Vehicle Safety

We are continuously enhancing the safety of our vehicles and sharing safety research and technologies across all of our brands. In 2008, our efforts were once again rewarded, and we set new standards for safety test performance. Based on the independent measures listed below, Ford is now the industry leader in motor vehicle safety.

• Ford holds the most Top Safety Picks (awarded by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, or IIHS) of any vehicle manufacturer. Fourteen Ford vehicles earned this honor in early 2008 (compared with eight in 2007), including the 2009 Ford Taurus, Taurus X, Edge, Flex, Escape and Fusion; Mercury Sable, Milan and Mariner; Lincoln MKX and MKS; and Volvo S80, C70 and X90. To earn a Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must receive a rating of "good" in offset frontal impact, side impact and rear impact evaluations and offer electronic stability control.1
• For the 2009 model year, 24 Ford vehicles received five-star ratings for both frontal impact and side impact from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in its U.S. New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) ratings, compared with 15 for the 2008 model year.
• The 2009 Ford Taurus is the safest-rated large sedan sold in America, with five-star NCAP crash ratings for frontal and side impact and "good" IIHS ratings in offset frontal impact, side impact and rear impact evaluations.
• The 2009 Ford F-150 is America's safest full-size pickup. It's the only pickup to earn five-star crash-test ratings in all categories from NHTSA and be named a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS.
• The 2009 model year Mustang Convertible earned five-star ratings in all categories of NHTSA NCAP.
• For the 2009 model year, the IIHS awarded 28 Ford vehicles with "good" ratings for frontal offset performance and 16 Ford vehicles with "good" ratings for side impact performance.
• In the most recent EuroNCAP assessments, the Ford Kuga and Ford Fiesta achieved Ford's first three-star ratings for pedestrian protection. These cars also joined the Focus, Mondeo, S-MAX and Galaxy in having best-in-class, five-star adult protection and four-star child protection ratings.
• EuroNCAP gave the Volvo XC60's WHIPS system the highest-possible score when it tested whiplash protection systems for the first time in 2008.
• The Ford Mondeo became the second Ford car (after the Focus) to be awarded a five-star rating in the Chinese New Car Assessment Program.
• The Ford Falcon was the first Australian-built car to be awarded five stars in the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

In addition to achieving superior performance in government-sponsored safety tests, Ford received the following recognitions for the safety of its vehicles.

• In safety ratings published by the French magazine Auto Plus in February 2009, all six of the Ford vehicles assessed were rated as "good" (the highest rating). A Ford vehicle came first in three out of the five categories – the Focus was rated the #1 small family car, the Mondeo the #1 large family car and the Volvo XC60 the #1 SUV. In addition, the Focus received the highest score of all the cars assessed.
• Centro Zaragoza, the Spanish insurance organization, awarded the Ford Mondeo, Ford S-MAX, Volvo XC60 and Volvo XC90 with Best Safety Awards in their respective categories.
• Ford vehicles also recently performed exceptionally well in low-speed damageability bumper tests carried out by Thatcham (a UK-based safety research organization), based on the international standard bumper test developed by the Research Council for Automobile Repairs. The Ford S-MAX was the only vehicle tested to achieve the highest rating.
• The Volvo XC60's new City Safety system has received awards in Europe and the U.S., from the following automotive publications and organizations:
  • Autohoje 2009 (Portugal)
  • FuturAuto 2009 (Belgium)
  • L'Automobile Magazine 2008 (France)
  • Autocar 2008 (Greece)
  • Auto Motor und Sport, Paul Pietsch Award 2009 (Germany)
  • NHTSA, Traffic Safety Achievement Award 2008 (US)
  • Thatcham, British Fleet World Honours Awards 2008 (UK)

This section outlines our vehicle safety performance over the past year. It includes a discussion of current vehicle safety challenges and opportunities globally, and how we manage vehicle safety within the Company. It also focuses on technologies we've developed, programs we support and research we are undertaking to promote safer driving, how we manufacture ever-safer vehicles and how we promote a safer driving environment. Particular emphasis is placed on recent developments in accident avoidance technologies. Finally, the section looks at the various ongoing collaborative efforts we are undertaking with other organizations related to vehicle safety.