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Ford Mustang Safety Problems

ford mustang safety problems

Ford Mustang Safety Problems

There is no great reason not to buy a Ford Mustang. I mean, it is the unicorn of cars: neither too big nor small, expensive nor cheap. Showy nor ugly.

These days it even gets good mileage.

Everyone adores Ford Mustang. That is a fact. Some only love the earlier Ford Mustang versions. The Fox body draws others into the Ford Mustang frenzy. It does not matter if you prefer a customized Ford Mustang or museum quality Ford Mustang. Any Ford Mustang has safety problems.

The recent New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), which gives safety ratings, is out. Believe me, the crash testing rating results are not convincing. I have some news for your faithful rear passenger. First, any car can have bad safety ratings.

However, be careful when driving a 45-year-old Ford Mustang on the National Highway. There is a realm of issues.

The 2017 Ford Mustang scored a disastrous two out of five in the NCAP crash test rating. In terms of highway safety, this safety rating made the Ford Mustang the least safe car from a mainstream brand since 2012.

Ford Mustang Classics: An Expensive Casket?

A more in-depth look into the classical Mustangs built from 1964 through 1970 gives some interesting information. For over 30 years, a fire erupted from the trunks of these models spreading into the passenger compartment.

This revelation showed that a rear passenger was at higher risk of more harm if an accident occurred on the national highway. These classical Mustangs have left a trail of death and suffering.

Many Vintage Mustang enthusiasts still will not let these Mustangs go. There are about 1.5 million modified Ford Mustang cars still on the road. Other thousands off the road waiting for repairs and an eventful return to the national highway.

Remembering every one of them carries in the trunk a potentially deadly defect.

Only Downhill From Here

Fast forward to 2017. The independent crash test rating authority classified the Ford Mustang V8- powered version as an affordable sports car but with sub-standard safety. The crash test rating labelled the Ford Mustang GT as unsafe. This crash test rating determined that the driver and the rear passenger in a Mustang were likely to suffer severe injuries in a collision.

In terms of highway safety, a test conducted by Euro NCAP, Australia’s leading independent crash test authority, the ANCAP found the V8-powered model to have inadequate occupant protection for both adults, children, and rear passengers.

They attributed this to:

  • poorly inflating airbags;
  • a low grade crash structure—that came open in a side pole test; and
  • a lack of crash avoidance tech;

ANCAP’s Shocking Position

The Ford Mustang seems to have overlooked many safety measures that come with new cars. This result is shocking for such a newly designed and popular model.

The ANCAP chief executive James Goodwin stated that the Mustang was below expectations of what consumers would expect, and it was not as safe as it should be.

Ford Mustang’s Low Blow Defense

Later, Ford Mustang defended its muscle car, suggesting that there was a new rigorous testing protocol introduced by ANCAP the previous year. This was well after the development of that specific Ford Mustang.

The statement continued to assert that they tailored the ANCAP highway safety tests for family cars and people movers than sports cars like the Ford Mustang.

This suggests that the Ford Mustang meets highway safety standards by using appropriate safety administration techniques. However, the safety ratings and frontal ratings put Ford Mustang in the rear passenger sit of this discussion.

Ford also defended their Mustang from safety problems by adding that it met all applicable safety standards required for highway safety on the National Highway.

They also stated that their Ford Mustang cars performed well in oversees crash testing rating results. These highway safety crash test rating results included those from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

However, the Ford Mustang safety problems were not because the vehicle was missing minor safety help systems. ANCAP attributed the poor safety ratings to not performing well structurally, which moved it down the pecking order in terms of safety administration and crash test rating.

Appaling Frontal Rating of the Ford Mustang

The Ford Mustang poses a severe risk of leg, head, and chest injuries for rear passengers. The crash test rating also unearthed that there was an insufficient inflation of both driver and passenger airbags.

When exposed to a frontal crash, the dummy driver’s head met the steering wheel. The passenger’s head also met the dashboard. A pole test also revealed that the whiplash protection for rear-end collisions only scored marginally. Bad news for the rear passenger.

What About the Safety Ratings?

The Ford Mustang also performed dismally in the highway safety assist, part of the NCAP test scoring just 16 percent. Child occupant protection was better but still inadequate compared to other brands with 32 percent.

The frontal rating offset test let down the adult highway safety—pushing the score down to 72 percent.

Pedestrian protection was beyond average, earning a safety rating of 64 percent. However, the ANCAP reported that the front edge of the bonnet posed a high injury risk for pedestrians.

Something Ford Mustang should look into in safety administration of future Ford Mustang models.

Owning a Mustang Now

The Ford Mustang’s safety problems, which earned it a two-star rating, are the worst crash test result for a new model since the LDV V80 van in 2013, which earned a similar score.

It seems unlikely that they can resolve Ford Mustang safety problems as part of a recall. Ford Mustang also appears to have no plans to do so.

However, safety features are notable as part of an update in the Ford Mustang 2019 and Ford Mustang 2020 versions, which have scored better in the crash testing rating.

If you are looking to buy in a new Ford Mustang, or replace your unique classic for a more family friendly brand, check my pinned comment for more information.

Feel free to drop your feedback in the comments section below.

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