Ford safety tops list: Ford Shines, While Chrysler Is Shut Out of 2009 Safe Car List

ARLINGTON, Virginia — Ford and its Volvo subsidiary top the annual list of the safest vehicles, according to a report released Tuesday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Ford and Volvo had 16 vehicles on the 2009 list, including the 2009 Ford F-150, the Lincoln MKS, the Volvo S80 and the Ford Flex.

Chrysler was singled out as the only major automaker “lacking a single Top Safety Pick,” said the insurance industry. “It could have picked up five awards if the head restraints were better in the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring, the Sebring convertible, and the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country,” said the IIHS in a statement.

The 2009 Honda Fit equipped with optional electronic stability control was the only so-called “minicar” to make the list. “The Smart Fortwo, the only microcar in the U.S. market, missed because of its head restraints,” said the IIHS. “The same goes for Toyota’s hybrid Prius, which performed well in the Institute’s front and side crash tests but came up short for rear crash protection.”

Honda and its Acura division had 13 winners, including the 2009 Acura RL, Acura TL, Honda Odyssey and Honda Ridgeline. The IIHS gave a Top Safety Pick award to the 2009 Honda Civic sedans with optional electronic stability control, except for the Honda Civic Si, it noted.

Perhaps most reassuring was the fact that 72 vehicles received the Top Safety Pick designation for 2009, more than double the number of 2008 recipients.

Source: Edmunds.com.  Click here for the actual article.

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