Ford Boasts More IIHS Top Safety Picks Than Any Other Automaker

In a nice, big "take that" to Honda, which bragged earlier this week about its fleet of five light trucks that earn stellar IIHS crash ratings, Ford added the '09 Flex, Fusion, Lincoln MKS, and Mercury Milan to its fleet of 16 vehicles that earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's highest honor: Top Safety Pick.

Ford touts that this announcement means it now moves beyond Honda, its closest rival in the IIHS safety competition, and gives it more Top Safety Pick vehicles than any other automaker. Ford also mentions that it has more five-star NHTSA ratings than any other automaker.

Ford reminds us that to become an IIHS Top Safety Pick, vehicles must earn the top "good" ratings in the institute's high-speed front tests, high-speed side crash tests, as well as a rear crash test simulation that evaluates seat and head restraints. In 2007, IIHS added a stipulation that Top Safety Pick vehicles must offer electronic stability control.--Colin Mathews 2009 Ford Flex SEEnlarge PhotoIn a nice, big "take that" to Honda, which bragged earlier this week about its fleet of five light trucks that earn stellar IIHS crash ratings, Ford added the '09 Flex, Fusion, Lincoln MKS, and Mercury Milan to its fleet of 16 vehicles that earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's highest honor: Top Safety Pick. Ford touts that this announcement means it now moves beyond Honda, its closest rival in the IIHS safety competition, and gives it more Top Safety Pick vehicles than any other automaker. Ford also mentions that it has more five-star NHTSA ratings than any other automaker. Ford reminds us that to become an IIHS Top Safety Pick, vehicles must earn the top "good" ratings in the institute's high-speed front tests, high-speed side crash tests, as well as a rear crash test simulation that evaluates seat and head restraints. In 2007, IIHS added a stipulation that Top Safety Pick vehicles must offer electronic stability control.--Colin Mathews