2009 Lincoln MKZ
midsize luxury car / 4-door sedan
Small overlap front: driver-side
Rating applies to 2007-12 models built after January 2007
Tested vehicle: 2012 Lincoln MKZ 4-door
The Lincoln MKZ was introduced in the 2006 model year, when it was named the Lincoln Zephyr. The name was changed to MKZ in 2007.
Beginning with 2007 models manufactured after January 2007, structural reinforcements were added to the floor ahead of the front seats, and a hard plastic "ramp" bolted underneath the carpeting near the base of the accelerator pedal was modified to improve occupant protection in frontal crashes with moderate overlap. (Note: information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door.)
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Hip/thigh | |
| Lower leg/foot | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics The dummy’s head and chest completely missed the frontal airbag as the steering column moved 18 cm to the right. The side curtain airbag deployed but does not have sufficient forward coverage to protect the head from contact with side structure and outside objects. The side torso airbag also deployed. |
Action shot taken during the small overlap frontal crash test.
The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space wasn't maintained well.
During the crash, the steering column moved so far to the right that the dummy's head and chest completely missed contacting the frontal airbag.
Despite extensive intrusion of the door hinge pillar, driver footwell, and instrument panel, risk of injury was moderate and limited to the left knee.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CEN1210 |
|---|---|
| Lower occupant compartment | |
| Lower hinge pillar max (cm) | 34 |
| Footrest (cm) | 20 |
| Left toepan (cm) | 18 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 11 |
| Parking brake (cm) | 0 |
| Rocker panel lateral average (cm) | 19 |
| Upper occupant compartment | |
| Steering column | 5 |
| Upper hinge pillar max (cm) | 17 |
| Upper dash (cm) | 21 |
| Lower instrument panel (cm) | 23 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CEN1210 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 43 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.0 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 10 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.23 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 21 |
| Femur (kN) | |
| Left | 3.9 |
| Right | 1.2 |
| Knee displacement (mm) | |
| Left | 13 |
| Right | 0 |
| Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%) | |
| Left | 1 |
| Right | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index | |
| Left | 0.77 |
| Right | 0.58 |
| Tibia axial force (kN) | |
| Left | 1.7 |
| Right | 1.6 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 71 |
| Right | 42 |
Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 2007-12 models built after January 2007
Tested vehicle: 2007 Ford Fusion SE 4-door
The Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln Zephyr were introduced in the 2006 model year. The Zephyr was renamed the MKZ beginning with 2007 models. All three cars were restyled beginning with the 2010 model year, and the Mercury Milan was discontinued after the 2010 model year.
Beginning with 2007 models manufactured after January 2007, structural reinforcements were added to the floor ahead of the front seats, and the hard plastic "ramp" bolted underneath the carpeting near the base of the accelerator pedal was modified to improve occupant protection in frontal offset crashes. In addition, the standard side airbags were changed so that they would deploy in severe frontal offset crashes. (Note: information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door.)
The tested car was manufactured after all modifications had been made.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Leg/foot, left | |
| Leg/foot, right | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics |
Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.
The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well.
Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head brushed across the side curtain airbag and hit the roof rail during rebound, producing high forces on the neck.
Postcrash photo with carpeting removed indicating the modified "ramp" intended to reduce loading on the right leg and ankle in frontal offset crashes.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CEF0702 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 7 |
| Left (cm) | 11 |
| Center (cm) | 10 |
| Right (cm) | 11 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 6 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 3 |
| Right (cm) | 2 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | 2 |
| Rearward (cm) | -3 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 1 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CEF0702 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 209 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | 69 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.4 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 36 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.72 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 36 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 1.1 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 4.8 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 0 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 3 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.47 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 0.96 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 1.9 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 3.1 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 139 |
| Right | 158 |
Side: original test
Rating applies to 2007-09 models
Tested vehicle: 2006 Lincoln Zephyr 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags
The Lincoln Zephyr was introduced in the 2006 model year and renamed the MKZ beginning with the 2007 model year.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Driver head protection | |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Rear passenger head protection | |
View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.
View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.
Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag.
Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CES0619 |
|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | -8.0 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CES0619 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 180 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.5 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.3 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 37 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 2.2 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 28 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 25 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 4.96 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.66 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 3.8 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 3.5 |
| Combined force (kN) | 7.2 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.7 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 81 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 37 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | CES0619 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 152 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.1 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.2 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 55 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.6 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 49 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 39 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 4.10 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.93 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 0.5 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 2.2 |
| Combined force (kN) | 2.5 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.7 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 104 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | -66 |
Roof strength
Rating applies to 2007-10 models built before May 2010
Tested vehicle: 2010 Ford Fusion SE 4-door
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Curb weight | 3,394 lbs |
| Peak force | 11,300 lbs |
| Strength-to-weight ratio | 3.33 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: Power leather seats built before Feb 2011
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | Power leather seats mfg before Feb 2011 |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 18 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | 24 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Pass |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 11.8 |
| Head contact time (ms) | 58 |
| Force rating | 1 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | 1 |
| Max neck tension (N) | 429 |
About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.