WASHINGTON – Two 2005 Ford vehicles, the two-door Focus and the Ranger 4×4 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 per cent to 20 percent.
The Ranger 4×4 and its corporate twin, the Mazda B-Series 4×4, 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.
NHTSA released crash test results for seven passenger cars, one pickup and one sport utility vehicle, and rollover ratings for one crossover vehicle and 10 pickups. The agency chooses vehicles to test based on popularity and other factors.
The 2005 Subaru Outback, which NHTSA classifies as an SUV, was the only vehicle that earned five stars on all front and side-impact tests. The Outback was tested with its side air bags, since they are standard equipment
The 2005 Chrysler 300 and its corporate twin, the Dodge Magnum, also were high performers, earning five stars on the 35-mph frontal crash test and the rear passenger side-impact test. Neither vehicle was tested with side air bags, which are a $590 option on the Chrysler 300 and a $390 option on the Dodge Magnum.
Two-wheel and four-wheel-drive versions of the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon and Dodge Ram pickups each earned four stars in the rollover tests. NHTSA said their percent chance of rollover was 17.9 percent to 19.8 percent. The Ford Ranger 4×2 and Mazda B-Series 4×2 fared better than the four-wheel-drive version, earning three stars and a 21.9 percent chance of rolling over.
The Ford Freestar crossover earned four stars and has a 14.7 percent chance of rolling over.
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