2017 Chrysler Pacifica Is IIHS' First Top Safety Pick+ Minivan after "Recall"

And we're glad to report that the Town and Country's replacement has now become the first minivan to get a Top Safety Pick Plus title from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The Pacifica managed to grab a "Good" rating, the highest one available in all the impact test areas, including the moderate overlap front, the side, the roof strength, the head restraint & seats, as well as the rigorous small overlap front crash test.

Nevertheless, acing the small overlap front test required the automaker to re-engineer the driver's door. Initial tests showed the door would be torn from its hinges, thus opening and having the potential to eject occupants in the event of an accident.

We used the quotes in the title above as this was not an official recall. Instead, "Fiat Chrysler strengthened the upper hinge and reinforced the joint between the door hinge pillar and inner body panel in front of the pillar," as the IIHS release states.

Following the fix, the driver's door remained in position, but the door-closed improvement only applies to Pacificas built after August 2016 - you can usually find the production info of a vehicle on the driver door or B-pillar.

If, however, a Chrysler Pacifica recall sounds familiar to you, it might be because of the June 30 call back. We're talking about an action that involved a number of 3,518 cars. Built between February 22, 2016, through April 28, 2016, the campaign was linked to the center overhead seat belt stow clip, whose bezel was replaced, obviously free of charge.

Returning to the 2017 Pacifica's Top Safety Pick Plus title, this also saw the people mover's optional front crash prevention system avoiding collisions in both the 12 and 25 mph tests.

You can check out the clip below to see the crash test challenges the 2017 Pacifica had to face during its IIHS visit.