In a significant safety milestone for Jeep, the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L have earned the coveted Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick+ award. This recognition follows a series of improvements made to their available headlights, catapulting these popular family SUVs to the highest rating bestowed by the IIHS.
Initially, both the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L faced a hurdle with their headlight performance, causing them to fall short of the Top Safety Pick+ designation at their launch. However, Jeep responded by making mid-stream tweaks, resulting in a remarkable turnaround.
To qualify for the 2023 Top Safety Pick+ award, vehicles must undergo rigorous testing by the IIHS. This includes earning “Good” ratings in critical areas such as the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, updated side, and original moderate overlap front tests. Furthermore, vehicles must offer acceptable or good headlights as standard across all trims, and they must incorporate a front crash prevention system that earns “Advanced” or “Superior” ratings in both daytime and nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian tests.
Jeep’s journey to achieving the Top Safety Pick+ rating was marked by deliberate upgrades to their lighting systems. Notably, the rating applies exclusively to Grand Cherokee models built after March 2023 and Grand Cherokee L models manufactured after May 2023. These dates signify the pivotal moments when Jeep implemented headlight enhancements that elevated their performance to meet the IIHS criteria.
Explaining these improvements, the IIHS stated, “Prior to those changes, Jeep also adjusted the aim of the headlights offered on all trims in January.” This adjustment had a significant impact, especially for the LED reflectors supplied with the Limited, Overland, Summit, and Summit Reserve trims, which now earn a “good” rating. Meanwhile, those on the Laredo and Altitude trims are rated as “acceptable.” This was a remarkable shift from earlier evaluations when both headlight variations received “poor” ratings, largely due to excessive glare from the low beams.
With this recognition from the IIHS, the 2023 Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L have become the flag bearers of Jeep’s safety commitment, proudly wearing the Top Safety Pick+ rating. These SUVs exemplify the brand’s dedication to enhancing safety standards and ensuring the well-being of families on the road.
