I have a 1992 wrangler and I have been searching about crash tests and haven't really found anything. My family keeps telling me it's "unsafe" because it's 21 years old and does not have airbags. How do yj's usually do in crashes and head on collisions? Should I be worried on a 55mph single lane each way highway? Have any of you guys been in an accident in your yj?
It's clearly not going to be up to spec on today's standards of safety, but no car that age is. I saw a head on collision between a jeep and car and yes the driver was without serious harm going 40mph. The jeep was pretty banged up though. I'd say like any crash, the bigger one wins...
I rolled my 89 completely over on to the soft top once at 30 mph........ I was left hanging from the seatbelt....... and scratches on the Jeep. I got out...... rolled it back over...... and drove off......never fixed the scratches....... probably more metal in it than ANYTHING built today.......
If you get into an accident at 55mph in the Jeep, more than likely you're dead. There is literally nothing to stop you from smashing into the steering wheel or the dash, you're done for. Drive without doors and get T-boned? Done. Drive without the top on and roll into the woods? Done. The truth is that the more massive the vehicle is, the more energy is going to transfer into you, and there's not a whole lot of shock-absorbent plastic pieces on the Jeep like there is in most modern cars.
You will probably survive at lower speeds though. I was T-Boned going 35 mph where a guy ran through a red-light and got me. The only thing that saved me was my 3" steel nerf-bar. The energy transfer was so huge that he pushed my Jeep off the road into the grass laterally. The nerf-bar on the passengers side broke bolts and weld and flew off another 20 feet. His explorer was completely wrecked, my Jeep was repairable, except for the nerf-bars lol. Like BC3 said, there's a lot of metal in the YJ, that works in your favor at slower speeds and against you at higher speeds.
I dont know if i'd look at it so black and white. An accident at 55 will depend heavily on circumstance as to whether you're 'done' or not.
The YJ is unsafe by today's standards. No two ways about it. Its probably safer than some of the other vehicles from 1992 though, with a roll cage and whatnot.
Anyway, your familys probaly right. Its not safe. Should you get rid of it becuse of that? Well, that's up to you. I drove my 1992 daily for years, i drove carefully, and didnt have any issues. I was in one or two accidents, but nothing high speed, both low-speed snow related accidents.
A lot of us have been driving long enough to have had several cars without airbags, and we're still kickin'. Also, airbags sometimes do not work. My son totaled the wife's Intrepid a few years back smacking a telephone pole head on. The bag did not deploy. Recently, a sister in law rolled a Chrysler Pacifica. The bags didn't deploy in it either, and they both walked away. The bags are nice, but seat belts do the job well enough.
Don't get me wrong. Today's standards are safer. That doesn't make a Wrangler any more unsafe than any other vehicle of comparable age though. It's probably more safe than most that old.
I own a wrecking yard and by far Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler products are the worse about not have air bags deploy. I also had an 01 Dodge 1500 that had a head on collision with another truck, I was doing about 45mph and the bags did not blow. It is amazing how many of these type of vehicles I get in that the bags have not blown.
Welcome to the real world. Even driving the way your supposed to its the other idiot you have to worry about.
Theres not much you can do about an old Jeep and its shortcomings in an accident.
So what is your risk tolerance???
I have been driving for more than 45 years and nothing serious yet and until recently never had airbags or any crumple zones. Drove a lot of old cars trucks and Jeeps.
Don't know what to tell you. It is a personal decision and yes you will hear from family members about your safety. So deal with it and make a decision.
A lot of parents get worried when their teenager wants a Jeep we see a lot of that here on the forum.
Maybe save up and have a Jeep for the weekends and a car for your commute. Kind of impractical when your young and looking for the first ride.
My daughters haul my grandchildren around in suburbans and I am proud of that because they are bigger than most vehicles other than a semi that will run into them.I'm old and it doesn't much matter so I will stick to my jeeps and harleys..
What other vehicles come standard with roll bars. Enough said. Love it or leave it. I'd be willing to take that old death trap off of your soiled hands.
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