The Chevrolet Camaro has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps 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 Challenger doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.
Both the Camaro and the Challenger have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available collision 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 Chevrolet Camaro is safer than the Dodge Challenger:
|
Camaro |
Challenger |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Chevrolet Camaro Coupe is safer than the Challenger:
|
Camaro |
Challenger |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
MARGINAL |
Restraints |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Neck Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Peak Head Forces |
0 G’s |
0 G’s |
Steering Column Movement Rearward |
1 cm |
8 cm |
Chest Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Max Chest Compression |
21 cm |
26 cm |
Hip & Thigh Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L |
0%/0% |
0%/0% |
Lower Leg Evaluation |
GOOD |
POOR |
Tibia index R/L |
.55/.45 |
1.46/1.01 |
Tibia forces R/L |
2.5/1.4 kN |
4.8/2.4 kN |
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 Chevrolet Camaro is safer than the Dodge Challenger:
|
Camaro |
Challenger |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Chest Movement |
1 inches |
1.1 inches |
Abdominal Force |
155 lbs. |
174 lbs. |
Hip Force |
199 lbs. |
505 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
285 |
307 |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
11 inches |
16 inches |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates the general design of front seat head restraints for their ability to protect front seat occupants from whiplash injuries. The IIHS also performs a dynamic test on those seats with “good” or “acceptable” geometry. In these ratings, the Camaro is safer than the Challenger:
|
Camaro |
Challenger |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Head Restraint Design |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Distance from Back of Head |
10 mm |
61 mm |
Distance Below Top of Head |
14 mm |
28 mm |
Dynamic Test Rating |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Seat Design |
Pass |
Fail |
Neck Force Rating |
Low |
Low |
Max Neck Shearing Force |
0 |
83 |
Max Neck Tension |
417 |
456 |
(Lower numerical results are better in all tests.)
Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Camaro, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 2.8% less likely to roll over than the Challenger, which received a four-star rating.
The Chevrolet Camaro has a better fatality history. The Camaro was involved in fatal accidents at a rate 26% lower per vehicle registered than the Challenger, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.