Ford focuses on safety in 2007
As promised, Ford is taking a page from Volvo's book and emphasizing safety for the 2007 model year for its Ford, Mercury and Lincoln brands. Side curtain airbags and rollover sensors -- factors that heavily contributed to the 2006 Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego earning the IIHS' highest rating of "Top Safety-Gold" -- will come standard on 14 Ford vehicles. The Expedition and Expedition EL's passengers will benefit from the addition of seat-mounted front-side air bags, a three-row Safety CanopyTM rollover detection system and AdvanceTrac® with RSC® (Roll Stability Control).
These newly added protective features come at a time where consumer demand for safety sits at the top of the most wanted list, followed directly behind quality and value. In fact, Ford cites a survey that found safety is now an "extremely important factor" for 54 percent of respondents, up from 51 percent in 2005.
[Source: Ford via TheAutoChannel.com]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Travis Bickle 7:53AM (8/15/2006)
uh...ford needs to focus on selling cars with quality that people want to buy (other than fleet companies) but then again a car is safe if it won't start so maybe they are on the right path.
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xsivone 7:59AM (8/15/2006)
I'll be the first to add some comments and start the thread rather positively.
GOOD JOB FORD. I dont see this standard on the imports or euros.
Okay thats done. Now all you dick heads can bash Ford and throw in the acronyms that are soooo old. Come up with an original one, I mean geez.
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Ken 8:01AM (8/15/2006)
What the HELL are you talking about Travis? Why don't you come right out and say you wouldn't buy a Ford no matter what? I assume that goes for GM, and probably DCX as well? Just another example of the anti-American car people. What do you drive, Travis, just out of curiosity? I'm guess it's a Toyota and you can 250K miles on it and even cleans itself?
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Elliott 8:05AM (8/15/2006)
I think this will have a positive impact on first-time Ford purchasers who will have an easier time finding a car on the lot with the features they want. Dealers should be happy too since it removes part of the guess work on what to order.
Hopefully Ford can add a couple more safety awards to their mantle, but in the end it's sales that will determine if forcing consumers to purchase features is a wise move.
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Travis Bickle 8:27AM (8/15/2006)
Ken, not true. I'd buy a Fusion. Ford finally decided to get off their asses and build a decent family car. I also think Ford puts out some exciting cars...but OVERSEAS. They need to bring back a level of excitement that their european markets are putting out.
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Travis Bickle 8:29AM (8/15/2006)
And to answer your question, I don't drive a Toyota. I drive a Honda. I also use to sell Honda and Lexus. Honda isn't an exciting car company but they have their act together in making great cars with quality. And I can't wait to see what they do with their diesel engines.
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rob 8:36AM (8/15/2006)
since you're asking for it, i'll come out and say it...i wouldn't buy a ford no matter what!
just kidding!.. i probably would, one day, if they brought over one of their euro-market cars that actually looks good and has a nice interior. and people talk about toyota having boring-looking cars? please, the focus, fusion, the five-hundred...they're UGLY too.
and no, just because i'm saying the truth doesn't make me "anti-American"...i love it how people like ken love to throw that out randomly when anybody criticizes a car (or cars, in this case) from an American car company.
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Jim in Tampa 8:38AM (8/15/2006)
If Ford's wants to be a safety leader, they are going to have to do better than the Ford Fusion which garnered an "acceptable" in the IIHS front end crash test and a "poor" in the side crash test. In addition, the idea of optional side air bags and traction control isn't a sign of safety being a top priority.
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NEBTEK2002 9:17AM (8/15/2006)
I own a Ford Ranger with a box that's a full 6 feet long, weighs nearly a ton less than the 5'-boxed so-called truck from "perfect" Honda, and gets far better gas mileage.
Rear seat passengers can enter and leave my Aztek without any driver assistance, not so in the case of "perfect" Honda's Element. I can fold my Aztek's rear seats in such a manner as to give me a full-width cargo area behind them. Again, unlike the Element.
Yet to GM haters, the Element is "functional", the Aztek is "ugly".
Ford, which can build a vehicle with much less bulk that can haul objects 1'longer
with tailgate closed, is "behind the times", while Honda is "contemporary".
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Finished.Law.School 9:25AM (8/15/2006)
I hope this safety focus also translates into higher quality...
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aliasfox 9:31AM (8/15/2006)
NEBTEK2002,
I'm sorry, but the Aztek is ugly. I wouldn't care if Pininfarina designed it and it had a prancing pony on the hood, and I don't give a rat's ass how functional it is, it looks like a constipated rhino wallowing in mud - especially with the plastic side cladding.
For that matter, the Enzo isn't all that beautiful, either.
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Zo 10:16AM (8/15/2006)
#2 "GOOD JOB FORD. I dont see this standard on the imports or euros."
I agree, "GOOD JOB FORD" BUT...have you ever heard of Volvo before they were a Ford brand? Do you know the MB first designed ant-lock brakes and air bags but never enforced the patents that they hold so that others could develop the same. Do you know that Mini has one of the best crash tests. Do you know that Europe that require roll over tests before the US even thought about the issue.
I'm all for Pro-American but give cred where its due -- Ford is playing catch up in safety -- its great, but don't bash when its not true.
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s 11:05AM (8/15/2006)
"GOOD JOB FORD. I dont see this standard on the imports or euros."
Dear xsivone,
Whatever you're smoking you need to stop cause your brain isn't thinking at all!
Honda has stress safety for a number of years and have even improve upon their award winning for the IIHS and others. Ford is late to party just like your uneducated self.
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Tom 11:06AM (8/15/2006)
8. If Ford's wants to be a safety leader, they are going to have to do better than the Ford Fusion which garnered an "acceptable" in the IIHS front end crash test and a "poor" in the side crash test. In addition, the idea of optional side air bags and traction control isn't a sign of safety being a top priority.
Jim, I believe that rating was without the side airbags, which is now standard on the '07 model
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Alex 1:30PM (8/15/2006)
Ford’s latest midsize sedan Fusion and its Mercury and Lincoln clones are among the very few cars in the segment that do not offer dynamic stability control - even as an option. This is by far the most life-saving and important security advancement popularized during the last 10 years. Freaking Hyundai Sonata offers it as standard equipment.
I wonder how Ford’s decision-making process went. “We need no stinking safety – lets save money on engineering and create a fancy commercial instead!” Do they really think American drivers are such morons?
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glacia00 1:48PM (8/15/2006)
While in a survey people will say safety is extremely important I suspect it's like asking people what kind of TV they watch. Everyone will say 'educational channels' and yet most couldn't find those channels on their TV. And car makers know this which is why they focus so heavily on perception. Why doesn't a car maker simply make a car nearly indestructible since by the survey that should guarentee 54% of people will buy that car?
Ford in their own words spent years establishing the perception and reality that it was a truck and SUV maker and now when sales in those areas have fallen dramatically they had no alternative product for consumers.
Changing the perception of the Ford brand to be synonymous with safety will be a long and uphill battle and one mistake can reset the clock to zero. And in the end the question is, if their current lineup is not attractive to consumers will simply making optional safety features standard make them more attractive?
I suspect the reason they chose safety is that it's easy compared to the #1 factor listed in the survey which was quality.
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Justin 3:25PM (8/15/2006)
I also say" good job Ford" Now, make stability control standard.
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Willie 10:12PM (8/15/2006)
First off Great Job FORD!!! Some of you guys on here I swear, when ever the american autoplates make an advancement your first reaction is to attack and frankly speak pure S**T out your mouth.
Second, to all of you hollering about stability-control, Ford makes stability control in all of thier trucks STANDARD where it needed to prevent rollovers. It's not needed in a car!!! It's called learning how to drive you idiots!!! It is not the automakers job to compensate for bad drivers. I drive a Mercury Milan and its a great car and handles well. I'm pretty sure the people who needs stability- control in their cars have been in a few accidents before.
Once again Ford is really getting their act together, and I shall continue to support them in their efforts as long as they provide others and I with great cars.
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NEBTEK2002 10:17PM (8/15/2006)
Good drivers don't need dynamic stability controls. Why do you "nannies" think that everyone should have unnecessarily complex cars equipped with stuff we'll only turn off anyway?
Make it available at a reasonable price
for bad drivers who know their skills suck
and good drivers with OCD or low self- esteem. Let the rest of us save a few bucks.
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JT 12:27AM (8/16/2006)
Blah blah blah, think of what country you live in now and what company do you want to give money to. USA may not do the right thing every time but it is a country better than most and in my opinion, the best country. Also when you purchase a Japanese vehicle, think about Perl harbor. I believe in Ford now and forever!
But just an opinion and you know what opinions are?
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