--- title: "Full-size pickup truck safety: These 2021 rankings may surprise you" url: "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/02/full-size-pickup-truck-safety-these-2021-rankings-may-surprise-you/" publisher: "Pickup Truck + SUV Talk" content_signal: "search=yes, ai-input=yes, ai-train=no" author: "Jill Ciminillo" published: "2021-02-10T17:00:26+00:00" modified: "2026-01-28T19:30:51+00:00" image: "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/RM021_020FN.jpg" --- # Full-size pickup truck safety: These 2021 rankings may surprise you By Jill Ciminillo Published: 2021-02-10T17:00:26+00:00 Updated: 2026-01-28T19:30:51+00:00 ![Featured image]() When people are looking for a new truck, they often pour over payload and towing numbers, bemoaning the different numbers for different trims. Then, they look at [reliability ratings](). But how about safety? Since pickup trucks are the new family hauler, pickup truck safety should also be top of mind. [Embedded video]() So, we took a look at the [Insurance Institute for Highway Safety]() (IIHS) and [National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]() (NHTSA) crash test ratings to compare all the trucks in the full-size segment. What we found surprised us. There is only one full-size truck to get [a Top Safety Pick from IIHS](), and get this, it’s the 2021 Ram 1500. While the Ram truck has been [notorious for reliability issues]() in previous generations, the redesigned model is really starting to shine with [better dependability]() and now the best crash test scores. There are a couple other takeaways from this data, and the first isn’t visible just by looking at this table. The Nissan Titan was redesigned for 2020, and [its IIHS results]() actually dropped in one area: the small overlap front passenger test. It went from Good to Acceptable. The second shocker? Toyota Tundra. What the heck? While this truck usually gets [high marks for reliability](), it’s getting [downright awful scores]() in crash tests. IMHO, any vehicle that gets Poor anything should be automatically redesigned. And Marginal rankings for driver safety? No thank you. Sure, this is the oldest full-size truck right now, but still. That [2022 redesign]() can’t come soon enough. Finally, we need to mention one caveat: the 2021 Ford F-150 hasn’t been tested by either IIHS or NHTSA yet since it’s an all-new model. We expect it will mirror the Ram 1500 scores, and if it doesn’t get a Top Safety Pick Award, we’d be surprised. So, stay tuned. We’ll update this article when we get the info. | | 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew | 2021 Ford F-150 Crew | 2021 GMC Sierra 1500 Crew | 2021 Nissan Titan Crew | 2021 Ram 1500 Crew | 2021 Toyota Tundra Crew | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | IIHS Small Overlap Front Driver | G | n/a | G | G | G | M | | IIHS Small Overlap Front Passenger | M | n/a | M | A | G | P | | IIHS Moderate Overlap Front | G | n/a | G | G | G | G | | IIHS Side | G | n/a | G | G | G | G | | IIHS Roof Strength | G | G | G | G | G | A | | IIHS Head Restraints & Seats | G | n/a | G | G | G | G | | IIHS Headlights | P | n/a | P | P | G/M | M | | IIHS Front Crash Prevention (vehicle-to-vehicle) | Superior | n/a | Superior | Superior | Superior | Superior | | IIHS Front Crash Prevention (vehicle-to-pedestrian) | n/a | n/a | n/a | Superior | Advanced | n/a | | NHTSA Overall Rating | 4 Stars | n/a | 4 Stars | 4 Stars | 5 Stars | 4 Stars | | NHTSA Frontal Crash | 4 Stars | n/a | 4 Stars | 4 Stars | 4 Stars | 4 Stars | | NHTSA Side Crash | 5 Stars | n/a | 5 Stars | 5 Stars | 5 Stars | 5 Stars | | NHTSA Rollover | 4 Stars | n/a | 4 Stars | 3 Stars | 4 Stars | 3 Stars | *\* Note: In the above IIHS scores, G = Good, A = Acceptable, M = Marginal and P = Poor, with G being the highest ranking and P being the lowest. Also note, when discussing crash prevention, Superior is better than Advanced.* ### **The bottom line on full-size pickup truck safety** While capability will likely be the primary driver in a truck purchase – especially for those who tow – safety ratings should be high on your priority list as well. The more you care, the more automakers will care and the safer all trucks will become. **Related posts:** > [Consumer Reports 2021 least reliable full-size trucks]() > [Are Ram 1500 pickups reliable?]() > [Is the Toyota Tundra reliable?]() ## Structured page information ~~~json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Article", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/02/full-size-pickup-truck-safety-these-2021-rankings-may-surprise-you/#article", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/02/full-size-pickup-truck-safety-these-2021-rankings-may-surprise-you/" }, "author": { "name": "Jill Ciminillo", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#/schema/person/17a307b2bd8654a0efc57d38f2e79df8" }, "headline": "Full-size pickup truck safety: These 2021 rankings may surprise you", "datePublished": "2021-02-10T17:00:26+00:00", "dateModified": "2026-01-28T19:30:51+00:00", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/02/full-size-pickup-truck-safety-these-2021-rankings-may-surprise-you/" }, "wordCount": 429, "commentCount": 2, "publisher": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#organization" }, "image": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/02/full-size-pickup-truck-safety-these-2021-rankings-may-surprise-you/#primaryimage" }, "thumbnailUrl": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/RM021_020FN.jpg", "keywords": [ "chevy silverado", "ford f-150", "full-size truck safety", "full-size trucks", "gmc sierra 1500", "nissan titan", "pickup truck safety", "ram 1500", "toyota tundra", "truck safety" ], "articleSection": [ "Buyer's Guide", "Safety" ], "inLanguage": "en-US", "potentialAction": [ { "@type": "CommentAction", "name": "Comment", "target": [ "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/02/full-size-pickup-truck-safety-these-2021-rankings-may-surprise-you/#respond" ] } ] }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/02/full-size-pickup-truck-safety-these-2021-rankings-may-surprise-you/", "url": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/02/full-size-pickup-truck-safety-these-2021-rankings-may-surprise-you/", "name": "Full-size pickup truck safety: These 2021 rankings may surprise you", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/#website" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/02/full-size-pickup-truck-safety-these-2021-rankings-may-surprise-you/#primaryimage" }, "image": { "@id": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/02/full-size-pickup-truck-safety-these-2021-rankings-may-surprise-you/#primaryimage" }, "thumbnailUrl": "https://pickuptrucktalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/RM021_020FN.jpg", "datePublished": "2021-02-10T17:00:26+00:00", "dateModified": "2026-01-28T19:30:51+00:00", "description": "For 2021 model year, we did a safety check on the full-size pickup truck segment. 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