Smarter Driver: New crash testing for pickup trucks on the way
Cooley On Cars
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[SOUND] Ford's new F-150 truck passes the IIHS small overlap crash test with flying colors.
Except for the ones that don't.
[SOUND] The big cab Supercrew version received the coveted Top Safety Pick.
The shorter Supercab version earned only a marginal rating in the same crash.
In the front small overlap crash test of the extended cab F-150 the toe pan and pedals moved nearly a foot back towards the dummy's legs.
Steering column moved eight inches towards his chest, coming dangerously close.
The difference turned out to be a set of special steel reinforcing tubes, welded in front of and behind each front wheel in the bigger Supercrew model.
The smaller supercab doesn't have them.
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A key take away is that the IIHS can't and doesn't test every version of every car and truck that it crashes, usually it doesn't matter, but here it clearly does.
And as a result the institute has just made it policy, that it will test multiple body styles of big pickups.
That will soon include Silverado, Tundra and Ram which has just announced it has added reinforcing bars to all its cab styles.
Three, two.
It pays to double check which model of pickup,
Truck you're considering buying and knowing if that's the exact cab version that was tested, or was it a different one?
That may not collapse quite the same way.
More realities of modern driving revealed now at CNETOnCars.com.
Click on Smarter Driver.
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