But it is a five-star scale. And the Tundra's two biggest competitors - the big trucks from GM and Ford - got all five.
That may not seem like such a big deal. And Toyota did get the top rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in its front crash test, which is arguably even tougher than NHTSA's. (The Ford F-150 also has a "Good" rating from IIHS for front impact safety. The new Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra has not yet been tested by IIHS.)
Still, Ford and GM have leaped on that one-star shortfall in ads touting the relatively safety of their trucks compared to Toyota's. Meanwhile, Toyota touts the higher level of standard safety equipment in the Tundra, which is the main reason Tundra base models cost more than competitors'.
It's not clear how big a difference in real-world safety a single-star difference actually means, so whether it should impact your buying decision is equally unclear.
