1997 Ford Explorer
midsize SUV / 4-door SUV
Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 1995-2001 models
Tested vehicle: 1996 Ford Explorer XLT 4-door 4wd
The Ford Explorer was redesigned for the 1995 model year and the Mercury Mountaineer was introduced in 1997.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Leg/foot, left | |
| Leg/foot, right | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics Dummy movement wasn't well controlled. During the crash, the driver door opened. This opening significantly affected dummy movement during the test and shouldn't happen because, in some crashes, it could allow partial or complete occupant ejection. After the dummy moved suddenly toward the door, its head went outside the occupant compartment. Its neck tilted back excessively when the shoulder belt tightened across the base of the dummy's neck. As the dummy came back into the occupant compartment, its head hit the B-pillar. |
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 the driver's survival space was maintained reasonably well.
When the driver door opened, the dummy's head went outside the occupant compartment. The lap/shoulder belt prevented the dummy from being ejected.
The safety belt caught the dummy's neck when its head went out the open door.
Technical measurements for this test
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CF95030 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 16 |
| Left (cm) | 22 |
| Center (cm) | 20 |
| Right (cm) | 18 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 8 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 10 |
| Right (cm) | 9 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | 5 |
| Rearward (cm) | 6 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 8 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CF95030 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 242 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | 65 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.5 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 55 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.42 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 29 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 3.7 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 4.9 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 0 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.56 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 0.57 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 3.0 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 2.9 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 69 |
| Right | 71 |