The new 2009 Ford F-150 is the latest Ford vehicle to earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s “Top Safety Pick” award. The F-150′s standard offering of Ford’s exclusive AdvanceTrac(r) with RSC(r) (Roll Stability Control) also met a newer requirement that vehicles must offer electronic stability control to earn IIHS’s top rating. Ford has been aggressively implementing this safety technology across its vehicle lineup.

“Earning a ‘Top Safety Pick’ is great news because the Insurance Institute’s tests are some of the most demanding conducted outside of our own laboratories, and customers increasingly rely on them when choosing a new vehicle,” said Susan Cischke, Ford’s senior vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering.  “The Ford F-150 offers the best safety ratings, unsurpassed fuel economy and unmatched capability – three of the top purchase considerations for truck customers today.”
The F-150′s legendary toughness contributes not only to its durability and capability but its safety as well.  The 2009 F-150 has an all-new hydroformed steel body structure – including industry-first use of tubular ultra-high-strength lighter weight steel that offers top performance and contributes to the F-150′s unsurpassed fuel economy in the full-size pickup truck segment.
Also new in the F-150 this year is Ford’s standard Safety Canopy(r) side-curtain air bag rollover protection system, which helps protect front and rear outboard passengers in both rollovers and side-impact crashes.  It is designed to stay inflated for several seconds, as rollover crashes often last longer than side-impact crashes.   Added to this is a Ford-first – the new “K-bag,” a front seat dual-chamber side air bag named for its unique shape, which is designed to help protect the rib cage from excessive crash forces during a side impact.
Further adding to the standard safety enhancements is a state-of-the-art passenger seat sensor that specifies the timing and type of air-bag deployment based on the weight of the occupant.   Additional sensors in the vehicle – monitoring roll stability control and rollover air bag deployment – have been integrated into one unit, increasing the sensitivity and accuracy of the system.
Ford expects the new truck’s appeal to be even stronger for the “core truckers” who list safety as a top 10 purchase consideration and are a growing part of today’s full size pickup market.  According to recent Ford customer research, 83 percent of F-150 buyers consider safety a top purchase reason – more than purchasers of five of the six competitive trucks.