2005 Ford Mustang

midsize convertible / 2-door convertible

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: 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 2005-07 models built before June 2007

Tested vehicle: 2007 Ford Mustang GT 2-door convertible

The Ford Mustang was redesigned for the 2005 model year and modified beginning with 2007 models manufactured after May 2007 to reduce the likelihood of a door opening in frontal offset crashes (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).

Two tests of the 2007 Mustang convertible were conducted, one before the door modifications were made, and one after. During the first crash test, the window glass in the down position pushed on the driver door latch linkage, and the door opened. Ford responded by adding structure in the doors to prevent the window glass from contacting the latch mechanism and asked the Institute to test the Mustang again. In the second test, the driver door did not open.

The two cars are rated separately, but the overall rating for each is Acceptable.

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 was reasonably well controlled. However, the dummy's head hit the A-pillar, which bent downward and inward during the crash. During rebound, the head hit the top of the A-pillar. Late in the crash, the driver door opened. This opening didn't significantly affect dummy movement during the test but shouldn't happen because, in some crashes, it could allow partial or complete occupant ejection.

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained reasonably well.

Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head hit the A-pillar twice. Head accelerations from these hits were low.

The driver door opened, which could allow occupant ejection in some crashes.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0704
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 14
Left (cm) 18
Center (cm) 21
Right (cm) 20
Brake pedal (cm) 12
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 5
Right (cm) 4
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 4
Rearward (cm) 9
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 9

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0704
Head
HIC-15 252
Peak gs at hard contact 57
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.7
Extension bending moment (Nm) no data
Maximum Nij 0.00
Chest maximum compression (mm) 36
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 3.6
Femur force - right (kN) 2.3
Knee displacement - left (mm) 3
Knee displacement - right (mm) 1
Maximum tibia index - left 0.38
Maximum tibia index - right 0.98
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.8
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 2.9
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 57
Right 90

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Manual-power leather seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Manual-power leather seats
Geometry
Backset (mm) 25
Distance below top of head (mm) 28
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Fail
Max T1 acceleration (g) 10.9
Head contact time (ms) 94
Force rating 3
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 269
Max neck tension (N) 704

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