The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently put this year’s roster of full-size crew-cab pickups through its 2011 “Top Safety Pick” testing, and just one Detroit truck earned that much-coveted recognition: The Ford F-150 SuperCrew. It’s a significant accomplishment, as the IIHS recently implemented new, more rigorous testing procedures for the 2011 model year, including one that evaluates roof strength as a measure of rollover crash protection. To be named a “Top Safety Pick,” the F-150 SuperCrew scored the best possible rating in this test, as well as tests of front-, rear- and side-impact crash protection, and offers electronic stability control, too. The latter is standard on the popular F-150—it’s still the best-selling vehicle of any kind in America—as are a wide range of other safety features. Among them: A full complement of airbags, including dual-stage driver and front-passenger airbags, Ford’s Safety Canopy side-curtain airbags, and front seat-mounted side airbags An integrated shoulder safety belt for the front middle seat and a head restraint for the second-row middle seat An advanced safety structure that leverages high-strength steel The AdanceTrac with RSC (roll stability control) system Four-wheel anti-lock brakes The automaker’s SOS Post Crash Alert System, which automatically unlocks the truck’s doors, turns on its emergency flashers and activates its horn in the event of an airbag deployment The MyKey suite of safe-driving technologies, designed to help parents encourage safer driving in teens Trailer sway control, for safer towing Notably, the F-150 SuperCrew is now the 11th 2011 Ford Motor Company vehicle to be named an IIHS “Top Safety Pick.” The others are the Ford Edge (built after February 2011), all-new Ford Explorer, Ford Taurus, Ford Fusion, Ford Fiesta (built after July 2010), Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKX (built after February 2011) and Lincoln MKZ. “Safety ratings are important markers customers can use to evaluate vehicles, so we are proud Ford has the most top U.S. safety ratings of any automaker ever,” said Sue Cischke, Ford group vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “The F-150’s innovative safety technologies and this new Top Safety Pick award further demonstrate Ford’s commitment to safety.”
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Ford F-150: Detroit’s Only Full-Size Pickup “Top Safety Pick”
