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IIHS: Ford F-150 Scores Poorly in Tests - Ford Freestar also ranks low in bumper crash results. What the H is Going On In Dearborn?

CLICK 4 Reports directly from the IIHS

Snides Remarks:

Read this article and see the IIHS data below and tell me you are not amazed that a company as big as Ford and that cares as much about quality and safety just can't do it right? What the heck is going on in Dearborn??? As a Stockholder I am PISSED...com'on Bill get your companies shit together...its embarassing don't you think???. I Milton Snide will be happy to gather your thoughts just dend your remarks to me...Milton Snide at msnide@theautochannel.com

WASHINGTON December 11, 2003; Dee-Ann Durbin writing for the AP reported that the Ford Motor Co.'s new F-150 pickup did poorly on bumper crash tests performed by the insurance industry, requiring an average of $1,500 in repairs in each of four tests.

In results to be released today, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also gave the 2004 Ford Freestar minivan its second-lowest bumper crash rating. The Freestar required an average of $700 in repairs in each of the four tests.

The front and back of both vehicles were hit in the 5-m.p.h. tests, which simulate low-speed crashes in a parking lot or heavy traffic. The F-150 sustained the most damage -- $2,041 in repairs -- when it backed into a pole. The Freestar sustained the most damage -- $1,239 -- when its front end hit an angled barrier.

Ford stressed Wednesday that the tests aren't related to the safety of either vehicle. The company also said it designs all of its bumpers to perform well in internal tests.

The institute's tests "may not be representative of the type of damage that occurs in real-world situations," Ford spokesman Glenn Ray said.

The institute said predecessors to both vehicles -- the 2001 F-150 and the 1999 Windstar -- did better in previous bumper tests when costs were adjusted to 2003 prices. In 1999, the Windstar got the institute's "acceptable" rating -- one level higher than the Freestar -- and had an average of $523 in damage per test. The F-150 got the institute's worst rating both years, but its repair costs were slightly lower in 2001.

"Ford could have used this opportunity to design better bumpers," said institute chief Adrian Lund. "A bumper should be strong enough to prevent major damage at a fast walking speed."

Rollover prevention Ford said it will offer options on sport-utility vehicles to prevent them from rolling over.

Ford will make available a system it calls Roll Stability Control on 2004 Lincoln Aviator and Navigator sport-utility vehicles. The system has a suggested retail price of $855, said spokeswoman Kristen Kinley. A version of the Navigator has the system as a standard feature, she said.

The automaker plans to extend the system to 2005 Ford Explorer and Expedition and Mercury Mountaineer sport-utility vehicles, she said. The company hasn't determined whether the system will be an option or standard equipment on those vehicles, she said. Bloomberg contributed to this report.

IIHS Press Release

FORD REDESIGNS PICKUP AND MINIVAN BUT BUMPER
PERFORMANCES GET WORSE IN 5 MPH CRASH TESTS

ARLINGTON, VA -- The Ford F-150 pickup and Freestar minivan, both new for 2004, didn't perform well in low-speed crash tests conducted recently by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The F-150 earned a rating of poor, and the Freestar is rated marginal.

The Institute's series of four bumper tests includes front- and rear-into-flat-barrier plus front-into-angle-barrier and rear-into-pole impacts. The tests assess how well bumpers can prevent damage in 5 mph collisions simulating the fender benders that are common in commuter traffic and parking lots. A good bumper system should absorb the energy of these minor impacts and protect expensive body panels, headlamp systems, and other components from damage.

The F-150 sustained an average of almost $1,500 damage in each of the Institute's four tests. The Freestar sustained an average of about $700 damage.

5 MPH CRASH TEST RESULTS, FORD F-150 PICKUP TRUCK AND FREESTAR MINIVAN
 

Front
into
flat
barrier

Rear
into
flat
barrier
Front
into
angle
barrier
Rear
into
pole
Total
damage
4 tests
Average
damage
per test
Bumper
rating
PICKUP TRUCKS
2004 Ford F-150 $979 $1,606 $1,286 $2,041 $5,912 $1,478 POOR
2001 Ford F-150 $1,353 $1,127 $1,279 $1,711 $5,470 $1,368 POOR
MINIVANS       
2004 Ford Freestar $191 $513 $1,239 $869 $2,812 $703 MARGINAL
1999 Ford Windstar $389 $0 $355 $1,349 $2,093 $523 ACCEPTABLE

"Ford is touting the safety equipment on the new F-150 and Freestar, but the company missed a good opportunity to protect its customers' pocketbooks as well," says Adrian Lund, the Institute's chief operating officer.

F-150 bumpers don't improve: "The F-150 is all new, but its bumpers are just as flimsy as before and even a little worse," Lund says. "The highest damage total was in the rear-into-pole test. The whole bumper was pushed downward, and the tailgate was crushed. In addition, the left and right ends of the bumper were driven into the rear fenders."

A big downside for the F-150 is that the bumper needed to be replaced after each test. "In both of the frontal tests, most of the damage total was due to replacing the entire bumper assembly, which costs almost $800," Lund points out.

One reason pickups and minivans generally perform poorly in the Institute's bumper tests is that they aren't subject to any requirements to prevent damage in low-speed impacts. Automobile bumpers have to meet federal standards in 2.5 mph impacts, so cars typically do better in low-speed crash tests.

Minivan bumpers fare worse than predecessor model: The Ford Windstar, the predecessor to the Freestar, was rated acceptable for bumper performance when the Institute tested a 1999 model. Average damage for this model was about $500 per test, with no damage in the rear-into-flat-barrier impact. In contrast, the new Freestar drops to a marginal rating because its bumpers allowed substantially more damage in two of the four tests. In the front-into-angle-barrier test, there was more than $1,200 damage because the bumper assembly had to be replaced, and there was damage to the frame.

"Ford could have used this opportunity to design better bumpers," Lund concludes. "A bumper should be tough enough to prevent major damage in a minor collision at a fast walking speed."