NHTSA Gives Ford Fusion and Fusion Hybrid Five-Star Safety Ratings
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's NCAP program combines vehicle performance in front- and side-impact crash tests and rollover resistance.
Photo courtesy Ford Motor Co.
Photo courtesy Ford Motor Co.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the 2013-MY Ford Fusion and Fusion Hybrid a five-star safety rating in the agency’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) testing.
The NCAP program combines vehicle performance in front- and side-impact crash tests and rollover resistance. Ford noted that these vehicles also received the Top Safety Pick+ recognition from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety late last year.
Notable safety technologies on the 2013 Fusion include Ford’s Personal Safety System, which features new safety belt technologies and front impact airbags. The restraint control module uses information from the vehicle’s systems to activate safety belt pretensioners and determine how the dual-stage front airbags will deploy.
The vehicle’s redesigned seat-mounted side airbags deploy lower in the pelvis area and incorporate new venting technology, which takes into account an occupant’s size and adjusts airbag pressure accordingly. The driver’s side airbag uses a tether system to pull in the lower section of the airbag, which lessens the impact on the driver’s chest and ribs in a frontal crash. The driver’s knee airbag deploys at the same time as the driver’s airbag.
Other safety technologies on the Fusion include Ford’s Blind Spot Information System with cross-traffic alert. Available safety technologies include Active Park Assist for automatic parallel parking; lane-keeping assist; a rear-view camera; Hill Start Assist; and an electronic parking brake.
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