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BMW 3 Series, Lexus Ace Crash Tests; Ford Fusion Flunks

Fusion "Not Competitive" With Other Cars in Its Class

March 6, 2006

IIHS-Auto Safety • Small Car Bumpers Fail to Prevent Expensive Damage • GM SUVs, Crossovers Win IIHS Safety Label • Insurance Group Adds 6 Small SUVs to Safety List • Luxury Sedan, SUV Win Insurance Industry Safety Award • Acura TSX Luxury Sedan Top Safety Pick • Nissan Murano Leads SUV Safety Test • Lexus EX35, Cadillac CTS Named Top Safety Picks • Nissan Quest Worst Performer in Minivan Bumper Test • Study: Crash Tests Predict Fatalities In Cars, Not Trucks • Top Safety Awards Go to 34 Cars, SUVs and a Pickup • Midsize SUVs Perform Poorly in Side Impacts • BMW 5 Series Performs Poorly in New Impact Test • Luxury Cars a "Mediocre Lot" in Low-Speed Collisions • Light Trucks Vulnerable to Whiplash --- • More IIHS Tests

The BMW 3 series and Lexus IS earned the silver "Top Safety Pick" designation for good performance in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's front and side crash tests. The Ford Fusion, tested without its optional side airbags, earned the lowest overall ratings.

The BMW and Lexus models earned acceptable ratings for their seat/head restraint designs in rear tests.

Based on these test results plus results released last year, nine moderately priced to luxury midsize models earned IIHS' "Top Safety Pick" award for performance in front, side, and rear tests.

Both the BMW and Lexus earned the silver award, but this award applies only to 3 series models manufactured after February, 2006, when BMW redesigned the head restraints to improve performance in the rear test.

"Results for the BMW and Lexus show that manufacturers can design cars to protect people in the three most common kinds of crashes that lead to injuries," said Institute president Adrian Lund. "'Top Safety Pick' winners represent an elite fraction of the car market."

The Ford fusion was the only car in the group of seven new or redesigned midsize car models that didn't earn a good rating in the frontal test. It earned a poor rating in the side test and a marginal rating for rear crash protection. The group includes the Hyundai Sonata, Pontiac G6. Acura TSX and Infiniti G35

The Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan is among only two current midsize car designs (the other is the Dodge Stratus/Chrysler Sebring) that don't earn the highest rating of good in the Institute's frontal offset crash test.

The Fusion without optional side airbags is rated poor for side crash protection, and it earned a marginal rating for rear crash protection.

"The Fusion is a disappointment because it's a brand new design," Lund said. "Ford has done a good job with some other recent models, but the Fusion is at the back of the pack among midsize cars for overall safety performance."

In Fusions manufactured after January, Ford added a structure below the accelerator pedal designed to reduce injury risk to the right leg and foot in frontal offset crashes.

"This fix didn't work in our test," Lund said. "Forces recorded on the dummy's right leg were high, and a metal pin broke in the dummy's ankle. Ford is doing more research to find a solution and has indicated it will ask the Institute to retest the Fusion for frontal crash performance later this year."

The Fusion earned the lowest rating of poor in the side impact test. Without side airbags, injury measures recorded on the driver dummy indicated that serious head injuries would be possible in a real-world crash of similar severity.

Measures from other parts of the dummy indicated that rib fractures or internal organ injuries and a fractured pelvis also would be likely.

"The side structure of the Fusion held up reasonably well in the crash test, and this car's structural rating of acceptable is better than some other midsize models we've tested," Lund pointed out.

Protection in the rear seat was reasonably good. The head of the dummy in the rear seat struck the pillar behind the rear door. This area is required by federal standard to provide some protection for an occupant's head, but the Fusion is rated poor overall because of high forces recorded on the driver dummy's head, pelvis, and torso.

The Fusion's side airbags aren't standard equipment, and the Institute's policy is to test vehicles without these airbags if they're optional. Manufacturers who want a second test with side airbags have to reimburse the Institute for the cost of the vehicle. Initially, Ford didn't request a second test of the Fusion with optional side airbags.

"Usually when an automaker doesn't ask for the optional test, we presume it means the side airbags wouldn't help much to improve the car's rating," explains Lund. "But now Ford has requested a second test, so the Fusion with side airbags may earn a better rating than poor. We'll conduct the test and report the result."

"Nearly every car now earns good ratings in our frontal test," said Institute president Adrian Lund. "The Fusion is acceptable, which isn't a bad result, but it's not competitive with other cars in its class. Based on this car's side and rear evaluations along with its acceptable frontal rating, the Fusion is the lowest rated moderately priced midsize car we've evaluated."

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