All Four Modern Minivans Are Overlooking Backseat Safety: IIHS

Minivans are a great way to haul a family or half a softball team, even if they're often overlooked for more popular SUVs. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) isn't necessarily a fan of the van, though. The organization's latest study raises concerns about safety for backseat passengers in all major offerings in the segment on the market today.

The IIHS recently tested four minivans—the Chrysler Pacifica, Kia Carnival, Toyota Sienna, and the Honda Odyssey. Each performed below expectations in the updated moderate overlap front crash test, which is designed to evaluate the safety of passengers in the rear rows. The Pacifica, Carnival, and Sienna all received a "marginal" rating, while the Odyssey received a "poor" grade.

Supplementary safety features were also considered subpar by the IIHS. The organization noted that all but the Sienna lacked seatbelt reminders for second-row passengers.

Given the minivan's intended role as a family transporter, the results were particularly disappointing to IIHS President David Harkey. "Back seat safety is important for all vehicles, but it’s especially vital for those, like minivans, that customers are choosing specifically to transport their families," said Harkey, adding "It’s disappointing that automakers haven’t acted faster to apply the best available technology to the second row in this vehicle class."