Let’s put both the cousins together for this one, for both the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon have a 22% chance of rollovers. Of course, these trucks were also not liked for a myriad of other reasons although their reliability is now on the mend.
Mid-sized pickups, the Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon scored 3 out of 5 stars in NHTSA’s rollover test and this is what drags their safety score to a four although they prove stellar in frontal and side crash testing.
3 Cadillac Escalade
We have to say, the Cadillac Escalade is a strong vehicle and is likely to emerge the winner in case of a frontal collision considering it's built like a bull. But the 2017 Escalade scores poorly in rollover ratings, with a 22.9% chance of it tipping over.
Sadly, if you compare the Escalade to similar-sized behemoths like the Toyota Sequoia or even the Lincoln Navigator, the Escalade proves to be the weak link simply because it's built higher and top-heavier than the competition.
2 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4WD
We just mentioned that having the Renegade on this list was an embarrassment for Jeep, and now, there’s further mud on its face because in rolls the 2017 Wrangler Unlimited 4WD, with a massive 27.9% tipping-over score. For a vehicle that is meant to take on tough roads in tougher situations, this is debasing.
The good thing about the Wrangler is that it does not use airbags from Takata, so in case of a collision, you are likely to be safer. But the fact that an off-roader is on the list and that too America’s darling offroader leaves us at a loss for words.
1 Nissan NV3500
The Nissan NV3500 is less SUV and more passenger van. It's comfortable and can handle moderately bad terrain, plus has enough room in it to take a large family to a rugged outing and back. Looks-wise, it's clearly a people carrier, from start to end.
Sadly, for a passenger van-SUV, it has the worst rollover ratings with the 2017 model having a 30.6% chance of tipping over. Its safety ratings stand no better, and for a vehicle this “rickety”, it costs some $32,000 upwards. Thanks, but no, thanks!
Sources: ConsumerReports. MotorBiscuit