The Toyota Tacoma has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer knee airbags.
The Tacoma has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
With its standard Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, the Toyota Tacoma is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Hyundai Santa Cruz, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
|
Tacoma |
Santa Cruz |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
|
Crossing Child - DAY |
|
12 MPH |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
|
Crossing Adult - NIGHT |
|
12 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
-11 MPH |
12 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
-21 MPH |
25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
-15 MPH |
|
Parallel Adult - NIGHT |
|
25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
37 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
-33 MPH |
Warning Issued-Brights |
2 sec |
1.7 sec |
37 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
-35 MPH |
Warning Issued-Low beams |
2.3 sec |
1.7 sec |
In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Toyota Tacoma achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Hyundai Santa Cruz has not been tested.
The Tacoma has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Santa Cruz doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.
Both the Tacoma and the Santa Cruz have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available four-wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Tacoma is safer than the Hyundai Santa Cruz:
|
Tacoma |
Santa Cruz |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
22 |
37 |
Chest Movement |
.5 inches |
.7 inches |
Abdominal Force |
78 lbs. |
86 lbs. |
Hip Force |
131 lbs. |
246 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
43 |
47 |
Spine Acceleration |
24 G’s |
35 G’s |
Hip Force |
222 lbs. |
317 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
13 inches |
16 inches |
Spine Acceleration |
38 G’s |
40 G’s |
Hip Force |
516 lbs. |
647 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Toyota Tacoma Double Cab is safer than the Santa Cruz:
|
Tacoma |
Santa Cruz |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Structure |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
107 |
123 |
Neck Tension |
89 lbs. |
245 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Shoulder Force |
112 lbs. |
245 lbs. |
Torso Max Deflection |
.71 in |
1.42 in |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Pelvis Force |
602 lbs. |
1004 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Torso |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Shoulder Deflection |
.47 in |
.83 in |
Torso Max Deflection |
.83 in |
1.26 in |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Pelvis Force |
535 lbs. |
915 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |