The 2007 Buick Lacrosse, part of the model generation from 2005-2007, marked Buick’s entry into the mid-size sedan market, replacing both the Century and Regal models. This vehicle was designed to offer a blend of comfort and traditional Buick styling, but how does it hold up in terms of safety, specifically side-impact protection? This analysis delves into the safety ratings of the 2007 Buick LaCrosse, with a focus on side crash test performance.
The model tested for these ratings was a 2006 Buick LaCrosse CX 4-door, equipped with optional front and rear side curtain airbags. It’s important to note a crucial detail regarding the availability of side airbags in this generation of LaCrosse. While side airbags became standard for retail models in 2006-07, fleet vehicles could be ordered without them. This distinction is significant because used 2007 Buick LaCrosse models entering the market might lack this critical safety feature if they were originally fleet vehicles. From the 2008 model year onwards, Buick made side airbags standard across all LaCrosse models, regardless of whether they were for retail or fleet sales.
It is also worth mentioning the Pontiac Grand Prix, which was redesigned around the same period and shared some platform similarities. The side airbag remained an option for all 2004-2008 Grand Prix models. Therefore, the safety ratings discussed here are specifically applicable to 2005-2007 Buick LaCrosse models and Pontiac Grand Prix models only when equipped with the side airbag option.
The side impact crash test evaluated several key areas, providing an overall safety rating along with specific assessments of structural performance and injury measures for both driver and rear passengers. The ratings are categorized using a scale from Good (G), Acceptable (A), Marginal (M), to Poor (P).
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall evaluation | M |
| Structure and safety cage | A |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G |
| Torso | P |
| Pelvis/leg | M |
| Driver head protection | G |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G |
| Torso | G |
| Pelvis/leg | G |
| Rear passenger head protection | G |
The 2007 Buick LaCrosse achieved an overall “Marginal” rating in the side impact test. However, examining the component ratings reveals a more nuanced picture. The vehicle structure and safety cage were rated “Acceptable,” indicating a decent level of structural integrity during the crash. For driver injury measures, head and neck protection was rated “Good,” a positive outcome attributed to the side curtain airbags effectively protecting the head in a side collision. However, torso protection for the driver was rated “Poor,” while pelvis and leg protection was “Marginal.” In contrast, rear passenger injury measures were consistently rated “Good” across head, neck, torso, and pelvis/leg, along with “Good” for rear passenger head protection.
The image above illustrates the 2007 Buick LaCrosse just after the side impact crash test, showing the position of the barrier and the vehicle’s deformation.
This image provides a view of the vehicle post-crash with the doors removed, clearly showing the deployment of the side airbag and the extent of damage to the occupant compartment.
The action shot during the side impact test highlights the critical role of the side curtain airbag in driver head protection, preventing direct impact with hard structures of the vehicle.
This image uses greasepaint to demonstrate how the side airbag effectively protected the rear passenger dummy’s head during the side impact.
Further technical measurements from the test provide detailed data on occupant compartment intrusion and injury measures. For the driver’s side, the B-pillar intrusion was measured at -6.5 cm, indicating that the crush stopped short of the driver’s seat centerline, which is a positive structural performance aspect.
Technical measurements for this test
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CES0605 |
|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver’s seat (cm) | -6.5 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. |
Driver injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | CES0605 |
| Head HIC-15 | 398 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.5 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.2 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 57 |
| Lateral force (kN) | |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 60 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 47 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 8.77 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 1.93 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 3.3 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 3.1 |
| Combined force (kN) | 6.3 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.4 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 73 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 34 |
Passenger injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | CES0605 |
| Head HIC-15 | 605 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.4 |
| Compression (kN) | 2.2 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 37 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.5 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 37 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 26 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 4.20 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.63 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 0.5 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 2.9 |
| Combined force (kN) | 2.9 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 1.2 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 172 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | -42 |
In conclusion, the 2007 Buick LaCrosse demonstrates a mixed performance in side impact safety. While it provides “Good” head protection for both driver and rear passengers, and structurally holds up reasonably well, the “Poor” rating for driver torso protection is a significant concern. Prospective buyers of a used 2007 Buick LaCrosse should verify the presence of side airbags, and be mindful of these side impact test results when considering overall vehicle safety.
