Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: 2019 Jeep Cherokee Earns Top Safety Pick Award

ARLINGTON, Virginia, Sept. 13 -- The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety issued the following news release:

The 2019 Jeep Cherokee earns a 2019 Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety when equipped with optional front crash prevention and specific headlights. The award only applies to Cherokees built after April 2019.

To qualify for a 2019 Top Safety Pick award, a vehicle has to earn good ratings in the driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests, as well as an acceptable or good rating in the passenger-side small overlap front test. It must also earn an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention and be equipped with acceptable or good headlights.

The midsize SUV, which was re-engineered and restyled for the 2019 model year, now earns good ratings in the six IIHS crashworthiness tests, including the driver-side and passenger-side small overlap front tests.

Earlier models earned only a marginal rating in the driver-side small overlap front test and were never evaluated in the passenger-side test. For 2019, Jeep modified the A-pillars, front door-hinge pillars, and door sills to provide better protection in moderate and small overlap crashes. A change to the driver seat belt in vehicles built after April 2018 was aimed at adding further protection in small overlap crashes.

The Cherokee's optional front crash prevention system earns a superior rating, as its autobrake system successfully avoided collisions in both the 12 and 25 mph IIHS track tests.

Cherokees built after April 2019 that are equipped with optional high-beam assist -- a system that automatically switches between high beams and low beams, depending on the presence of other vehicles -- earn an acceptable headlight rating. Without high-beam assist, vehicles built after April earn a marginal rating. Cherokees built before May earn a marginal or poor headlight rating.