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Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable Again Earn Five Star Ratings

4 February 2000

Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable Again Earn Five Star Ratings

    DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 4 -- The Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable
continue to earn the federal government's highest possible rating for frontal
crash performance.
    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced
it has awarded the new 2000 model year vehicles its five-star rating for both
the driver and passenger positions based on agency testing.  For the 1999
model year, the Taurus and Sable were the first mid-size cars under $20,000 to
earn five-star ratings in the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
    Ford continues to have more top ratings for its vehicles in the
government's frontal crash tests than all other automakers combined.  In
addition to the Taurus and Sable, the Volvo S70, Mercury Grand Marquis, Ford
Crown Victoria, Ranger Electric Vehicle, and Windstar minivan all have earned
five star NCAP ratings.  The 4-door Windstar with side air bags is the only
vehicle ever tested to earn five star ratings for both driver and passenger
frontal testing and front and rear seat side testing.
    "Ford designs all its vehicles to provide outstanding safety for our
customers in real-world conditions," said Helen Petrauskas, Ford's vice
president of Environmental & Safety engineering.  "NHTSA tests are one
important source that consumers can turn to for safety information."
    In the 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 the potential for
serious head and chest injuries.  NCAP results are reported in a range from
five to one stars.  Five stars indicate the best crash protection for vehicles
of similar weight, while fewer stars indicate less relative protection.
    The NCAP results are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to telling
the safety story for Taurus and Sable.
    The vehicles are the first on the market with Ford's Personal Safety
System, an advanced restraints system that features a dual-stage air bag
system, sensors that determine how severe an accident is, how close the
driver's seat is to the air bag, and whether or not the driver's safety belt
is buckled.  A central "brain," called the restraints control module, can
analyze the information and decide if an air bag needs to be deployed.  If so,
it decides which level of deployment, 1st stage or 2nd stage, is required.
    The Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable also are equipped with a top tether
anchor for child safety seats, an emergency trunk release and the
BeltMinder(TM) system that helps remind drivers to buckle up.  Head-and-chest
side air bags are optional.