rmc523 Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 IIHS Rates Ford Transit Vans In New Commercial Evaluation Pivot | Ford Authority IIHS evaluated a 2025 Ford Transit in this new round of safety testing, and the van performed quite well - earning strong marks for its standard driver seat belt pre-tensioners, standard driver seat belt force limiter, standard driver front airbag, and standard driver side airbag. However, IIHS noted that the Transit lacks an effective driver seat belt reminder - a problem shared with the Mercedes Sprinter 2500, Rivian Delivery 500, and the Chevrolet Express 2500. To be considered effective, a vehicle's seat belt reminder must include a visual warning light or indicator and a persistent audible tone that is loud enough to be heard easily over the background noise inside the cabin. Both alerts must begin within 30 seconds when the driver’s belt is unfastened and the vehicle is going 6-24 mph, though at faster speeds, they must begin within two seconds. The tone and visual indicator should continue for at least 90 seconds or until the driver’s belt is fastened. In the coming months, IIHS plans to evaluate these same vehicles for additional attributes, including automatic emergency braking and headlights. ---- Didn't realize the commercial models didn't have the seatbelt reminder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 Good marks for now but you know in 2 years they'll up the standards and give it 2 stars. As for seatbelt reminders I'm sure most would disable it anyway, especially delivery drivers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted June 9 Author Share Posted June 9 1 hour ago, akirby said: Good marks for now but you know in 2 years they'll up the standards and give it 2 stars. As for seatbelt reminders I'm sure most would disable it anyway, especially delivery drivers. They'll come up with a test that says occupants in the cargo area may be injured by flying parts when the vehicle rolls over and require some fancy airbag system in the cargo area. Maybe they should hire me to come up with ridiculous tests....... 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motorpsychology Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 I casts me a jaundiced eye at IIHS testing. Their carrot & stick approach to safety standards has caused repair costs to escalate dramatically. How long before we have 50mph partial overlap tests? How much more engineering and development would need to go into a vehicle to get there? How much more would it cost to repair such a vehicle if the damage was only minor? A certain amount of the premiums they collect are for profit, hence the proliferation of advertising they are doing. Most crashes are minor, and one or all parties are usually unhurt or incur minor recoverable injuries, but the vehicle can sustain an unbelievable amount of damage, may even be still drivable. However, owing to the way vehicles are made with parts that have a low threshold of integrity before they deform or break in order to absorb the energy of the impact, more time and materials are required to repair minor damage. Arbitrary Example: a vehicle cost $40,000 to buy with the current 40mph standard, and the cost to repair front end damage in a 10mph crash is $10,000, and the insurance premium is $1,000/yr, with the profit on that premium of 5%, or $50. Now build the car to a 50mph standard and, because of the more complex design, materials, parts, and labor to repair a 10mph crash is now 10% higher (probably more) than it was at a 40mph standard, and the premium and profit also will go up incrementally. Keep in mind IIHS ratings are optional. The purchase the vehicles they test, and a 50mph standard likely wouldn't come about unless the NHTSA mandates it. but many auto manufacturers don't hesitate to advertise their IIHS rating, or the number of stars they get in NHTSA testing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe771476 Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 (edited) Some bad news: https://share.google/z2mbI95K8Ni3kCxBL And some good: https://share.google/yuBgGAPvBuG8cBFKP : Edited June 10 by Joe771476 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blazerdude20 Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 You’d think if IIHS was looking to make a true difference for safety, they would be beating down the door on 2nd and 3rd row occupant safety. The results and even seat belts vary wildly between brands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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