Top Safety Pick criteria

2006 Mercury Montego

large car / 4-door sedan

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side
Side: original test with side airbags
Side: original test without optional side airbags
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

Tested vehicle: 2005 Ford Five Hundred SE 4-door

The Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego were introduced in the 2005 model year. The cars were re-engineered with a new engine for the 2008 model year and renamed the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable.

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

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 well.

Dummy movement was well controlled. During rebound, the dummy's head hit only the head restraint.

Intrusion into the driver's space was minimal, and all leg and foot injury measures were low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0513
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 5
Left (cm) 8
Center (cm) 10
Right (cm) 5
Brake pedal (cm) 6
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 3
Right (cm) 2
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 0
Rearward (cm) 1
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0513
Head
HIC-15 162
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.9
Extension bending moment (Nm) 21
Maximum Nij 0.33
Chest maximum compression (mm) 0
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 2.4
Femur force - right (kN) 0.5
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.26
Maximum tibia index - right 0.24
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.4
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 1.5
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 41
Right 58

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2005-07 models

Tested vehicle: 2006 Ford Five Hundred SEL 4-door with optional front and rear head curtain airbags and optional front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego were introduced in the 2005 model year. The cars were re-engineered with a new engine for the 2008 model year and renamed the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. In addition, electronic stability control was introduced as an option beginning with the 2008 models. The engineering changes do not affect side impact performance.

Side airbags were made standard in all 2007 Montego models and in 2007 Five Hundred models manufactured after September 2006. Beginning with 2008 models, all Taurus and Sable models also have standard side airbags.

Two tests of a 2006 Five Hundred were conducted, one with optional side airbags for the driver and rear passenger, and one without. These vehicles are rated separately, except that the structural ratings for both vehicles are based on both tests.

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.

Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain and side torso 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 CES0528 CES0613
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -11.5 -10.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0528
Head HIC-15 273
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.7
Compression (kN) 0.0
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 48
Lateral force (kN) 2.0
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 46
Average deflection (mm) 39
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 4.29
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.87
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 2.2
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.5
Combined force (kN) 5.5
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.7
L-M moment (Nm) 34
A-P moment (Nm) 26

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0528
Head HIC-15 316
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.5
Compression (kN) 0.6
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 13
Lateral force (kN) 1.2
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 34
Average deflection (mm) 26
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.98
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.64
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.7
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.3
Combined force (kN) 3.7
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.6
L-M moment (Nm) 81
A-P moment (Nm) 12

Rating applies to 2005-06 models

Tested vehicle: 2006 Ford Five Hundred SE 4-door without optional side airbags

The Ford Five Hundred was introduced in the 2005 model year.

Two tests of a 2006 Five Hundred were conducted, one with optional side airbags for the driver and rear passenger, and one without. These vehicles are rated separately, except that the structural ratings for both vehicles are based on both tests.

The side airbags were made standard beginning with all 2007 Montegos models and with 2007 Five Hundred models manufactured after September 2006.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
The dummy's head was hit by the intruding barrier, producing high head injury measures.
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection
The dummy's head was hit by the pillar behind the rear passenger door. This pillar is required by federal standard to provide some protection for occupants' heads.

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

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

A prominent dent and glass marks indicate where the driver dummy's head hit the barrier.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was hit by the pillar behind the rear passenger door.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0528 CES0613
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -11.5 -10.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0613
Head HIC-15 805
Neck
Tension (kN) 2.1
Compression (kN) 0.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 64
Lateral force (kN) 3.6
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 52
Average deflection (mm) 41
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 5.28
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 1.02
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 2.3
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.4
Combined force (kN) 5.5
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.8
L-M moment (Nm) 76
A-P moment (Nm) 19

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0613
Head HIC-15 556
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.7
Compression (kN) 1.6
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 30
Lateral force (kN) 1.3
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 36
Average deflection (mm) 24
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.79
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.55
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.8
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.0
Combined force (kN) 3.4
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.8
L-M moment (Nm) 63
A-P moment (Nm) -27

How the side crash test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Manual cloth seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Manual cloth seats
Geometry
Backset (mm) 42
Distance below top of head (mm) 45
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 9.1
Head contact time (ms) 65
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 44
Max neck tension (N) 435

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