2008 Ford Taurus X

midsize SUV / 4-door SUV

2008 Ford Taurus X 4-door SUV
Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Corporation

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Head restraints & seats

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2008-09 models

Tested vehicle: 2008 Ford Taurus X SEL 4-door 4wd

The Ford Taurus X was re-engineered with a new engine for the 2008 model year. In addition, electronic stability control was added as a standard feature beginning with the 2008 models. Frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Ford as part of frontal crash test verification. This vehicle was known as the Ford Freestyle in the 2005-07 model years.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTF0705
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 5
Left (cm) 7
Center (cm) 8
Right (cm) 10
Brake pedal (cm) 1
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 3
Right (cm) 2
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -1
Rearward (cm) 0
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTF0705
Head
HIC-15 156
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.2
Extension bending moment (Nm) 12
Maximum Nij 0.25
Chest maximum compression (mm) 36
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 3.0
Femur force - right (kN) 2.4
Knee displacement - left (mm) 1
Knee displacement - right (mm) 2
Maximum tibia index - left 0.34
Maximum tibia index - right 0.55
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.5
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 1.4
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 53
Right 64

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2008-09 models

Tested vehicle: 2007 Ford Freestyle SEL 4-door 4wd with optional head curtain airbags for all three rows of seats and optional front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Ford Freestyle was introduced in the 2005 model year. The vehicle was re-engineered with a new engine for the 2008 model year and renamed the Ford Taurus X. In addition, electronic stability control was added as a standard feature beginning with the 2008 models. The engineering changes do not affect side impact performance.

Side airbags were made standard in all 2007 Freestyle models manufactured after September 2006 (side airbags were optional in 2005-07 models built in September 2006 or earlier). Note: information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door. Beginning with 2008 models, all Taurus X models also have standard side airbags.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side airbags.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0631
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -12.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0631
Head HIC-15 163
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.3
Compression (kN) 0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 52
Lateral force (kN) 2.0
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 49
Average deflection (mm) 41
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 5.39
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.91
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.9
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.6
Combined force (kN) 5.2
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.5
L-M moment (Nm) 55
A-P moment (Nm) 15

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0631
Head HIC-15 71
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.5
Compression (kN) 0.5
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 39
Lateral force (kN) 2.0
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 43
Average deflection (mm) 25
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.58
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.68
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.8
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.7
Combined force (kN) 4.9
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.8
L-M moment (Nm) 63
A-P moment (Nm) -21

How the side crash test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: All seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type All seats
Geometry
Backset (mm) 42
Distance below top of head (mm) 50
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 10.4
Head contact time (ms) 61
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 57
Max neck tension (N) 514

How the head restraint & seat test is conducted
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

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