Pickup trucks are an institution in the United States. After all, the Ford F-Series is the best-selling vehicle of any segment. And it has been for over 40 years. However, the variety of trucks on the market means one loser regarding fatal accident rates. In the case of American roads, the deadliest pickup truck isn’t a Ford, RAM, or Chevrolet. 

The Nissan Frontier has a fatal accident rate twice the segment average

According to a recent fatal accident study by iSeeCars, the Nissan Frontier is the deadliest pickup truck in the United States. The Frontier has a fatal accident rate of 5.0 per every billion vehicle miles. That puts Nissan’s midsize truck ahead of the Ford Ranger and Chevrolet Colorado by 1.0 and 2.1, respectively. 

Incidentally, all four of the deadliest pickup trucks on the market are, well, on the smaller side. “Most midsize trucks perform worse than the segment average, while most full-size trucks perform better,” said iSeeCars Executive Analyst Karl Brauer. “This suggests that, even in the truck category, the ‘larger vehicle wins’ trend seems to hold true.”

However, the Nissan Frontier and the rest of the midsize pickup trucks on the list had lower fatal accident rates than the top 23 deadliest vehicles in other segments. For instance, the Hyundai Venue has a fatal accident rate of 13.9, nearly five times the average for all vehicles. However, larger trucks, like the Nissan Titan, Ford F-150, and Chevrolet Silverado, had lower fatal accident rates. 

It should be noted that, while Nissan is a Japanese company, the Frontier rolls off the line in Canton, Mississippi. So, while the deadliest midsize pickup truck isn’t of American make, its manufacturing origins are as American as apple pie. Or whatever else you want to brand with the stars and stripes.