In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Tahoe are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Durango doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
The Tahoe (except LS with front bench seat) has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Durango doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Tahoe Premier/High Country offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Durango doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Tahoe Z71/Premier 4WD/High Country 4WD’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Durango doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.
The Tahoe’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Durango and is not available with SXT.
The Tahoe (except LS) offers an optional HD Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Durango only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.
Both the Tahoe and the Durango have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems 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 Tahoe is safer than the Dodge Durango:
|
Tahoe |
Durango |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
23% |
34% |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
152/161 lbs. |
339/364 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
233 |
295 |
Chest Compression |
.6 inches |
.8 inches |
Neck Compression |
66 lbs. |
86 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 Chevrolet Tahoe is safer than the Dodge Durango:
|
Tahoe |
Durango |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
25 |
46 |
Chest Movement |
.7 inches |
1.1 inches |
Abdominal Force |
111 lbs. |
111 lbs. |
Hip Force |
118 lbs. |
236 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Spine Acceleration |
24 G’s |
34 G’s |
Hip Force |
248 lbs. |
446 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
14 inches |
14 inches |
Spine Acceleration |
38 G’s |
43 G’s |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.