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2019 IIHS Top Safety Picks


rperez817

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No Ford or Lincoln vehicles rated Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick + for 2019, so I put this thread in the Competing Products area.

2019 Top Safety Pick + - GOOD ratings for driver-side and passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests, ADVANCED or SUPERIOR rating for front crash prevention, GOOD rating for headlights.

Large car

Large luxury cars

Small SUVs

Midsize SUVs

Midsize luxury SUVs

2019 Top Safety Pick - GOOD ratings for driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests, ACCEPTABLE or GOOD rating in the passenger-side small overlap front test, ADVANCED or SUPERIOR rating for front crash prevention, ACCEPTABLE or GOOD rating for headlights.

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9 minutes ago, jasonj80 said:

Which is odd, it has good ratings in everything and is a carry over model. Wonder if IIHS just missed it.

Hopefully Ford has the new Edge/Nautilus and even Ranger do well in this test.

Probably because of the headlights or something.  Because headlights with glare for others means it's a death trap.

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14 hours ago, Assimilator said:

Looks like Continental was removed this year.

Good observation Assimilator sir. I think that's because IIHS hasn't tested a 2019 model year Continental yet. When I go to this site, the most recent model year listed is 2018. https://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/lincoln/continental-4-door-sedan

When IIHS tests 2019 Continental, it should be a Top Safety Pick + based on their criteria, assuming it performs as well or better than 2018 Continental.

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1 minute ago, rperez817 said:

Good observation Assimilator sir. I think that's because IIHS hasn't tested a 2019 model year Continental yet. When I go to this site, the most recent model year listed is 2018. https://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/lincoln/continental-4-door-sedan

When IIHS tests 2019 Continental, it should be a Top Safety Pick + based on their criteria, assuming it performs as well or better than 2018 Continental.

Well if that's true, then it's a skewed list made to make American companies look bad just because they haven't tested 2019 models?

Why not just wait and release the list when they've tested more models?

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28 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

Well if that's true, then it's a skewed list made to make American companies look bad just because they haven't tested 2019 models?

Why not just wait and release the list when they've tested more models?

IIHS updates their Top Safety Picks list on an ongoing basis as they test more vehicles. For example, they added Kia Rio, Volvo S90, and Toyota Corolla hatchback to the 2018 Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick + lists in September and October 2018 right after the test results were finalized for those models.

IIHS is not doing anything "to make American companies look bad". Criteria for IIHS testing are the same for all automakers.

Also, IIHS has a test verification program that allows automakers to do their own testing and submit their own test data for certain ratings, using the IIHS protocols. IIHS says "verification allows more vehicles to vie for a 2019 Top Safety Pick+ award than IIHS would have time to test on its own."

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I am inclined to give Ford the benefit of the doubt considering their ambitious safety amenities program which the IIHS appears not to value or quantify properly.  But Ford also has the industry's oldest product range by years and a long history of under-achieving on IIHS crash testing.  I don't think Fords are death-traps, but we can't deny that Fords are OLD AS F*CK right now. 

Edited by Assimilator
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10 minutes ago, akirby said:

Am I the only one who doesn’t care about IIHS ratings?

I'm sure you're not the only one, but I do know people that have narrowed down choices and used IIHS as a deciding factor. I like the headlight ratings as they show why the headlight is poor, I would buy a vehicle that was poor if it was just because of glare, however in some cases the headlight optics just suck. If that was the case I would cross that vehicle off my list. Also if it did poor or marginal in any of the crash tests I would cross it off, I think it would be real hard for the rest of my life knowing I ignored safety and it ended up hurting someone in my vehicle if I ever got in an accident. 

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30 minutes ago, akirby said:

Am I the only one who doesn’t care about IIHS ratings?

Probably not. There are some car buyers in the U.S. who will buy a particular make and model no matter how poorly it does in IIHS or other safety related tests. Could be because of price. Could be loyalty to a make or model (those buyers are often called "sheep"). Could be the image that vehicle conveys.

Overall though, safety is the #1 criterion for U.S. new car buyers. IIHS ratings are very valuable for consumers in this area.

chartoftheday_13075_most_important_facto

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That last chart should say “perceived safety”.

 

I don’t get the poor headlight thing.  They say my F150 has poor headlights but they seem just fine to me..

 

I just think we’ve reached the point that the statistical probability of one vehicle performing better than another in a given accident is extremely low.  At lower speeds there are no injuries.  At higher speeds and some circumstances you’re dead regardless.   At certain angles and vehicle sizes there is likely no difference.  It’s a very narrow set of circumstances where there might be a significant difference.   Not enough for me to worry about personally.

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Since nobody is testing headlights in the US, I find that to be the most valuable piece of information since headlights are often the most important safety feature.  Anybody in Michigan looking out for deer on the highway at night will appreciate that. Up until now it's been impossible to know how headlights perform until you've actually owned the vehicle.

Speaking of headlights, another function of CoPilot360 is standard automatic high beams which is an excellent safety amenity IMO.  Again not something IIHS tests or ranks apparently.  

 

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1 hour ago, akirby said:

I don’t get the poor headlight thing.  They say my F150 has poor headlights but they seem just fine to me

IIHS rates headlights for two major factors. 

1. Visibility to the driver, based on how far the low and high beams can illuminate down the road with an illuminance of at least 5 lux.

2. Glare to oncoming motorists, based on the percentage it exceeds a certain threshold.

IIHS rated two different headlamp systems for 2018 Ford F-150 headlamps. Both rated POOR for the following reasons.

1. Halogen headlamps, they just don't provide enough seeing distance for the driver either with low or high beams, and either in straightaway or on curves. For example, on the driver's side, the low beams only illuminated the road with at least 5 lux for 27.3 meters or about 90 feet. For comparison, adequate visibility is 200 feet.

2. LED headlamps, they illuminate much better than the halogens on straightaway though still inadequate in curves. But the low beams produce too much glare, exceeding the threshold by 188% in the straightaway test. 

Details here. 

https://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/ford/f-150-crew-cab-pickup/2019

https://www.iihs.org/iihs/news/desktopnews/night-vision-headlights-improve-but-base-models-leave-drivers-in-the-dark

23 minutes ago, Assimilator said:

Speaking of headlights, another function of CoPilot360 is standard automatic high beams which is an excellent safety amenity IMO.  Again not something IIHS tests or ranks apparently.  

Actually IIHS does evaluate automatic high beam systems. It gives extra credit to vehicles that have that feature. IIHS says "Vehicles equipped with high-beam assist get their low beam demerits reduced. This credit is given only for approaches on which the high beams provide more visibility than the low beams."

Edited by rperez817
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Going off-topic, this discussion reminds me of my first two cars, when I used to drive around with a gas tank on my lap and no engine in front. Yes, they were VW bugs, 1965 and 1967.

The latter finally died when I was doing a long-distance drive some 50 miles outside of Salina, UT when the unsecured rubber hose that was the fuel line popped off the engine nipple and spewed gasoline on my overheated engine (I was at the summit after a long uphill climb). It felt like my rear wheels ran over a log when my engine ignited. I pulled the car over, grabbed my suitcase, and then stood (way) back as I watched the car slowly burn up.

Eventually a trucker came by and got the fire out with an extinguisher (by then, though, the fire was starting to go out on its own, having pretty much burned up everything flamable in the car). Then the long drive to Salina (thanks to the good Sameritan trucker), a quick sale to local dune buggy converter, and a long Trailways ride back to LA where I lived at the time.

Edited by Gurgeh
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  • 1 month later...
On 12/19/2018 at 9:05 PM, Assimilator said:

Looks like Continental was removed this year.

2019 Lincoln Continental IIHS test results were released in January 2019. It is a Top Safety Pick+ for 2019, the first vehicle from a U.S. domestic automaker to make the list. https://www.iihs.org/iihs/news/desktopnews/lincoln-continental-earns-2019-top-safety-pick-award

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17 hours ago, rperez817 said:

2019 Lincoln Continental IIHS test results were released in January 2019. It is a Top Safety Pick+ for 2019, the first vehicle from a U.S. domestic automaker to make the list. https://www.iihs.org/iihs/news/desktopnews/lincoln-continental-earns-2019-top-safety-pick-award

Will be interesting to see how the Ranger and  Edge do. I would hope Ford was planning for this test during development.

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  • 7 months later...

The Ford Fusion is clearly not on the IIHS top safety pick list but I know four sets of parents that would disagree with them. Three Fusions, two current gen, one previous gen were involved. All the kids walked away with zero significant injuries and no medical attention.  These were all major frontal collisions, and each of the Fusions were totaled in these accidents. My son was a passenger in one of them.  I tried to attach photos but they erred out. 

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13 hours ago, tbone said:

The Ford Fusion is clearly not on the IIHS top safety pick list but I know four sets of parents that would disagree with them. Three Fusions, two current gen, one previous gen were involved. All the kids walked away with zero significant injuries and no medical attention.  These were all major frontal collisions, and each of the Fusions were totaled in these accidents. My son was a passenger in one of them.  I tried to attach photos but they erred out. 

 

A model not being IIHS++++++++ or whatever new designation they come up with doesn't mean the existing model or previous model isn't safe.  Just means it doesn't fit their moved goalposts.  And most of these models seem to not get the highest rating because of headlights and pass everything else.

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14 hours ago, tbone said:

The Ford Fusion is clearly not on the IIHS top safety pick list but I know four sets of parents that would disagree with them. Three Fusions, two current gen, one previous gen were involved. All the kids walked away with zero significant injuries and no medical attention.  These were all major frontal collisions, and each of the Fusions were totaled in these accidents. My son was a passenger in one of them.  I tried to attach photos but they erred out. 

 

Very very glad to hear that those kids, including your son, were not injured in the collisions. My older son sustained injuries in a car crash about 15 years ago severe enough to require PT for about 4 months. Fortunately, he completely recovered and is now healthy and strong. So your story involving four sets of parents whose kids walked away from car crashes means a lot to me. I'm thankful as ever for the advancements in car safety since my older son's incident.

 

Regarding Ford Fusion, the current generation rated 'GOOD' on all the IIHS crash tests (Small overlap front: driver-side,  Small overlap front: passenger-side,  Moderate overlap front, Side, Roof strength, Head restraints & seats). What kept Fusion off the IIHS Top Safety Pick list was its headlights. Both LED and halogen headlights on Ford Fusion rated 'POOR' due to fair to inadequate visibility for the driver combined with glare for other motorists. https://www.iihs.org/ratings/vehicle/ford/fusion-4-door-sedan/2019#headlights 

 

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1 hour ago, rperez817 said:

 

Very very glad to hear that those kids, including your son, were not injured in the collisions. My older son sustained injuries in a car crash about 15 years ago severe enough to require PT for about 4 months. Fortunately, he completely recovered and is now healthy and strong. So your story involving four sets of parents whose kids walked away from car crashes means a lot to me. I'm thankful as ever for the advancements in car safety since my older son's incident.

 

Regarding Ford Fusion, the current generation rated 'GOOD' on all the IIHS crash tests (Small overlap front: driver-side,  Small overlap front: passenger-side,  Moderate overlap front, Side, Roof strength, Head restraints & seats). What kept Fusion off the IIHS Top Safety Pick list was its headlights. Both LED and halogen headlights on Ford Fusion rated 'POOR' due to fair to inadequate visibility for the driver combined with glare for other motorists. https://www.iihs.org/ratings/vehicle/ford/fusion-4-door-sedan/2019#headlights 

 

 

Glad to hear everything worked out for your son, and I too am thankful for the advancements in safety. 

 

Regarding the headlights, the headlights in my 2016 Fusion are average at best, however they are only the halogens.  I have not reviewed their criteria for headlights to pass complete judgement on it, but I know there are Fusions with better headlight tech.  I’m curious to know how much weight they are giving the headlights, because the headlights are not the deciding factor in the occupant’s survivability in a crash. 

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