For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Grand Highlander have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia Telluride doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.
The Grand Highlander 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 Telluride 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.
The Toyota Grand Highlander’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Kia Telluride does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.
Both the Grand Highlander and the Telluride have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Grand Highlander is safer than the Kia Telluride:
|
Grand Highlander |
Telluride |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
218 |
281 |
Neck Compression |
12 lbs. |
32 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
331/316 lbs. |
164/998 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
356 |
378 |
Neck Injury Risk |
33% |
36% |
Neck Compression |
60 lbs. |
91 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
384/277 lbs. |
351/369 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
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 Grand Highlander is safer than the Kia Telluride:
|
Grand Highlander |
Telluride |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Chest Movement |
.3 inches |
.6 inches |
Abdominal Force |
64 lbs. |
84 lbs. |
Hip Force |
199 lbs. |
342 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Hip Force |
55 lbs. |
291 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
344 |
444 |
Spine Acceleration |
48 G’s |
51 G’s |
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 Grand Highlander is safer than the Telluride:
|
Grand Highlander |
Telluride |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Structure |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
38 |
68 |
Neck Tension |
134 lbs. |
156 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Shoulder Deflection |
.35 in |
.55 in |
Torso Max Deflection |
1.1 in |
1.18 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
4 MPH |
6 MPH |
Pelvis |
ACCEPTABLE |
ACCEPTABLE |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Neck Tension |
67 lbs. |
89 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Torso Max Deflection |
1.1 in |
1.46 in |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Pelvis Force |
446 lbs. |
491 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |