I don't think these ratings should be considered as absolutes, not can they be compared between years. Your car was a 4-star car when compared against other mod

I don't think these ratings should be considered as absolutes, not can they be compared between years. Your car was a 4-star car when compared against other models introduced that year - if you were to replace it with another 1999 vehicle, you'd need to look for the same level of standards applied back then. But yeah, of course it's going to do worse against a 2022 model - but it doesn't automatically make it a coffin on wheels either.