The Chrysler 300 has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q50 doesn’t offer knee airbags.
The 300 has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Q50 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
Both the 300 and the Q50 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Chrysler 300 is safer than the Infiniti Q50:
|
300 |
Q50 |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
131 |
225 |
Neck Compression |
10 lbs. |
45 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
3 Stars |
Chest Compression |
.9 inches |
1 inches |
Neck Injury Risk |
33% |
48% |
Neck Stress |
143 lbs. |
145 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 Chrysler 300 is safer than the Infiniti Q50:
|
300 |
Q50 |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
134 |
196 |
Hip Force |
350 lbs. |
415 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
14 inches |
19 inches |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The Chrysler 300 has a better fatality history. The 300 was involved in fatal accidents at a rate 13.6% lower per vehicle registered than the Q50, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.