Ford, Subaru, Volkswagen Tapped as Safest

(CBS/ AP)  Ford, Subaru and Volkswagen sit atop the insurance industry's annual list of the safest new vehicles, according to a closely watched assessment used by car companies to lure safety-conscious consumers to showrooms.

The Virginia-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded its "top safety pick" on Wednesday to 19 passenger cars and eight sport utility vehicles for the 2010 model year. The institute substantially reduced the number of awards compared with 2009, because of tougher requirements for roof strength.

The IIHS says that each time a new criteria is introduced it takes time for the manufacturers' designs to catch up, but that most should catch up to the new rollover standards by 2011 and consumers should see more vehicles on the 2011 top safety list, reports CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes.

Ford Motor Co. and its Volvo unit received the most awards with six, followed by five awards apiece for Japanese automaker Subaru and German automaker Volkswagen AG and its Audi unit.

Chrysler Group LLC received four awards followed by two each for Honda Motor Co. and General Motors Co.

Toyota Motor Corp., BMW AG, Mazda Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. were shut out in the annual IIHS review.

Ford's recipients include the Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS passenger cars and the Volvo S80 and C30 passenger cars and the XC60 and XC90 SUVs.

Ford said in a statement it is "committed to providing customers with safe vehicles for a broad range of real-world crash conditions."

Subaru recorded winners with the Subaru Legacy, Outback and Impreza cars and Tribeca and Forester SUVs. Subaru was the only automaker with an IIHS winner in all four vehicle classes in which it competes.

The automaker, which has bucked the brutal U.S. sales market with a 13 percent increase during the first 10 months of 2009, attributed its safety success to a unique engine design that sits low in the vehicle chassis and moves down and under occupants in a frontal collision.

Tom Doll, executive vice president and COO of Subaru of America, said the awards were a "tribute to the engineering that goes into Subaru products."

Volkswagen scored with the 4-door versions of the Jetta, Passat and Golf, the Audi A3 and the Volkswagen Tiguan, a small SUV. Mark Barnes, Volkswagen of America's chief operating officer, said the "safety of our cars is of the utmost concern, from the initial design stages all the way through the maintenance procedures at dealerships."

Chrysler won the award for the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger sedans equipped with optional electronic stability control, the Dodge Journey midsize SUV and the Jeep Patriot with optional side thorax air bags.

Scott Kunselman, Chrysler's senior vice president-engineering, said the awards underscore the Auburn Hills, Mich., automaker's "engineering capability and leadership in occupant protection."

General Motors Co. and Honda Motor Co. both received two awards. GM was recognized for the Buick LaCrosse and the Chevrolet Malibu while Honda won for 4-door versions of the Civic with optional electronic stability control and the Honda Element.

Other winners included the Nissan Cube, the Kia Soul and the Mercedes C Class.

The vehicles are selected for best protecting motorists in front, side and rear crash tests based on Institute evaluations during the year. The vehicles are required to have electronic stability control, or ESC, to qualify for the award. Earlier this year, the Institute said vehicles would need to receive its highest score in its roof strength evaluation to qualify the safety pick designation.

"With the addition of our roof strength evaluation, our crash test results now cover all four of the most common kinds of crashes," said Institute president Adrian Lund. "Consumers can use this list to zero in on the vehicles that are on the top rung for safety."

The Institute awarded its top prize to 94 vehicles in 2009 and attributed the decline in awards this year to the roof strength requirement. The Honda Accord and the Ford Fusion both dropped off the list because 2010 versions didn't earn high enough scores on the roof test.

The Toyota Camry would have made the list, the Institute said, if it had received the highest rating in rear crash protection. The Institute said the Camry's seats and head restraints were rated marginal for protection against whiplash injuries.

[fer60us]

What happened to Toyota; I guess once the "anticipated performance" is not used to evaluate their cars they found they suck!! If the roofs of their cars crash like a tin can I couldn't understand why they were getting high safety ratings; missing data, payola, lousy job from who runs the tests?
And what about the sudden acceleration issue? Only a kindergarten kid would believe the mat thing is the response; do they think all of us are as stupid as their loyal customers? Come on!!
Seems like finally the truth is coming out, so we will see how they do once real data and not "perceived or anticipated performance" is used to evaluate their vehicles.

[graybmw]

I will NEVER own a Ford Fusion again. I had an 08 and the airbags never deployed! My son was going 60-65 MPH and hit a concrete barrier. IT NEVER deployed! I contacted Ford and they took my statement and all the tech could says was "good thing your son wasn't hurt". I'm very lucky he wasn't hurt BUT what if he was? OR somone else? I bought the car brand NEW and my number safety concern was the SYNC and airbags. The SYNC was more a distraction and really didn't work half the time. However, my son did hit the driver side window hard.

[ajvw]

government motors didn't make the list?

[vantatoian]

If any driver causes an accident while texting they should lose their drivers license for at least a year. Any fool who texts and drives at the same time should not be on the road. Whatever happened to common sense in this country?

[lami987]

Many drivers drive without a license. So better take their vehicles away unless they belong to somebody else. In that case that somebody should be fined.

[longtree-2009]

ford didn't ask for, nor did it get any bailout taxpayer monies. if you can see your way to it, and you need a new vehicle, consider buying a ford product, vehicle, as a way to thank them for not taking bailout money.

[lami987]

I think Ford would have a lot of trouble with its labor force. Ford's executive pay structure is way out of hand. Ford's CEO made $39.5 million while the company want its labor to cut pay and benefit to be in line with other auto makers in the US. Toyota's and new GM's CEO makes less than $1 million, Fiat's make $4 million. To be fair both management's and labor's pay should be in line with other auto makers in the US or the world. Ford is more a slave driver than a well conceived company.

[govtguy]

Isn't it still interesting, that a Ford product, assembled mostly outside the US, and two off-shore motor companies are the "safest" vehicles to operate and include reasonable to good, MPG too? Just what is that GM-NA, FORD-NA, and CHRYSLER-NA can't or aren't willing to do? If you own stock in FOMOCO, you should be doing pretty good,
especially with Fords new multi-billion dollar plant IN Brazil. I WAS a diehard GM owner; not anymore, my bucks are going for a good US made foreign label car.

[Sky017]

Again, further reason why Subaru has seen 13% INCREASE in sales for 2009 compared to 2008 (January to September). And a whopping 41% increase in October compared to October last year.
inautonews.com/subaru-of-america-october-sales-up-41-percent

While many car manufacturers were weeping and blaming the economy, Subaru who has laser-like focus on the QUALITY of their small range (few models) of cars, has seen an increase in sales.

It just means that the others who were whining were really in horrible shape a LONG time ago. Offering financing to potential buyers is what was really driving their sales. And when the financing dried up in the recession, sales double-nosedived. It was a double-whammy because demand decreased with loss of jobs and loss of financing. It partially means that in the past people were buying their cars if the companies HELPED them. We saw it again this summer... good improvements in sales: but because of the Cash for Clunkers program.

There are many proud Subaru owners who have known for years that Subaru produces quality cars with their unique Boxer Engine, at good prices. Good for them.

[lami987]

You are right D3 has been in horrible shape for a LONG time. They have been losing money for years. And its their own fault. Too bad it takes two bankruptcies and one near bankruptcy for them to know they were heading in wrong directions. But clueless executives like GM's Bob Lutz still is pushing for more gas guzzling muscle cars and somebody at Chrysler suggested the use of skin of male whale reproductive organ for car building.

[gtttrades]

It's not just texting. People do everthing but pay attention to their driving. I have a F150 Ford pickup and it sits high enough that I cann usually see in a car next to me. The other day a woman passed me on a turnpike about 70 mph. She was reading a book!

[retiredgustav]

Back in the days when I was a road warrior, the thing I hated the most was when I had a coffee in one hand, a breakfast sandwich in the other, a newspaper in the steering wheel and my phone would ring. Thank God for bluetooths.

[pollroller1]

By the way, when everybody thought that Ford was going out of business, I was buying stock in the company, Needless to say, I've done pretty well so far.

[gtttrades]

You are right. It was needless to say.

[bubbadubba]

This safe car thing is why so many Americans are extremely poor drivers and have so many accidents. They are told if they get in a wreck they will not be hurt so they don't care.

[pollroller1]

bubbadubba you have a point. But IMHO the biggest cause of accidents today is people trying to text while driving. I was stopped at a light just the other day waiting to make a left turn and the car next to me was waiting for the light to turn green when a car rammed right into the back of the car next to me. Yep, the driver was texting and not paying attention.

[Cyber998]

"by bubbadubba November 18, 2009 7:28 AM EST
This safe car thing is why so many Americans are extremely poor drivers and have so many accidents. They are told if they get in a wreck they will not be hurt so they don't care."

Of course, makes sense in your head. Don't bother doing any research or anything (that would take effort). If it sounds like if could be true, it definitely must be. Just blurt it out as if it's a definitive fact!