Autoblog

2013 Ford Focus rings up five stars in NHTSA crash test

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 11:32:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Safety, Hatchback, Ford

The 2013 Ford Focus in ST trim recently beat the Volkswagen GTI in our head-to-head comparison, and now the Focus has another feather in its cap: earning a five-star Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's New Car Assessment Program, something it failed to do in this generation's first year of production.

Already touted as one of 33 passenger cars on NHTSA's testing list for model year 2013, both the four-door and five-door Focus achieved the same marks: four stars for the frontal crash and rollover tests, five stars for the side crash test. Broken down further, on the five-door, for instance, the impact on the male test dummy as a result of the frontal crash test earned five stars while the impact on the female passenger test dummy warranted four stars.

The Focus now betters the four-star overall rating of its brand stablemate, the 2013 Escape crossover. There's a press release from Ford below with more info on the safety tech that made it possible.

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2013 Ford Focus rings up five stars in NHTSA crash test originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Nov 2012 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Chevrolet Camaro becomes first car to ace all NHTSA safety tests

Jeff Sabatini — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:59:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Safety, Chevrolet, GM

The Camaro usually compels us to forget about most things other than horsepower, quarter-mile times and smoky burnouts. As such, "safe" would have to be somewhere near the bottom of attributes that come to mind when we think about the venerable pony car with a Chevrolet badge on its decklid.

But here it is in black and white (and yellow): The Chevy Camaro coupe is the first vehicle to earn a perfect score in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's safety testing since the federal testing procedures were revised for 2011, according to Examiner.com. While other vehicles have earned an overall NHTSA 5-Star Safety Rating, the Camaro was the first to score a perfect five-star rating in all six test categories. Those include frontal barrier crash test ratings for the driver and passenger, side crash ratings for the driver and passenger, a rollover rating and the vehicle's overall rating.

While the report indicates that NHTSA has not yet tested its entire slate of 2012 model year vehicles, of the 46 that have completed the process, only 14 have received a 5-Star Safety Rating. Even if the Camaro's safety score is an outlier among the other accolades it has received over the years - you know, the NHRA, Trans-Am and SCCA hardware and such - kudos to Chevy.

2012 Chevrolet Camaro becomes first car to ace all NHTSA safety tests originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NHTSA to update 5-star testing process

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety

2011 Chevrolet Cruze Crash Testing - Click above for high-res image gallery

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is set to debut a new testing procedure for the 2011 model year that will make it more difficult for new cars and trucks to earn the government agency's coveted five-star safety rating. Just as interestingly, the recent influx of electronic safety gadgets, such as lane departure and collision warning, will be included in the testing regiment as well.

NHTSA will calculate one simple-to-understand grade for each vehicle based on how it manages to perform throughout the agency's testing. While the revised parameters promise to make safety-minded comparison shopping between new automobiles a bit easier, it also means that pre-2011 ratings will not be directly comparable to the new ones.

A total of 55 new 2011 cars, trucks and minivans (including the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze seen above undergoing GM's internal safety testing) will be tested by NHTSA with the new procedures, and the list is made up of both brand new models and some of the more popular nameplates Americans seem most likely to purchase in large numbers next year. You can check out NHTSA's official release and the initial list of what cars will be subjected to this new testing regime after the jump.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Crash Testing

[Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]

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NHTSA to update 5-star testing process originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2008 Subaru Tribeca gets 5 stars from NHTSA

Chris Shunk — Wed, 16 May 2007 10:52:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Crossover, Subaru

The 2008 Subaru Tribeca may have gone from unattractive to almost too inoffensive, but the embattled CUV has at least moved to the head of the class with regards to safety. The Tribeca scored a perfect "five stars" on both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's front and side impact crashes for the driver and front passenger. NHTSA gauges crash-worthiness by determining the probability of serious injury at impact speeds of 38.5 MPH for front impacts and 35 MPH for side impacts. Subaru attributes the perfect score to top-notch structural design, plus "advanced active safety technologies, combined with Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive and Vehicle Dynamics Control (Stability Control)."

A lot of new products on the market are claiming Five Star crash ratings, but getting all fives for both driver and passenger in front and side impacts is still very impressive. Some of us may not be sold on the looks of Subaru's redesigned crossover, but at least the safety and interior are top notch.

Subaru's press release is posted after the jump.

[Source: Subaru]

Gallery: 2008 Subaru Tribeca

Continue reading 2008 Subaru Tribeca gets 5 stars from NHTSA

2008 Subaru Tribeca gets 5 stars from NHTSA originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 May 2007 10:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota Tundra fails to score five stars in NHTSA frontal crash test

Dan Roth — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 23:52:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Safety, Toyota

Toyota's not having an easy time with the Tundra so far. It's been criticized for lacking a fully-boxed frame, the internet is alight with Tundra-hate, and now along comes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Both Regular and Double Cab variants of Toyota's intended domestic-fighter were crashed by the agency, and both only managed four stars.

While a four star crash test rating isn't horrible, the Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado / GMC Sierra and Dodge Ram all have the strength to ring the 5-star bell and win the stuffed bunny. The likelihood of injuries in a Tundra could be up to 10-percent greater than the domestic brands because of its one-star deficit. The difference could also be as small as one-percent, however, so this news may not be as significant as it sounds at first blush. All we can really say with certainty is that the Tundra performs worse when crashed into a concrete barrier at 35mph than its competition.

No doubt the Tundra's performance in this test will again focus scrutiny on the truck's frame, which is not fully boxed like its competition. According to Mike Levine from Pickuptruck.com, the Tundra's frame is split into three parts and the front piece actually is boxed. However, the frame under the cab and bed are C-channel, and they are also affected by a frontal crash. As Levine told us, the rest of the Tundra's competition now has some ammo to aim back at the Tundra in their marketing efforts.

We expect that acceptance of the brawny fullsizer from Toyota will take a little while, and it may not come until the current generation Tundra is dead and buried, but when Toyota wants something, they don't mess around. They were up front in expecting the Tundra to receive five stars and a Best Pick from the IIHS, so don't expect this 4-star rating to last long.

[Source: Pickuptruck.com]

Toyota Tundra fails to score five stars in NHTSA frontal crash test originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Mar 2007 23:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crash test ratings required on window stickers soon

John Neff — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 18:56:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Government/Legal, Safety

New rule: every vehicle sold in the U.S. must have its crash rating displayed on its window sticker by September 1st, 2007. Sponsored by the Republican Senator from Ohio, Mike DeWine, the new law aims to provide consumers with information about the ability of a vehicle to protect its occupants in the event of front or side impact. The crash ratings being used will, of course, be provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and will likely use the star ratings we're all familiar with by now. Pickup trucks, however, have been mysteriously left off the list of vehicles that require crash test ratings to be displayed. Hmm... Ford and GM have already pledged to put the crash test ratings on their trucks anway.

We should assume that dealers are none to happy about this, despite the cooperative nature of their respective automakers thus far. Just imagine you're the guy trying to sell a car that got two stars on its frontal crash test. On account of this, the new requirement may have automakers trying even harder to build their vehicles to NHTSA crash test specs so as not to suffer the shame of a two-star crash test performance for all the world to see.

[Source: Reuters]

Crash test ratings required on window stickers soon originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Sep 2006 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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