The Jeep Cherokee 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 Blazer doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.
The Cherokee 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 Blazer doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Cherokee has standard Parksense with Rear Stop that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Blazer doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Cherokee. But it costs extra on the Blazer.
When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Cherokee’s optional Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Blazer doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.
The Cherokee has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Blazer’s blind spot costs extra.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Cherokee has standard Rear Cross-Path Detection, helping the driver avoid collisions. Chevrolet charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Blazer.
Both the Cherokee and the Blazer have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and rearview cameras.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Jeep Cherokee is safer than the Chevrolet Blazer:
|
|
Cherokee |
Blazer |
|
|
Passenger |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
| HIC |
166 |
313 |
| Chest Compression |
.5 inches |
.8 inches |
| Neck Injury Risk |
37% |
43% |
| Neck Compression |
26 lbs. |
140 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 Jeep Cherokee is safer than the Chevrolet Blazer:
|
|
Cherokee |
Blazer |
|
|
Front Seat |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| HIC |
64 |
93 |
| Chest Movement |
.7 inches |
.8 inches |
| Abdominal Force |
133 lbs. |
157 lbs. |
| Hip Force |
363 lbs. |
369 lbs. |
|
|
Into Pole |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| HIC |
203 |
265 |
| Hip Force |
490 lbs. |
695 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
For its top level performance in IIHS driver-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, rear impact and roof-crush tests, with its optional front crash prevention system, its “Good” rating in the new passenger-side small overlap crash test, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Cherokee the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2019, a rating granted to only 195 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Blazer was last qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.