All Ford Sport Utility Vehicles Now Meet Key Safety Standards for Cars
5 February 1998
All Ford Sport Utility Vehicles Now Meet Key Safety Standards for Cars
CHICAGO, Feb. 5 -- All of Ford Motor Company's
sport utility vehicles already meet key U.S. safety standards required for
passenger cars, Jac Nasser, Ford Automotive Operations President, said today
in remarks at the Chicago Auto Show.
The Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, Ford Explorer and Mercury
Mountaineer already meet or exceed stringent U.S. standards also required for
passenger cars such as roof crush, occupant crash protection and fuel system
integrity.
Ford's minivans, the Ford Windstar and Mercury Villager, also already meet
key safety standards for passenger cars. Ford's annual sport utility and
minivan sales in the U.S. are well over 900,000 vehicles.
"When it comes to safety, regulatory requirements are only our starting
point at Ford," Nasser said. "We are continuously looking to improve our
technology so that we can provide safe vehicles for our customers that go
above and beyond what is required."
The primary differences in safety standards where Ford SUVs and minivans
meet passenger car requirements are brakes, windshield wipers, defrosters and
tires. The only car safety standards that Ford SUVs do not meet relate to
identifying seating capacity on tire labels and the use of privacy glass,
which is not permitted on new passenger cars.
Ford has established itself as a leader in vehicle safety. The company
has consistently scored more top safety ratings in the federal government's
frontal crash tests than any other automaker.
Ford was the first vehicle manufacturer to install passenger seat air bag
cut-off switches in vehicles without space in back for transporting rear-
facing infant seats. And Ford also was the first automaker to announce last
year that it would provide depowered air bags across its entire vehicle line-
up for the 1998 model year.
Ford's Windstar was among the first vehicles with depowered air bags to be
crash tested by the government and the only vehicle to receive a top five-star
rating for driver and passenger safety in that round of testing. It remains
the only minivan ever to achieve the top dual five-star rating. For the 1997
model year (which is the last full year of results to date) Ford had more top
dual five-star ratings than all other automakers combined.
"The safety of those people who buy, drive and ride in our products is a
top priority for us," Nasser said. "And we are determined that Ford will
remain a leader in providing safe cars and trucks."
In addition to safety leadership, Ford also recently announced that all
sport utility vehicles and the Windstar minivan will be sold nationwide as low
emission vehicles for the 1999 model year. This means they will emit at least
50 percent fewer smog-forming emissions than similar vehicles on the road
today.
SOURCE Ford Motor Company
