1997 Ford Aerostar

minivan

1997 Ford Aerostar Minivan
1996 Ford Aerostar shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test

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 1994-97 models

Tested vehicle: 1996 Ford Aerostar XLT passenger van

The Ford Aerostar was introduced in the 1986 model year. A frontal airbag for the driver became standard beginning with the 1992 model year.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Dummy movement wasn't well controlled. The dummy's head hit the steering wheel through the airbag, and the wheel broke off from its column.

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.

Post-crash damage shot.

Late in the offset test, the steering wheel broke off from its column, and the wheel plus the airbag ended up in the dummy's lap.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CF96023
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 30
Left (cm) 31
Center (cm) 36
Right (cm) 21
Brake pedal (cm) 36
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 13
Right (cm) 12
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 21
Rearward (cm) 6
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 5

Driver injury measures

Test ID CF96023
Head
HIC-15 267
Peak gs at hard contact 81
Neck
Tension (kN) 2.7
Extension bending moment (Nm) 34
Maximum Nij 0.47
Chest maximum compression (mm) 34
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 4.8
Femur force - right (kN) 2.3
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 1
Maximum tibia index - left 1.62
Maximum tibia index - right 0.46
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.6
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 2.0
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 61
Right 63

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted