2016 Ford F-150 Wins Top Safety Pick, Other Trucks Fall Short

TopSpeed

By Mark McNabb

Published Apr 13, 2016

IIHS tests give bad news to Chevy, Ram, and Toyota

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has completed testing on the current crop of 2016 full-size pickups,->ke242 and the results are surprising. The 2016 Ford F-150 was the only pickup to earn a Top Safety Pick through “Good” ratings, while other pickups scored lower on the rankings.

The tests included the relatively new small overlap frontal crash test, along with the moderate overlap frontal, side impact, rollover protection, and seat testing for rear-end crashes. The small overlap test proved to be the downfall for several of the trucks,->ke1311 the most notable of which was the 2016 Ram 1500.

Both crew cab and extended cab variations had major structural damage to the driver’s compartment that would likely have resulted in driver injury. Both cab variations received the rating of poor for structure while overall scores were listed as marginal.

The bad news continues to Chevrolet->ke199 and Toyota,->ke88 as both the Silverado Crew Cab->ke1787 and Tundra Crew Cab->ke485 performed worse than their respective Extended Cab models. Both crew cab versions received the rating of marginal, whereas the shorter, extended cab models actually received the rating of acceptable.

Conversely, the 2016 Ford F-150 performed well in the battery of testing, earning a score of good for both extended cab and crew cab configurations. When equipped with the optional Forward Collision Warning system, the IIHS honors the F-150->ke423 with its Top Safety Pick award.

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Why it matters

Crash test ratings are an extremely important aspect for both automakers and consumers. Consumers drive the betterment of vehicles through buying power, while automakers face slow sales and shame if their vehicles don’t rank well. What’s more, insurance rates rise for vehicles with poor crash test results, ultimately costing the consumer more money for car insurance.

Money aside, safety is a huge factor in buying a car. Folks want to know their vehicle isn’t dangerous for themselves and their families. It’s through the efforts of the IIHS and the government-ran National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, that vehicle safety has skyrocketed over the last 40 years. Cars and trucks still aren’t perfect, but the industry is slowing moving in that direction.