Ford Focus Earns Top Safety Rating from the NHTSA

The all-new Ford Focus received a top safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Focus earned a five-star Overall Vehicle Score in NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) testing, which combines vehicle performance in frontal and side-impact crash tests and a resistance to rollover evaluation.

“The new Focus is another example of Ford’s commitment to safety and NHTSA’s NCAP program has recognized this fact,” said Steve Kenner, global director of the Automotive Safety Office. “The Focus is built with technologies from bumper to bumper to help reduce occupant injury risk when a crash is unavoidable.”

Focus was designed with next-generation front and side airbag technologies to tailor deployment to individual occupants. Focus also includes segment-exclusive Safety Canopy curtain airbags.

The driver’s airbag uses a specially designed curve-shaped tether system that pulls in the lower section to create a “pocket” to help lessen the impact of the airbag on the driver’s chest and ribs in frontal crashes. Innovative seat mounted side airbags feature unique shoulder vents which are designed to line up with the shoulder area of a larger occupant keeping the side airbag from venting. On smaller passengers, the effect is just the opposite because the occupant’s shoulder is below the vent, the gas vents out of the airbag.

• Ford SYNC, co-developed with Microsoft and using Nuance Communications voice recognition technology, allows customers to bring digital media players and Bluetooth®-enabled mobile phones into their vehicles and operate the devices via voice commands or with the steering wheel’s supplemental audio controls;
• Active park assist uses an ultrasonic-based sensing system and electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) to position the vehicle for parallel parking, calculate the optimal steering angle and quickly steer the vehicle into a parking spot.

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