2009 Mercury Sable

large car / 4-door sedan

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 SEL 4-door

The Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable were re-engineered with a new engine for the 2008 model year. In addition, electronic stability control was introduced as an option 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. These cars were known as the Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego 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 VTF0704
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 3
Left (cm) 4
Center (cm) 5
Right (cm) 3
Brake pedal (cm) 3
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 2
Right (cm) 2
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 1
Rearward (cm) -2
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTF0704
Head
HIC-15 134
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.1
Extension bending moment (Nm) 20
Maximum Nij 0.23
Chest maximum compression (mm) 40
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 1.9
Femur force - right (kN) 0.6
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.33
Maximum tibia index - right 0.34
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.9
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 1.5
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 45
Right 59

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2008-09 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

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.