Ford F-150 gets mixed crash test results - CBS News
DETROIT - Ford's ( F ) new aluminum-sided F-150 pickup saw mixed results in new crash tests by the insurance industry, and the damaged trucks cost more to repair than steel-bodied ones. The four-door Super Crew version of the 2015 F-150 got top ratings in all five of the crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. But the Super Cab version, which has a smaller rear door and back seat, did poorly in a small front overlap test, which slams 25 percent of the front of the truck into a barrier at 40 miles per hour. The Insurance Institute also said it took longer for a local Ford dealer to repair the aluminum truck than an older steel one, and the aluminum parts cost more. But the company said it will make a design change in the 2016 model year to improve the crash performance of the Super Cab and Regular Cab models. Ford said the Super Crew -- which got the top safety award -- accounts for 83 percent of all F-150 sales. The Super Cab makes up around 12 percent and the Regular Cab accounts for 5 percent. Ford spokesman Mike Levine also said independent consultants have shown that average repair costs for the new truck are less than for the old truck. Source: www.cbsnews.com
