Top 10 Most Insane Car Crash Test Videos

May 3, 2021

As Kansas City autobody technicians, we’ve dealt with the aftermath of lots and lots and lots of car crashes over the years. Some are fairly minor—bent fenders, dented doors, busted windows—while others are absolutely devastating and, frankly, unsalvageable.

Yet with every new decade, we see fewer of the latter and more of the former, which is a testament to the auto industry’s commitment to safety. And with the way modern technology is advancing, overall vehicle crashworthiness should continue to climb, and the worst crash test videos below may be a relic of the past. Enjoy (and please drive safely).

1. 2018-21 Ford Explorer

For a model with an infamous safety history (remember the rollover recall in the early 2000s?), you’d think newer Ford Explorers would have crash performance under control. But as we see here, the 2018-21 model doesn’t hold up well to small overlap testing on the passenger side, receiving a “poor” rating.

2. 2001 Ford F-150

The 2001 F-150 was one of the most popular trucks in America at the time—and one of the most dangerous. In the year’s IIHS 40-mph crash test, the F-150 crumpled under the pressure. Airbags: deflated upon impact. Door: nearly removed from this plane of existence. Front tire: up the driver’s crotch. Heck, the truck’s body even gets propelled off its chassis.

To be fair, trucks like the F-150, Silverado, and Sierra are far better and far safer than they were 20 years ago. But this was one big reason why pickup trucks had a bad reputation in the early noughties.

3. 2010 Geely CK-1

We introduce you to the CK-1, a Chinese-manufactured sedan that was mostly sold in China, Russia and Turkey. Earning a reputation as one of the least-safe vehicles to ever be produced, the Geely CK failed all IIHS and NHTSA crash tests, as well as the Latin New Car Assessment Programme’s (LNCAP) tests. In fact, it has the distinction of being one of the only vehicles to ever earn a LNCAP zero-star score.

All you need to know about the CK-1 comes from the LNCAP press release: “…The structure of the car is so bad that even an airbag would not improve the situation.”

Luckily, Geely ceased manufacturing these deathmobiles in 2016.

4. 1997 Pontiac Trans Sport

For the sake of family vans everywhere, it’s a shame that the Pontiac Trans Sport existed. It gave minivans a bad name due to severe safety concerns after its IIHS crash test (above), including:

Its steering wheel snapping off and decapitating the crash-test dummy;
The left foot and ankle of the dummy getting unrecognizably crushed; and
The cabin collapsing severely, leaving “little survival space for the driver.”

Fittingly and appropriately, this second-generation Trans Sport was the last of its kind.

5. 2000 Citroen Saxo

The French like small cars, which is likely why they mass-produced the Citroen Saxo. Marketed as a “supermini,” the Saxo was originally a first cousin to the Peugeot 205 but stickered as a budget car. Equipment was sparse, as were its listed safety features, which included seatbelts, a driver-side airbag—and that’s it. You even had to pay extra for a passenger-side airbag.

As you would guess, the Saxo failed just about every safety test. In frontal crash tests, it became an accordion. In side-impact crashes, the driver would likely suffer broken arms, crushed ribs, and many other life-threatening injuries.

6. 2000 Fiat Seicento

If you’re a professor of physics, show this video to your class. The Fiat Seicento, yet another small car, proves why it’s important for car companies to utilize flexible materials when designing crumple zones (these transfer kinetic energy after an impact). Instead of the roof caving in, as is seen in the video above, the materials absorb the impact and spread that force out throughout the vehicle’s structure.

7. 2009 Chevrolet Malibu vs. 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air

If you’ve ever been told that older cars are more structurally sound and can protect passengers better than newer vehicles, watch the video above. The newer Malibu (silver) plays a game of chicken with the ‘59 Bel Air (gold-ish), and it’s easy to see who wins.

8. 2019 Jeep Wrangler

Rollover risk is real if you drive a large SUV. In IIHS’s driver-side crash testing, few SUVs fared worse than the 2019 Jeep Wrangler in that department. In fact, the driver-side crash test isn’t set up to measure rollover damage, which is a concern considering what happened to the Wrangler.

9. 1992 Commodore

This is probably the most disturbing crash test video we could find: The 1991-92 Holden Commodore. While it’s not a true crash test—the vehicle was fitted with sandbags to increase weight, for one thing—it’s truly a frightening sight to see a car transform into a flattened cardboard box.

10. 2019-20 Honda HR-V

Let’s end on a high note, shall we? Although the 2016 Honda HR-V failed to meet Honda’s stringent safety standards, its 2019-2020 HR-V model did. (Note the models’ A-pillars in the video above.) Safety is a moving target, so it’s encouraging to see automakers learn from their mistakes and make potentially life-saving improvements.

About McCarthy Collision Centers

While our Kansas City body shops can’t fix any of the cars seen above—they’re all completely totaled, let’s be honest—we are certainly able to perform autobody work on dings, dents, chips and the occasional snap, crackle and pop. We’ve been doing it for years, and we’ll continue until Kansas City no longer has to worry about car wrecks.

To get a free quote on collision repairs in Kansas City, contact your nearest McCarthy Collision Center by dialing 1-800-NEW-AGAIN. We’ll get you set up with a tow to our facilities and then back on the road in no time.

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