Car Shopping? 20 Cars To Avoid

The latest top 10 list from Forbesautos.com is actually a top 20 list; the top 20 most dangerous vehicles.

According to the article, in making their list, the editors considered whether the vehicle had stability control, its rollover risk, and side impact protection.

So, here is the result of their study with a look at the top 10 vehicles to avoid (or at least give some serious thought):

1. Buick Rendezvous (now discontinued) made it because of its "abysmal" three-star (out of five) NHTSA frontal impact rating." GM has replaced it with the 2008 Buick Enclave crossover.
2. Ford Ranger/Mazda B-Series. The Ranger doesn't have side airbags or curtain bags as standard or an option. Same with stability control, and it got a low three-star rating on the NHTSA rollover test.
3. The Nissan Frontier makes this list because stability control and side airbags or side curtain bags are not offered as standard (although they are available as an option) while receiving a three-star NHTSA rollover rating. Moreover, the King Cab Frontier has a low three star NHTSA frontal crash-test rating. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) also attacked this vehicle with a "Poor" rating for rear impact.
4. Both the Ford's Escape and its twin the Mercury Mariner were rated "Poor" by the IIHS because of a lack of driver torso or head protection in the side-impact crash test. The federal government also gave it a three star rating for high risk of rollover. Stability control is not available.
5. Toyota Yaris was hit by Consumer Reports because of bad handling. The Yaris sedan didn't do well in major side crash tests, either.
   
6. Hyundai Accent (pictured) tested close to the bottom in crash tests by the IIHS.
7. The Toyota Matrix is linked with the Pontiac Vibe. The former does not have side airbags as standard (although they are offered as an option) and got a three-star rating for the effect of a side-impact crash test on the front seat passenger. Stability control is optional on both models.
8. Kia Rio faired just about as well as the Hyundai Accent probably because their structures are so similar. .
9. Chevrolet Aveo does not for the rear seat passengers. It also got "Marginal" for side impact crash tests from the IIHS.
10. Suzuki Reno/Forenza does not come with side curtain airbags and stability control. 
    

For more, check out Forbes above for the full list. Our take? Many of the cars mentioned above are considered "economy" cars which explains some of the discrepancies. Don't be surprised, though, as continued competition from the Honda Fit, Mazda3 and other such inexpensive yet feature-rich vehicles force automakers to add more standard safety technology.