The 2009 Ford F-150 has just received the government's highest crash test rating, 5-stars making it the only full size truck to recieve top ratings by NHTSA and the IIHS.
The new F-150 features more standard safety features such as Safety Canopy® side curtain air bags, AdvanceTrac® with RSC® (Roll Stability Control™) and a patented "K-bag" seat-mounted air bag, which helped the truck receive 5-stars in front and side impact testing.
In addition to holding the title of the safest full-size pickup, the 2009 F-150 is also Motor Trend's Truck of the Year.
PRESS RELEASE:
2009 FORD F-150 BECOMES AMERICA'S SAFEST FULL-SIZE PICKUP BY EARNING TOP 5-STAR CRASH RATINGS
The 2009 Ford F-150 is the only pickup to earn both the government's top 5-star crash-test ratings and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) "Top Safety Pick award".
Ford has more U.S. government 5-star safety-rated vehicles than any other brand and more IIHS "Top Safety Picks" than any other automaker.
The 2009 Ford F-150 features more standard safety features – including standard Safety Canopy® side curtain air bags, AdvanceTrac® with RSC® (Roll Stability Control™) and a patented "K-bag" seat-mounted air bag – than any other half-ton truck.
The 2009 Ford F-150 powers the F-Series lineup to 32 consecutive years of truck sales leadership and continues picking up awards, including Motor Trend "Truck of the Year™".
DEARBORN, Jan. 7, 2009 – The all-new 2009 Ford F-150 became America's safest full-size pickup by earning 5-star ratings in both government crash tests, in addition to the "Top Safety Pick" award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and an unmatched list of advanced standard safety features.
The 2009 F-150 – the 2009 Motor Trend Truck of the Year™ – recently earned 5-star frontal- and 5-star side-impact crash-test ratings, the highest possible scores in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tests.
"The new F-150's leading 5-star crash ratings and 'Top Safety Pick' award further demonstrate Ford's commitment to safety as we have more top government ratings than any other brand," said Susan Cischke, Ford's group vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. "The new 2009 F-150 also offers more advanced safety features as standard equipment than any other half-ton truck, part of our aggressive roll-out of safety for millions of customers."
The new F-150 led Ford's F-Series lineup to a 32nd straight year of truck sales leadership in 2008. Ford F-Series finished the year with 50,448 more unit sales than its nearest competitor. In addition, for the 27th year in a row, F-Series is once again America's best-selling vehicle of any type – car, crossover, SUV, truck or van. Since the all new 2009 F-150 went on sale in October 2008, Ford F-Series has gained market share, increasing from 31 percent of the full-size truck market in the first nine months to 37 percent in the fourth quarter.
"Ford's F-Series sales have picked up pace since the launch of the new F-150," said Doug Scott, Ford truck marketing manager. "Purpose-made 'Built Ford Tough' trucks helped lay the foundation of this great country and growing F-Series sales will be one of the early indicators of an economic recovery as the country begins rebuilding"
The Toughest Truck
The F-150's safety leadership is built on the solid structure that underpins the truck's legendary "Built Ford Tough" durability and capability. The new truck has an all-new hydroformed steel front end – including use of tubular ultra-high-strength lighter weight steel that contributes to its unsurpassed fuel economy in the full-size pickup truck segment.
"The all-new 2009 Ford F-150's leading crash-safety ratings add to its capability, fuel economy and technological leadership," said Steve Kozak, Ford's chief engineer for safety systems. "We achieved top safety ratings and unsurpassed fuel economy at the same time by using high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel in key areas of the new F-150's structure."
New to the 2009 F-150 is Ford's standard Safety Canopy® side-curtain air bag rollover protection system, which helps protect front and rear outboard passengers in both rollovers and side-impact crashes. The air bag is designed to stay inflated for several seconds for additional protection in rollover crashes, which often last longer than side-impact crashes.
Ford's Personal Safety System is made up of a suite of protection technologies, including dual-stage front air bags and occupant weight classification, working together to help protect occupants. Added to this is a Ford first – the new "K-bag," a front seat dual-chamber side air bag named for its unique shape, which is designed to help protect the rib cage from excessive crash forces during a side impact.
Ford expects the 2009 F-150's appeal to be even stronger for "core truckers," who list safety as a top purchase consideration and are a growing part of today's full size pickup market. According to recent Ford customer research, 83 percent of F-150 buyers consider safety a leading purchase reason – more than buyers of five of the six competitive trucks.
"Our customers buy the F-150 because it is a no-compromise solution which addresses their needs – work or play. So whether they're towing a construction trailer to the job site or hauling the family and towing a boat to the lake, the 2009 F-150 provides unmatched capability, unsurpassed fuel economy, and unrivaled safety," Scott said.
Towing Safety and Convenience
The new F-150 has standard safety and towing aid technologies – including Advance Trac® with Roll Stability Control™ (RSC®), a first for the F-150 – that help customers more confidently use the truck's segment-leading towing and hauling capability. The Ford-exclusive stability control system uses a gyroscopic sensor that uniquely helps detect and prevent both skidding and rollovers.
The system offers as standard integrated Trailer Sway Control technology, which helps determine from the yaw motion of the truck if the trailer is swaying and takes measures to help bring it under control. An available Integrated Trailer Brake Controller technology allows direct operation of the trailer's electronic brakes with more confidence than typical aftermarket systems.
Tow Haul Mode changes shift points under acceleration, keeping the truck at a higher rpm and further up in the power range to improve the towing experience by avoiding unnecessary shifts in rolling terrain. The technology also prevents the transmission from shifting up in gear when the vehicle crests a hill, and provides downhill brake support that allows the transmission to downshift, letting engine-compression braking slow the vehicle and maintain a steady speed.
The new 2009 F-150 is built at Ford's Dearborn (Mich.) Truck Plant and Kansas City (Mo.) Assembly Plant. The 2009 new truck has won the following awards and accolades:
Motor Trend 2009 Truck of the Year Award™
Top honors as "Truck of Texas" as well as "Best Luxury Pickup" for the 2009 F-150 King Ranch from the Texas Auto Writers Association
Finalist 2009 North American Truck of the Year. The winner will be announced Sunday at the North American International Auto Show.
2009 Best Redesigned Vehicle from Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com
"Best Overall Half-Ton Pickup" from PickupTrucks.com
"Automotive Excellence" award in the Workhorse Category from Popular Mechanics
Detroit Free Press Truck of the Year
Detroit News Truck of the Year
"Top Safety Pick" from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
"Residual Value" award from Automotive Leasing Guide (ALG)
Motor Trend's Truck Trend Top 5 Trucks from Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) for 2009 Ford F-150 Heavy Duty DeWalt Contractor Concept
"Accessory-Friendly Truck" Design Award from SEMA
Comments (30)
And to think that 7 years ago the 2002 Ford F-150 had the worst front impact safety rating. Way to go Ford, making some good progress lately! Combined with par or better reliability reports than the import wanna-bees, maybe there is hope for Ford to become the #1.
It proves that you guys can design quality when pushed, even with Unions and regulations. Both the Chevy and the Ford trucks are spanking Toyota and Nissan.
Posted by sparky | January 8, 2009 12:41 PM
Posted on January 8, 2009 12:41
IN YOUR FACE TOYOTA!!!
Posted by 426Hemi | January 8, 2009 3:51 PM
Posted on January 8, 2009 15:51
Ford is the only (ex big 3) company which has earned the right to exist.
Bill Ford did put it in the right direction!
Posted by lowest iq | January 8, 2009 5:06 PM
Posted on January 8, 2009 17:06
In the end, people would still buy Toyotas and Nissans. The name Ford already died since the 80's to the consumers. Ford can built a car/truck with a diamond logo and still people won't buy them. Its dead...give it up people.
Posted by gmoney | January 8, 2009 5:13 PM
Posted on January 8, 2009 17:13
For the calender year of 2008...
Toyota saw a bigger total sales drop than Ford did...
The Ford F-150 was the best selling vehicle in 2008 in the U.S...
The Silverado was the 2nd best selling vehicle in the U.S by only about 50,000 units...
The F-150 sold about 80,000 more units than the Camry...
The F-150 sold about 150,000 more units than the Accord...
The F-150 sold about 170,000 more units than the Corolla...
The F-150 sold about 180,000 more units than the Civic...
Posted by Bradford | January 8, 2009 5:28 PM
Posted on January 8, 2009 17:28
o yea, and that was with 4 bucks a gallon....
Posted by Bradford | January 8, 2009 5:31 PM
Posted on January 8, 2009 17:31
What happened to the new Toyota Tundra? The Truck thats changing it all.
Was behind every full sized truck except the Nissan Titan. And lost out to its smaller sibling the Tacoma. Perhaps they didn't make enough commercials for each hour of the day.
Posted by Sandman | January 8, 2009 5:50 PM
Posted on January 8, 2009 17:50
lol...the reason why Ford or Chevy sold more truck is because of fleet sales. The big 3 should have died a long time ago if it wasn't for fleet sales and a few % of you.
Posted by gmoney | January 8, 2009 6:25 PM
Posted on January 8, 2009 18:25
lowest iq:
Ford is the only (ex big 3) company which has earned the right to exist.
Bill Ford did put it in the right direction!
Bill Ford is an Idiot. He had nothing to do with Fords current position as the only of the big 3 that have a chance at life. Its EuroFord that did that, and Ford US had to be dragged into sense kicking and screaming because they were failing so bad. If the economy hadn't tanked and Ford was forced to follow the sucessful EuroFord model they would still be building the same crap for us here in the states they have been churning out up till about the time they came out with the Fusion, Focus and the 500.
Now that they have the Fiesta, Ka, Kuga and eventually the Mondeo and Cmax coming Ford has a chance at survival, but for petes sake don't give the credit to Bill Ford. All he is is a name and someones son. He nearly drove ford to destruction with his idiotic projects.
Posted by GRIZZ | January 8, 2009 7:14 PM
Posted on January 8, 2009 19:14
for everyone that didnt know, ford had money to survive that the other 2 didnt but only wanted the help to make sure they didnt get in a bad position. how many car project has ford cut in america? none. honda keeps cutting projects, and toyota stopped car production for 11 days. ford-europe does good idea, but the f150 is the volume seller. fleet sales are the simple excuse people use. but it doesnt matter since more people are buying trucks now than any japanese car. i highly doubt that a small % of people and fleet sales are enough to spank all other vehicle sales. doesnt matter what american company does good though, people will bash it. all i know with some work my mustang spanks every foreign car. not only in a straight line either. watts link makes a huge difference. my daily driver silverado is easy to work on and still spanks any toyota. in a weak economy we finally see who can make things work.
gm needs to get restructured and they will be up there with ford.
Posted by dark | January 8, 2009 8:45 PM
Posted on January 8, 2009 20:45
Oh boy, here we go again.
My V8 will kill your 4 banger this and that.......
Is that how you rate cars? Power? Dude wake up, its not the 50's anymore. I don't give a crap if your car has 500HP and can win straight line...geez. I bet the old guy up there at Ford must be thinking the same thing like you, both still living in the 50's.
Other than the Corvette, all American cars are ugly and cheap looking. Their designers (white dudes from the 50's) should quit and let the asians/europians take over R&D department.
By the way, the only reason Ford still have money is because of the money they've made in the 50's,60's and 70's when there were no competition yet. Also, its Ford of Europe is making the money and not Ford of USA. So yeah, brag all you want about your mustang's power 'cause thats all there is. Ford will be Ford for most people and big engines will not help them this time.
The end is near.
Posted by gmoney | January 8, 2009 9:51 PM
Posted on January 8, 2009 21:51
@ dark
Well a Watts linkage would certainly help the solid rear axle in a Mustang, but frankly a properly tuned Cobra with IRS would out corner a live axle...
A live axle isn't superior in terms of handling, but it is in terms of power handling. (Not that a stock mustang would be straining either design, but adding a supercharger and building up the 4.6L can easily outpace the stock rear end).
Posted by Brain | January 8, 2009 11:45 PM
Posted on January 8, 2009 23:45
@ Lowest Iq
It was Alan Mulally that has turned Ford around. He was the one that pushed for Ford to go on global platforms.
As for the Safety overall the new F-150 is the safest half ton truck in the world, but even with that said it can be better. It still earned acceptable ratings in both the left and right foot wells in an offset frontal impact instead of a good rating by the IIHS, which kind of strikes me odd considering the rest of the truck is rock solid in safety, but i suspect Ford will prob make improvments on it to get a good rating in those areas by the 2010 model, much like they did with the 2006 Fusiuon vs the 2007 Fusion when it went from poor to acceptable with the drivers left foot well the following year.
Posted by SteelCity1981 | January 8, 2009 11:56 PM
Posted on January 8, 2009 23:56
he, he, he That means that Wagoner has to be my new hero!
Posted by lowest iq | January 9, 2009 3:34 AM
Posted on January 9, 2009 03:34
lol @ gmoney
I suppose Toyota is turning down fleet sales. lmao. Yeah thats a good one.
What you are really saying is they can't compete on the consumer side and are really really struggling on the commercial side.
Posted by Sandman | January 9, 2009 6:26 AM
Posted on January 9, 2009 06:26
Ya the trucks get fleet sales, but so all the little Japanese cars to. Look at all the taxis and company cars that are these cars. They count in the sales too, they just don't seem like a fleet vehicle the way a truck does.
Posted by BigO | January 9, 2009 9:14 AM
Posted on January 9, 2009 09:14
"Other than the Corvette, all American cars are ugly and cheap looking. Their designers (white dudes from the 50's) should quit and let the asians/europians take over R&D department."
Almost fell off my chair on this comment! Ok, so let's take a very quick peek what's out there (all of 10 minutes on google)....
Compare these designers?
Honda Sports Modulo S2000 VS Saturn Sky/Solstice
Acura TL VS Buick LaCrosse
Scion xb VS Ford Flex
Are you saying these designs are awful?
F-150 / F-250
Siverado/GMC
Focus
Mustang GT
Cadillac STS/CTS
Viper
Malibu
etc. etc.
Then, are these designs better?
Nissan Cube SUV
S2000 (ohh, sorry, that's discontinued)
Honda Pilot
Ssangyong Rodius (Korea)
nissan rogue
Any year toyota Prius/Yaris/Camery
FJ Cruiser
BMW 135i and 128i
Mercedes C-class Sportcoupe
etc. etc.
Wow. I guess those 50's white guys are not so bad after all? What are you posting for, aren't you suppose to be in class?
Posted by sparky | January 9, 2009 10:57 AM
Posted on January 9, 2009 10:57
sparky sparky,
So you picked all the bad looking japanese/european cars and compare it to the best of the best of what the American can offer? So you run out of comparison when it comes to the big guns like the Lexus, BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Infinity?
When I talked about designs, its not just the exterior, but also the interior, the ergonomics and the material used. Its all about the overall design.
I guess my quality expectations is higher than yours and no, quality doesn't mean bigger engine and cheaper price. When you sit in an American car/truck it doesn't feel like a new design IMO.
Its obvious than Im not white so my taste is different. Seriously, how many Asians do you see that are driving a Mustang?
My point here is that no matter what the Americans do, they just don't know how to cater the Asians and European buyers. They kept designing cars for the baby boomers. They kept concentrating on making big engines.
Have you noticed that all their TV commercials; they kept comparing their cars to the Japanese and Europeans? Why is that? Maybe 'cause more people are buying Japanese/European cars? Also, they always brag about their power compare to the competition.
I can't believe these companies are getting a bail out. I would they wanna die slowly?
Sure the Japanese are not doing well in sales also, but they can survive without a bailout. Its just the world economy is really bad right now.
The Americans sales is bad no matter what, good or bad ecomy.
American cars are still built for white people (senior citizens, baby boomers, muscle heads)
Ask an Asian if they would look cool in a Mustang.
........saved by the bail out.......it wont happen again.
Posted by gmoney | January 9, 2009 1:36 PM
Posted on January 9, 2009 13:36
Big guns? I think you mean upscale, luxury vehicles. You can't compare a Chevy to a Lexus. Well, you can, but the Lexus is going to be luxury and chances are the Chevy is going to be performance where they over lap in prices. A Malibu vs an IS250, 330i, A4, G37, or a C300, never mind that the base prices on those cars is about 50% more then the Malibu. That's a great comparison.
Chevy and Ford compete against Honda, Nissan, Volkswagen, and Toyota. Not against Acura, Infiniti, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus.
As for bailout, again, Toyota get's subsidized by Japan and Honda want's Japan to weaken the yen some more or they will leave the country. GM and Chrysler got loans for the millionth time.
Posted by Avatar | January 9, 2009 2:36 PM
Posted on January 9, 2009 14:36
gmoney:
My point is that your statement is at best stupid. Of course there are ugly cars, EVERY MANUFACTURE HAS THEM. Including BMW, Infiniti, Audi (some really suck), Mercedes and the boring Lesux. To say something crazy that "all American cars are ugly and cheap looking" really is childish. Which is reflected in my dig about you getting back to elementry school.
Interior finish is relative, I don't expect a $30k American car on par with a $60K 'big guns', whatever that means. The reality is that America does make some great designed cars, and yes, I personally know an asian enjoying a Mustang. I know him very well and he loves it. Since they sell so many Mustangs, I am sure there are many more who do. Grow up!
Instead of simply pointing out all your false statements and wasting my time proving you biased and wrong; gmoney = ignore..
Have a nice day.
Posted by sparky | January 9, 2009 4:07 PM
Posted on January 9, 2009 16:07
Gmoney, you should just cut your losses and move on dude. Sparky won this debate hands down. You win some you lose some, just move on and save yourself from losing anymore creditability. No shame in losing as long as you take it in stride.
Posted by SteelCity1981 | January 9, 2009 5:00 PM
Posted on January 9, 2009 17:00
LMFAO@gmoney
WOW, another Noya.
1st. Japan/Euro car companies allso brag about power in thear commercials.
2nd. The Japan Big 3 is going through the same shit in Japan as the U.S. Big 3 is going through in the U.S. You know, dropping sales, goverment bail outs, etx. (The Japanese are more into cellphones than cars these days.)
3rd. The U.S. Big 3 is still alive and no amount of bitching and crying you do will change that. GROW UP AND GET A LIFE PUSSY!!!
Sorry sparky, I just had to.
Posted by 426Hemi | January 9, 2009 5:35 PM
Posted on January 9, 2009 17:35
aww....
You guys don't like the sound of "American car sucks" ?
You guys gonna be in a big rude awaking someday when there are no american cars to buy anymore.
cars that are made for rentals should be for rentals only.
in the end.....they will die slowly
i wanna hear more replied or else i win
Posted by gmoney | January 9, 2009 8:11 PM
Posted on January 9, 2009 20:11
aww....
You guys don't like the sound of "American car sucks" ?
You guys gonna be in a big rude awaking someday when there are no american cars to buy anymore.
cars that are made for rentals should be for rentals only.
in the end.....they will die slowly
i wanna hear more replies or else i win
Posted by moneyg | January 9, 2009 8:12 PM
Posted on January 9, 2009 20:12
LMAOA@gmoney and......moneyg?
Wow, yet again you have,
1. faled to piss me off and,
2. proven how immature you are.
"... more replies or else I win"? How old are you kid? 12? 8? Dose your mommy and daddy know you go to this site or are they the ones who help you type? Do you even know how a car works other than "right pedal go, left pedal stop"?
Posted by 426Hemi | January 9, 2009 9:25 PM
Posted on January 9, 2009 21:25
"failed to piss me off" ???
It sounded like you are pissed. You just proved it by replying.
Btw, I didn't typed these, my cat did with its paw.
please let me win by not replying.......
rentals will be rentals......
Posted by gmoneyagain | January 9, 2009 10:32 PM
Posted on January 9, 2009 22:32
Hey gmoney, you realize that Acura, Lexus, BMW, Audi, Benz, and Infinti all suck compared to Bentley, Rolls Royce, and Maybach right?
Poor man's Bentley's, Rolls', and Maybach's will be poor man's Bentley's, Rolls', and Maybach's.
Posted by Avatar | January 10, 2009 4:26 AM
Posted on January 10, 2009 04:26
Hey Avatar, If was rich, I wouldn't even drive those cars. I would be in a Lambo and Ferrari. Bentley, Rolls and Maybach don't turn me on at all,but at least they are not rental cars.
Posted by gmoney | January 10, 2009 9:36 AM
Posted on January 10, 2009 09:36
Ahhh, you like cars that break every few thousand miles now.
But guess I win since you really didn't have a retort to my statement. Ashame.
Posted by Avatar | January 10, 2009 2:02 PM
Posted on January 10, 2009 14:02
@Avatar
What's more to be ashamed of is the fact that "superior imports" are being out sold and out performed by "inferior rentals".
Posted by 426Hemi | January 10, 2009 2:48 PM
Posted on January 10, 2009 14:48