Pickups are sold on toughness, yet crash testing by the insurance industry’s safety group has found weak spots, especially for rear-seat passengers and in seat belt reminders. The results span several years of testing and cover full-size and small models. Here are ten trucks that earned a poor or marginal grade in at least one of those evaluations.
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1. Chevrolet Silverado 1500: Lowest Score in Back
In IIHS’s November 2023 updated moderate overlap front test, the crew-cab Chevrolet Silverado 1500 rated poor, the agency’s lowest score, as belted rear-seat occupants fared badly, Cars.com reported. The Silverado was one of three full-size pickups to receive that grade.
The updated test places emphasis on how rear-seat occupants fare. Families who regularly carry people in the second row should weigh that result alongside front-seat crash ratings. The grade was assigned to the crew-cab version, the configuration with a full back seat.
2. Ford F-150: Best-Seller, Poor Rear Seat
The F-150 crew cab earned a poor rating in the updated moderate overlap front test in November 2023, with research showing a higher fatal risk to second-row passengers, according to Cars.com’s coverage.
The Ford shared the lowest grade with the Silverado and Ram in that round. The finding concerns rear-seat protection specifically, not the performance of the driver’s seat in the same crash. Buyers who mostly drive alone may weigh that differently from those who regularly seat three across in back.
3. Ram 1500: Third Full-Size Poor
IIHS rated the 2023 Ram 1500 crew cab poor in its updated moderate overlap front test, one of three full-size pickups to receive the lowest score, as detailed in this Cars.com article.
The result applies to the crew-cab configuration tested. Buyers who carry back-seat passengers regularly should note that the grade reflects second-row protection, which the updated test was designed to measure more closely. The Ram was among four full-size pickups tested together, and only the Tundra fared better, reaching marginal.
4. Toyota Tundra: Marginal Best of Four
Only the Toyota Tundra among four full-size pickups managed a marginal rating in IIHS’s November 2023 updated moderate overlap test, while the rest were poor, per Cars.com’s summary. IIHS rates crash performance on a scale of good, acceptable, marginal or poor.
Marginal is the second-lowest of the four grades, so the Tundra is the best of a weak group in that round. The result still falls short of the acceptable and good grades buyers might expect. IIHS applies those four labels across its crash tests, so a pickup rated marginal still sits below acceptable.
5. Ford Ranger: Marginal Overall
IIHS’s June 2023 test of five small crew cab pickups rated the Ford Ranger marginal overall, with poor rear passenger restraints and kinematics, according to the institute’s small pickup findings. IIHS rates crash performance on a scale of good, acceptable, marginal or poor.
The overall grade was better than some rivals, but the poor mark for rear restraints shows where the weakness lay. Owners who carry passengers in back should view that sub-rating as the more relevant number. The Ranger’s overall marginal rating makes it a mixed performer, not a failure on every count.
6. Chevrolet Colorado: Small Truck, Poor Overall
The crew-cab Chevrolet Colorado earned a poor overall rating in IIHS’s June 2023 updated moderate overlap test; none of the five small pickups earned good, the institute reported in its rear-seat safety release. IIHS rates crash performance on a scale of good, acceptable, marginal or poor.
The Colorado shares the lowest grade with the Gladiator and Tacoma in that group. The finding applies to the tested crew-cab layout and reflects the institute’s tougher rear-seat criteria introduced for the test. Buyers shopping small pickups from that period should consult the full report for each model’s sub-ratings.
7. Jeep Gladiator: Poor Despite an Acceptable
IIHS rated the Jeep Gladiator poor overall in its June 2023 updated moderate overlap front test of small crew cab pickups, per its small-pickup crash results. The listing shows an acceptable mark in the second column. IIHS rates crash performance on a scale of good, acceptable, marginal or poor.
An overall poor grade sits alongside that acceptable sub-rating, so the weak result came from other parts of the test. The five small pickups tested did not include a single good overall grade. Gladiator shoppers should look at the individual sub-ratings, not the overall label alone.
8. Toyota Tacoma: Poor, Rating Unchanged
The Toyota Tacoma crew cab rated poor overall in IIHS’s June 2023 test, with marginal rear passenger restraints, according to the institute’s small pickup report. IIHS later changed criteria, but the Tacoma’s overall rating was unchanged.
The rating held after the criteria change, with marginal rear restraints noted as one weak spot. Buyers should still check the current model year, since the rating covers the truck tested in 2023, and consult the institute full report for sub-ratings. Shoppers cross-shopping small pickups should compare the Tacoma against the others tested alongside it.
9. Ford Maverick: Belt Reminder Poor
IIHS’s July 2022 seat belt reminder test rated the Ford Maverick poor, one of five pickups to receive that grade, while only the Tundra rated good, according to the institute’s seat belt reminder findings.
This test differs from the crash evaluations above, since it examines how effectively a vehicle prompts occupants to buckle up. The Maverick’s result is a 2022 assessment and applies to the pickup as tested then. Compact pickup shoppers who put children in back may find the reminder result especially relevant.
10. Tesla Cybertruck: Marginal Reminder Only
The 2026 Tesla Cybertruck crew cab earned good in all six award categories but a marginal in IIHS’s seat belt reminder test, which is not part of the award program, as Pickup Truck Talk noted.
The Cybertruck is the exception on this list because its crash results were strong; the marginal grade comes solely from the reminder test. That makes it a mixed result, not a crash-protection failure. Buyers can read it as a feature gap that could be addressed by software or design changes, not by a structural weakness.
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