Through the first nine months of last year, an estimated 31,785 Americans died in driving accidents. This figures come from the most recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, released this January. The country is on track to come close to the 42,915 motor vehicle fatalities in 2021, which was the highest annual total since 2005.
While the increase is concerning, auto fatalities have actually become far less common over the years, relative to miles driven, thanks to improvements in both vehicle and highway safety standards.
There were 1.33 auto fatalities per 100,000 vehicle miles traveled in 2021, a fraction of the annual rate in the era prior to seat belt installations and laws requiring their use. For example, in 1967, the year before seat belts became mandatory in vehicles, there were 5.26 fatalities per 100,000 miles traveled. (This is the deadliest year for car wrecks since seat belts became law.)
Vehicles sold today are, on the whole, relatively safe thanks to technological improvements such as collision avoidance, anti-lock brakes, smart airbags, and adaptive headlights. Still, there have been a few rare cars sold in the United States in recent years that have received subpar scores on major safety tests.
The NHTSA, a federal agency, rates thousands of sedans, wagons, pickup trucks, SUVs, and vans. The agency’s 5-star rating system scores each model for frontal crash, side crash, and rollover safety. The NHTSA also assigns a 1 to 5 star rating to each model for its overall safety rating. While recent model years generally rate high, in previous model years, a number of vehicles received 2 or 3 stars. (These are the vehicles involved in the most fatal crashes.)
24/7 Wall St. listed all 35 examples of models the NHTSA gave an overall safety rating of 2 or 3 stars from 2011 or later model years. 2011 was the first year the NHTSA began issuing a more rigorous set of tests and safety standards. In some cases, different versions of a particular model received different scores. In those cases, we listed the lowest-rated model. The cars are grouped by model year but are otherwise in no specific order. If two models from different years received the exact same score, both years were listed.
Click here to see the most unsafe cars on the road.
Source: THEPALMER / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
1. 2011 and 2012 Ford Escape
> Model variant with lowest rating: HEV and SUV, 4×2 and 4×4
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 3/5 stars
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Source: Scott Olson / Getty Images
2. 2012 Acura TL
> Model variant with lowest rating: 4-door FWD early release
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 4/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 5/5 stars
Source: Vauxford / Wikimedia Commons
3. 2012 and 2013 Ford Transit Connect
> Model variant with lowest rating: 4WD
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 3/5 stars
4. 2013 and 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
> Model variant with lowest rating: Regular cab RWD
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 3/5 stars
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Source: Courtesy of GMC
5. 2013 and 2014 GMC Sierra 2500
> Model variant with lowest rating: Regular cab RWD
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 3/5 stars
Source: IFCAR / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
6. 2011 Buick Lucerne
> Model variant with lowest rating: 4-door FWD early release
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 5/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 5/5 stars
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Source: Tramino / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
7. 2011 Ford Ranger
> Model variant with lowest rating: Regular cab 4X2, extended cab 4×2 and 4×4
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 3/5 stars
24/7 Wall St.
Source: IFCAR / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
8. 2011 Honda Civic
> Model variant with lowest rating: 4-door
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 4/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 4/5 stars
Source: IFCAR / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
9. 2011 Honda CR-Z
> Model variant with lowest rating: Hatchback FWD
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 5/5 stars
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Source: IFCAR / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
10. 2011 Mazda Tribute
> Model variant with lowest rating: Standard and HEV, 4×2 and 4×4
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 3/5 stars
Source: IFCAR / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
11. 2011 Mercury Mariner
> Model variant with lowest rating: Standard and HEV, 4×2 and 4×4
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 3/5 stars
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Source: IFCAR / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
12. 2011 Nissan Versa
> Model variant with lowest rating: 4-door and hatchback FWD
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 4/5 stars
24/7 Wall St.
13. 2011 Ram 1500
> Model variant with lowest rating: Crew and quad cab 4WD
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 5/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 3/5 stars
Source: code6d / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
14. 2011 Toyota Camry
> Model variant with lowest rating: Standard and HV 4-door FWD early release
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 4/5 stars
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Source: United States Department of Transportation / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
15. 2011 Toyota Corolla
> Model variant with lowest rating: 4-door FWD
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 4/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 4/5 stars
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
16. 2011 Toyota RAV4
> Model variant with lowest rating: FWD and AWD
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 4/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 4/5 stars
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
17. 2012 Dodge Caliber
> Model variant with lowest rating: 4-door FWD
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 4/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 4/5 stars
24/7 Wall St.
Source: United States Department of Transportation / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
18. 2012 Fiat 500
> Model variant with lowest rating: Hatchback FWD early release
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 4/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 4/5 stars
Source: OSX / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
19. 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe
> Model variant with lowest rating: FWD and AWD
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 4/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 4/5 stars
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20. 2012 Jeep Liberty
> Model variant with lowest rating: 2WD and 4WD
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 4/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 3/5 stars
Source: United States Department of Transportation / Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
21. 2012 Lexus ES350
> Model variant with lowest rating: 4-door FWD
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 4/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 4/5 stars
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22. 2012 Ram 2500
> Model variant with lowest rating: Crew 4WD
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 5/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 3/5 stars
23. 2013 Jeep Compass
> Model variant with lowest rating: 2WD and 4WD
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 4/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 4/5 stars
Source: Courtesy of Chevrolet
24. 2014 Chevrolet Captiva
> Model variant with lowest rating: 4WD and AWD
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 4/5 stars
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Source: Photo by Scott Olson / Getty Images
25. 2014 Toyota Tundra
> Model variant with lowest rating: Regular cab 4WD and 2WD, extended cab 2WD
> Overall NHTSA safety rating: 3/5 stars
> NHTSA frontal crash rating: 2/5 stars
> NHTSA side crash rating: 5/5 stars
> NHTSA rollover rating: 4/5 stars
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