It looks like Ford actually taking to heart the leesons learned from Volvo. After a string of dissapointing crash results thoughout the Ford domenstic line the Freestyle crossover earned the highest available crash test ratings from both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
Freestyle previously earned the Insurance Institute's “best pick” designation in frontal offset crash test performance. Following its 40-m.p.h. offset frontal barrier crash test, IIHS noted that Freestyle’s occupant compartment experienced minimal intrusion by maintaining its integrity very well – an essential factor in helping to protect vehicle occupants in a frontal crash.
Ford stated the frontal impact performance was designed to meet the new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208, which requires the restraints system to automatically adjust to the size of the front-seat passenger. The air bag controller uses front passenger classification sensing to determine if the seat is occupied, and if so, whether the passenger is an adult, a child or a child in a child safety seat.