2 Ford-Built Pickups Do Poorly in Rollover Test

Ford Motor Co.’s 2005 Ranger pickup with four-wheel drive received the second-worst grade in U.S. rollover tests of the latest models.

The Ranger received two stars out of a possible five in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s first batch of ratings for 2005 model vehicles. The Ranger had a 31% chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash, the agency said Tuesday.

Mazda Motor Corp.’s B-series pickup, which is similar to the Ranger and built by Ford, also received a two-star rank. The two-wheel-drive versions of the Ranger and B-series received the middle grade of three stars.

Four other light trucks received rollover ratings of four stars. They were the Ford Freestar, DaimlerChrysler’s Dodge Ram pickup, General Motors Corp.’s Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups.

No vehicle received five stars in the rollover tests.

The rollover ratings are based on a formula that measures a vehicle’s width and height as well as performance on a test track.

The agency also conducted side and rear crash tests of the Ram and eight other vehicles. Ford’s two-door Focus received the lowest rating among those vehicles, three stars on the front-seat side-impact test.

The Focus’ four-star score on the rear-seat side-impact test included a high probability of head injury for passengers, the agency statement said.

The Focus received four stars, the second-best grade, on the driver and passenger tests for frontal crashes.

The Subaru Outback, made by Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., was the only vehicle to receive five stars for each of the front and side crashes.