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Ford Escape lags competitors in front crash test

DETROIT, June 13 (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F - News) has stiffened the Ford Escape to improve its performance in frontal crash tests, but the small sport utility vehicle still lags its competition, the U.S. insurance group that conducted the tests said on Sunday.

The Escape, one of the top-selling small SUVs in the United States, improved its rating to "acceptable" from "marginal" in crash tests done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The group crashed four vehicles into a deformable barrier at 40 miles per hour in its latest safety tests, with 40 percent of the vehicle's front end hitting the barrier.

The Volvo S40 sedan, the BMW AG (XETRA:BMWG.DE - News) 5 Series sedan and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.'s (Tokyo:7201.T - News) new Titan full-size pickup truck all earned "good" ratings in the tests and the institute's "best pick" designation for frontal crash protection.

"The Escape has a few problems, but we still think it's 'acceptable,'" IIHS Chief Operating Officer Adrian Lund told Reuters. "I'm sure Ford, when they get to the major redesign of that vehicle, it will be a 'good' vehicle for frontal."

Competitive models such as Honda Motor Co. Ltd.'s (Tokyo:7267.T - News) CR-V, Mitsubishi Motors Corp.'s (Tokyo:7211.T - News) Outlander and General Motors Corp.'s (NYSE:GM - News) Saturn Vue all earned "good" ratings in past frontal crash tests conducted by the IIHS, which is funded by insurance companies.

In the Escape's crash test, there was moderate intrusion in the foot area of the vehicle, raising the likelihood of injuries to the lower leg and foot in an actual crash, the IIHS said. There was also the possibility of serious neck injury due to the seat belt and air bag not performing as well as they should, Lund said.

"From our perspective, we see that the Escape is showing an improvement in this test, and we're pleased," Ford spokeswoman Kristen Kinley said.

When the IIHS tested the Escape in 2001, results were disappointing. The head of the crash test dummy struck the steering wheel through the air bag, and there was considerable intrusion in the foot area, Lund said.

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