Ford F-150 gets mixed crash test results

If you’ve already bought a Ford F-150 and it’s the extended cab instead of the crew cab model, then you’d better be aware that it’s not as safe.

The latter is apparently missing some key chassis braces which are only fitted to the crew cab. The only noticeable difference came from the small overlap front test, a stickler in the side of many auto companies since the test was introduced. Turns out the extended cab and the crew cab have different structure reinforcements.

Nair noted that the new F-150 received the top “5-Star” rating for driver and passenger in crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. After notifying Ford, the automaker responded by saying that it’s evaluating possible changes to the extended cab for small offset performance.

IIHS gives both F-150 cab configurations a Basic rating for front crash prevention.

Tests suggested there would be a moderate risk of injuries to the right thigh, lower left leg and left foot in a real-world crash of this severity.

The truck, which debuted at the 2014 North American worldwide Auto Show in Detroit, is about 700 pounds lighter than its predecessor.

The small overlap front crash test measures what happens when the front corner of a vehicle hits a tree or utility pole at 40 miles per hour.

“From a simple bolt-on parts replacement to a more-involved removal and installation of entire body panels, fixing the aluminum F-150 is more expensive than repairing a steel-body F-150”, said IIHS research chief David Zuby.

“It is potentially a financial issue for people who choose an aluminum-body vehicle over a steel-bodied one”, Zuby said.

The aluminum-body 2015 Ford F-150 SuperCrew (crew cab) swept the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s full slate of crashworthiness evaluations to qualify for a 2015 TOP SAFETY PICK award, the group announced Thursday, July 30, 2015. Furthermore, the IIHS says that costs for the aluminum truck were 42 percent higher for parts and 22 percent higher for labor.

In the IIHS test for the extended cab, the intruding structure after the crash “seriously compromised a driver’s survival space, resulting in a poor structural rating”, IIHS said. These results may not be the end-all, but IIHS presents their findings in a very understandable and clear way.

The biggest issue, Solmes said, is that most vehicle parts are held together through welding, but the aluminum-bodied F-150 is held together through rivets and adhesion.

However, even with the new results, Ford will not be retroactively outfitting the 2015 F-150 SuperCab or RegularCab variants with the name bars found in the SuperCrew. “They may end up paying a slightly higher insurance rate because the data would suggest that it is going to cost more to fix their vehicle when they are in a crash”.

Beyond safety, another thing to consider with the new aluminum F-150 is cost. These costs are being tracked by Assured Performance, an independent body shop certification company that works with leading automakers.