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Redesigned Windstar Earns Highest Safety Scores

30 November 1998

Redesigned Windstar Earns Highest Safety Scores In Frontal Crash Tests for the 5th Straight Year

    DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 30 -- The newly redesigned 1999 Ford
Windstar minivan has earned the highest scores possible in
government frontal crash test ratings.
    The Windstar, with a fourth door added this year, received five stars for
the driver and five stars for the front seat passenger.  The Ford minivan has
achieved the top double five-star rating every year since its introduction --
five straight years.
    The Windstar's results were made public by the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA), which oversees the federal government's crash
test program.  Ford has been a consistent leader in NHTSA's front crash test
ratings, with more double five star vehicles than any other manufacturer.
Other Ford models that have earned the double five-star rating are the Ford
Taurus and Crown Victoria and the Mercury Sable and Grand Marquis.
    "The Windstar is one of our most popular people-movers and we are
extremely proud of this vehicle's safety reputation," said Jim O'Connor,
president, Ford Division.  "Crashworthiness is one of the most important
attributes we demand in our products and the Windstar exemplifies that
commitment."
    In the government's test, officially known as the New Car Assessment
Program (NCAP), vehicles are rated on the protection provided to occupants in
a frontal collision.  By NHTSA's assessment, a double five-star rating in the
test indicates that the risk of serious injury to either the driver or front-
seat passenger is very low.  Nearly half of all vehicle occupant injuries
occur in frontal collisions.
    Ford designs all of its vehicles with an objective of reducing the risk of
injury and the severity of injury in the event of an accident.  Ford engineers
have stressed safety cell technology and crash energy management to help
absorb the forces of a collision and help maintain the passenger compartment
as much as possible.  Vehicle restraint systems, including safety belts and
air bags, have also been designed to provide additional protection to vehicle
occupants.
    Ford also uses some of the most advanced computer technology in the
industry to help make sure its vehicles meet or exceed stringent
crashworthiness standards.  Top engineers and biomechanical experts work
closely to determine how different vehicle designs will perform in a
collision.  Only designs that effectively absorb impact energy and help ensure
the safety of occupants are selected for further testing and development.
    In the frontal NCAP test, vehicles are crashed into a fixed barrier at 35
miles-per-hour, which is equivalent to two identical vehicles colliding head-
on, each going 35 miles-per-hour.  Sophisticated crash dummies measure forces
and impacts during the collision which are used to predict potential head and
chest injuries.
    NCAP results are reported in a range from one to five stars.  Five stars
indicate the best crash protection for vehicles of similar weight, while fewer
stars indicate less relative protection.