STONE_COLD
27/10/2004, 07h54
Pas fort pour une petite voiture :x
Ford Focus & Ranger Have Rollover Risk
Tuesday October 26 2004
By Dee-Ann Durbin, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two 2005 Ford vehicles, the two-door Focus and the Ranger 4x4 pickup, were the worst performers in new government crash and rollover tests, according to results released Tuesday.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the rear passenger was at risk of serious head injury when the Focus was hit in the side in a 38.5 mph test. The Focus was tested without side air bags, which a Ford Motor Co. Web site lists as a $350 option on the vehicle.
NHTSA gave the Focus three out of five stars for driver's side protection and four out of five stars for rear passenger protection, the lowest ratings among cars tested. Those ratings didn't reflect the potential for head injury because NHTSA's side-impact ratings consider only chest injuries. A five-star rating means the likelihood of serious injury in a similar crash is 5 percent or less; three stars means the likelihood is 11 to 20 percent.
The Ranger 4x4 and its corporate twin, the Mazda B-Series 4x4, earned two stars in NHTSA's rollover ratings, the lowest of the 10 2005 pickups tested. NHTSA said the Ranger and the B-Series have a 30.6 percent chance of rolling over in a crash. The ratings consider the vehicle's height and weight and its performance in a 35 to 50 mph test with a sharp turn.
Ford spokeswoman Carolyn Brown said Ford plans to study the new data but believes the Focus and the Ranger are safe and perform similarly to comparable vehicles. Brown added that Ford thinks NHTSA is using faulty methods to predict chance of rollover. "The calculation that NHTSA is using is based on a model that includes outdated information and is not capable of producing real-world results," she said.
Ford Focus & Ranger Have Rollover Risk
Tuesday October 26 2004
By Dee-Ann Durbin, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two 2005 Ford vehicles, the two-door Focus and the Ranger 4x4 pickup, were the worst performers in new government crash and rollover tests, according to results released Tuesday.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the rear passenger was at risk of serious head injury when the Focus was hit in the side in a 38.5 mph test. The Focus was tested without side air bags, which a Ford Motor Co. Web site lists as a $350 option on the vehicle.
NHTSA gave the Focus three out of five stars for driver's side protection and four out of five stars for rear passenger protection, the lowest ratings among cars tested. Those ratings didn't reflect the potential for head injury because NHTSA's side-impact ratings consider only chest injuries. A five-star rating means the likelihood of serious injury in a similar crash is 5 percent or less; three stars means the likelihood is 11 to 20 percent.
The Ranger 4x4 and its corporate twin, the Mazda B-Series 4x4, earned two stars in NHTSA's rollover ratings, the lowest of the 10 2005 pickups tested. NHTSA said the Ranger and the B-Series have a 30.6 percent chance of rolling over in a crash. The ratings consider the vehicle's height and weight and its performance in a 35 to 50 mph test with a sharp turn.
Ford spokeswoman Carolyn Brown said Ford plans to study the new data but believes the Focus and the Ranger are safe and perform similarly to comparable vehicles. Brown added that Ford thinks NHTSA is using faulty methods to predict chance of rollover. "The calculation that NHTSA is using is based on a model that includes outdated information and is not capable of producing real-world results," she said.