Insurance Institute Names Top Safety Picks for 2011

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety revealed on Wednesday its picks for the safest vehicles of 2011.

Sixty-six models — including 40 cars, 25 sport utility vehicles and one minivan — earned the Top Safety Pick award. Only 27 vehicles received that distinction last year after the Insurance Institute added a roof-strength parameter to its test criteria.

As 2010 progressed, 58 vehicles were ultimately named Top Safety Picks. Owing to automakers’ efforts to strengthen roofs and make changes to air bags, 2011 begins with a much larger list.

Hyundai (including Kia) and Volkswagen (including Audi) are the most heavily represented brands, with nine awards each. General Motors (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC); Ford (including Lincoln) and Toyota (including Lexus and Scion) each have eight winners. Subaru, with five awards, is the only automaker with a winner in each of the categories in which it competed.

The award recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting passengers in the institute’s crash testing. These are vehicles that earn the highest rating of Good (on a scale of Good, Fair, Marginal, Poor) in the institute’s front, side, rollover — which measures roof strength — and rear-impact tests. They also must be equipped with or offer electronic stability control as an option.

In 2009 more than 12,000 people in the United States died in frontal crashes, more than 6,000 in side impacts and more than 8,000 in rollovers, according to the institute.

Hyundai and Chrysler made marked rating strides following the redesigns of some popular models.

The Hyundai Tucson and its twin, the Kia Sportage, earned the Poor rating for roof strength in 2009, but their redesign helped them become Top Safety Picks for 2011.

The previous-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee, though equipped with head side-curtain air bags, was rated Marginal for side-impact protection, but the 2011 model, now with torso air bags, earned a Good rating and is a 2011 Top Safety Pick.

“The good news for consumers is how quickly automakers are responding to new information about how to make vehicles safer,” said Adrian Lund, the institute’s president.

“We are very pleased with the progress that is being made, especially this latest round with roof strength,” he continued. “The stronger you make the package, the easier it is to protect the fragile contents inside of it.”

For a complete list of the institute’s 2011 Top Safety Picks, visit iihs.org.

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G.M. Recalls 300,000 Regal Chevrolet for issue of the safety belt

General Motors is recalling 303,000 2009-10 Chevrolet Regal because front safety belts could come loose in an accident. The callback is more than a year after that G.M. was informed of the problem.

The automaker said National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the problem is t "error together."The automaker stated in his report to the agency that he had learned at the outset the issue in June 2009, after "nine reports belt warranty repairs that involve separation."

G.M. said that he had some requests for additional guarantee in July and he studied, leading the callback. Under federal regulations, after he discovered a security flaw builders have five days to notify the Security Agency and perform a callback or facing civil penalties.

A spokesman for G.M., Alan Adler, wrote in an e-mail: "belief which has the potential for the condition to occur in the first three months of production."July, August and September 2008.Nous were watching data in June 2009.Nous thought that if a separation were to happen, it happen relatively given rapidement.étant vehicles constructed several months ago, we had no other reports we concluded there had been no other vehicle with the condition.?

The automaker said N.H.T.S.A. does that any injuries or deaths related to the defect.

Other actions:

? For crash tests for the Union des consommateurs, Evenflo Company is recalling about Maestro child restraint systems are.Consumers Union paid a company to test the seats for children and discovered that a crack can occur in an accident which resulted in the child are not properly mastered.The units have been built between 24 November 2009 and 9 April 2010.

? About the 9,700 Volvos were recalled because the conductive bag may not deploy in a crash.Volvo said agency security if the problem produced a warning light will illuminate .but the pilot should have an accident during this period that the air bag is unlikely to automaker déployer.Rapport it is not clear how he learned the model .the anomaly are the S80; links 2010 V70.la XC60 2011 and the XC in 2010-2011 70.

? Chrysler is recalling approximately 26,000 vehicles since assisted liquid can leak, which can cause an incendie.Les vehicles are the Chrysler 300, Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, Dodge Journey 2010 and 2011 Dodge Ram.

Evenflo and Chrysler each has stated that they were voluntarily recall, but once a manufacturer learns of a security flaw is necessary to recall the vehicle or equipment.

For more information or to report a security callback, go to the website of the Government.

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