2018 Ford Escape fails passenger safety crash test
"The occupant survival space was badly compromised" because of airbag problems and a frame design that crushes passengers in the right hip and thigh area, said
"The side curtain airbag didn't deploy at all in the roof rail near where you might have a grab handle," Mueller said. "You need that to protect occupants' heads from hitting the door trim of the vehicle or hitting outside objects, like a tree."
"Safety continues to be one of the highest priorities in the design of our vehicles," she wrote in an email. "We are committed to designing and building vehicles that meet or exceed applicable laws and regulations across the globe, incorporating updates and new features into our lineup wherever possible."
She noted the 2018 Escape has earned five-star New Car Assessment Program ratings in the
The Escape is the second biggest seller in the
While the 2018 Escape scored the worst ratings in the latest crash test, ranked as "poor," the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport failed the test with a marginal rating for also having airbags that didn't deploy.
Marginal is a failing grade. Poor is the worst. A vehicle must have a lot of different things go wrong or indicating injury in order to get a poor score.
Both the
Five of the seven SUVs tested did a good job of protecting people. So consumers have choices among vehicles with good ratings that deliver both driver and passenger protection.
The test focused on conditions that lead to 25% of injuries in front-side crashes.
Consumers bought 308,296 Ford Escapes in 2017, data that includes both 2017 and 2018 model years. The small SUV segment grew to 3.37 million vehicles in 2017, up from 3.15 million in 2016.
"It seemed like
The top safety scores of "good" went to the 2018 models of the Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain, Jeep Compass, BMW X1 and Mitsubishi Outlander.
"Safety is important to crossover customers, since these vehicles are often used to transport families," said
The scientific tests, conducted by the independent nonprofit organization funded by insurance companies to find ways to reduce deaths and injuries on highways, tested common crash conditions.
The ratings bring to 16 the number of small SUVs evaluated in the passenger-side small overlap front test, which was begun in 2017 to encourage manufacturers to offer the same level of protection for front-seat passengers as for drivers.
The findings included: "The Escape struggled in the test as intruding structure seriously compromised space for the right-front passenger. Intrusion measured 10 inches at the upper door-hinge pillar, compared with 5 inches in the driver-side test. The passenger-side door sill was pushed 4 inches laterally into the occupant compartment. Measures taken from the dummy indicate the right hip injuries would be likely in a real-world crash of this severity."
Starting with 2017 Escape models,
These disparities are why the researchers started to rate the passenger side, Mueller said. "Manufacturers shouldn't shortchange protection for front-seat passengers."
In the test, a vehicle travels at 40 mph toward a barrier with 25% of the vehicle's front end overlapping the barrier. The test mimics what happens when the front drive-side corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or strikes an object such as a utility pole.
Analysts saw the Escape crash test results as significant.
"It's incredibly alarming and disappointing and disconcerting, and wow," said
The test results should be upsetting to
Safety officials noted that all current models tend to be safer than all older models, simply because of the safety regulations. So any newer vehicle "puts you in a lower risk of dying," Mueller said. "We really recommend people look at safety ratings when they buy a car."
These days, consumers expect safety to be a standard feature, Sullivan said. "This segment is right at the heart of where consumers are moving to, from midsize sedans, and the competition is fierce. It's worrisome that some vehicles performed so poorly with the perception that they are safer due to higher ride height."
None of the newly rated 2018 models earns better than acceptable marks for structure. The Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5 are the only small SUVs evaluated so far to earn good ratings for structure in the passenger side small overlap front test.
"It's important to focus on these black eyes, because they need to make improvements," Mueller said. "But there are a large number of small SUVs that get good crash test ratings. There are safe choices."
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