A crash sled system for simulating the deceleration and pitching motion associated with vehicle crashes. A main sled is accelerated in accordance with vehicle deceleration that occurred during a crash event. A pitching platform is located above and moves with the main sled. Forward and rear guide assemblies are provided which are located along the sides of the pitching platform when the main sled and pitching platform are in the pre-launch position. During launch, the front and rear ends of the pitching platform travel along paths established by the guide assemblies. Prior to launch, the guide assemblies are set to angles of inclination that provide linear approximations to paths for the forward and all ends of the pitching platform that will result in pitching motion experienced by vehicles during the crash events being simulated. Variously configured guide assemblies are disclosed that provide design trade-off between simulation accuracy and system complexity.