Ford & Mercury models earn top ratings in IIHS 2005 head restraint tests

Only two vehicles, the Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans, earned the IIHS top overall rating. Both vehicles also earned top 'dynamic' ratings and were recognized for having the best seat/head restraint geometry of all 14 vehicles tested.

"We're pleased that IIHS has recognised Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey as the only two top performers in the IIHS 2005 minivan head restraint tests. This recognition by IIHS confirms the high level of safety performance that Ford designs into its vehicles," said Hussein Murad, Sales and Marketing director, Ford Middle East.

Neck injuries are the most common kind of injury reported in automobile crashes and are most likely to occur in rear impacts. In the U.S., whiplash is the most serious injury reported in about two million insurance claims each year, which cost at least US$8.5 billion.

The IIHS ratings are for seat/head restraint designs available in 14 current minivan models. Starting points for the ratings are measurements of the height of a restraint and its horizontal distance behind the back of the head of an average-size man.

Seats with good or acceptable restraint geometry are tested using a dummy that measures forces on the neck. This test simulates a collision in which a stationary vehicle is struck in the rear at 20 miles per hour. Seats without good or acceptable geometry are rated poor overall because they cannot be positioned to protect many people.

According to IIHS Chief Operating Officer Adrian Lund, automakers are improving the geometry of their head restraints. In the group of minivans tested, the Fords are the only models with good dynamic performance for all of their seat designs. Many of the seat/head restraints that were evaluated did not even get to the testing stage because of marginal or poor geometry.

"Since its launch in 2003, the Freestar added new technologies designed to further improve on Ford's strong reputation for safe minivans. The 2005 3.9-litre and 4.2-litre Ford Freestar is currently available at all dealerships in the GCC, and the Mercury Monterey is planned to enter the region next year," continued Murad.

Both products have numerous standard safety features including Ford's Personal Safety System™ consisting of restraints control module, safety belt pretensioners, driver's seat position sensor, dual-stage front airbags, front safety belt usage sensors, energy management retractors and front crash test severity sensors.

Also included as standard are front row and second row manual three-point lap/shoulder safety belts with D-ring height adjusters, third row three-point lap/shoulder belts for all three positions, four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, side intrusion beams and child safety sliding door locks. Safety features also include available Safety Canopy with side impact air bags, and traction control on most models.

The Freestar has previously earned IIHS "Best Pick" rating and is one of only a few minivans to offer AdvanceTrac™, an electronic stability enhancement system that continuously checks the vehicle's path compared with the driver's input. If a deviation is detected, AdvanceTrac™ intervenes to help restore driver control.