Jeep Wrangler Flunks KNCAP Crash Test [Video]

The American SUV manufacturing giant Jeep’s Wrangler has scored grade 5 safety in the Korean New Car Assessment Program. Now, you may think that this is good news for Jeep Wrangler lovers, right? Well, you’d be wrong if you thought this. The reason behind it is that in the Korean NCAP, a grade 5 rating is equivalent to a 1-star safety rating in the Global NCAP tests. This means that the Jeep Wrangler has flunked with a dismal score in the KNCAP.

Jeep Wrangler Korean NCAP Rating

The Jeep Wrangler was subjected to various crashes by the Korean NCAP, following which the organisation provided this popular SUV with an adult occupant protection score of 2 stars. It also only managed to score 1 star in both the pedestrian protection test and safety assist features.

Korean NCAP has revealed that in the frontal offset test, the SUV showcased moderately high displacement of pedals. It highlighted that this could result in significant lower-limb injuries for the driver in real-world crash scenarios.

Additionally, the organisation mentioned that the Jeep Wrangler performed poorly in the oblique pole test, which was conducted at 32 km/h. It stated that the driver’s head received poor protection. Lastly, the Jeep Wrangler’s hard top sustained significant damage during the structural tests.

Jeep Wrangler scored 1-star in Euro NCAP

This is not the first time that the Jeep Wrangler has scored this abysmal rating in a crash test. Back in 2018, when Euro NCAP crash-tested the Wrangler, it was awarded a poor 1-star safety rating. It was reported that the SUV scored only 50 percent in the adult occupant protection tests and 69 percent in the child occupant protection tests.

As for the pedestrian protection tests, it scored 49 percent, and lastly, in the safety assist systems category, it scored 32 percent of the maximum points. Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP Secretary General, at the time stated, “It is truly disappointing to see a brand-new car being put on sale in 2018 with no autonomous braking system and no lane assistance.”

Prior to the Euro NCAP, the Jeep Wrangler achieved a three-star front crash rating conducted by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). It must be mentioned that the NHTSA at the time did not include active safety systems in its final star ratings.

Jeep Wrangler

Even though the safety ratings of the Jeep Wrangler have been consistently poor across different NCAPs, this SUV still remains one of the most popular off-road vehicles. It comes in two variants in India — Unlimited and Rubicon. The former is priced at Rs 67.65 lakh, and the latter is priced at Rs 71.65 lakh, respectively.

The Jeep Wrangler comes equipped with electronically disconnectable front sway bars and heavy-duty Dana44 axles with Tru-Lok. It also gets 4 pre-wired auxiliary switches and an off-road Plus mode. As for the powertrain, it comes with a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine that makes 268 PS of power and 400 Nm of torque.

Transmission duties are handled by an 8-speed torque converter automatic as standard. In terms of features, the 2024 Jeep Wrangler comes equipped with a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Nappa leather interior, 7-inch digital instrument gauge cluster, an 8-speaker system (Unlimited variant), and a 9-speaker Alpine audio system (Rubicon variant). The new model also gets a new grille and new alloy wheels.