2016 Ford Explorer Earns Five-Star Safety Rating From Federal Government

WASHINGTON – The revised 2016 Ford Explorer SUV earned the highest five-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The 2016 Explorer received five stars in the front and side crash tests and four stars in the rollover crash test.

The results apply to front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions of the 2016 Explorer, which is on sale now at Ford dealerships.

Standard safety equipment includes six airbags, stability control, traction control and antilock brakes.

Optional safety equipment includes inflatable rear seatbelts that deploy over the torso and shoulder of an outboard passenger to help distribute crash forces over up to five times more area than a traditional seatbelt.

Other optional equipment includes adaptive cruise control, a lane-keeping system and blind-spot information system.

The Explorer also offers cameras both front and rear that show a full 180-degree view on the dashboard screen. Not only that, but they also have their own washers to clear the lenses in bad weather.

The Explorer earned mixed results from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in a test of midsize SUVs.

The Explorer received a “marginal” score in the small overlap front crash test, which replicates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or an object like a tree or utility pole. It received “good” scores in the side, roof strength and moderate overlap tests.

Key Explorer competitors include the Chevrolet Traverse, Hyundai Santa Fe and Toyota Highlander.

Edmunds says: Car shoppers keeping score should note that the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse and Toyota Highlander also earned the highest five-star overall safety rating from NHTSA. The 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe has not been rated.