http://www.bridger.us/2002/12/16/Cra...operVsFordF150 Year tested was 03'. wonder if this means 97'-03'? 04' they got their ***** together again.

 

That looks like an 03 F150. An 04-08 would have held up much better. But I still call BS. I didn't see it happen so I don't believe it.

 

I will call bull on that as well...

 

Trucks have always done poorly in that test.
BTW read the article. It clearly states that the 04 redesign meets all the safety criteria

 

Well, now that I know, I'll make sure that my impact speed is slightly above or below that speed. This info was for informational purposes, or a heads up. Knowledge is good. You can do what you want w/ it, or ignore it! BTW, not only did I read it, I noted that in "04' they got their ***** together again" in my post. But I did forget to mention that 2010's results are spectacularly good, and for that, "MY BAD"! So much for the messenger.

 

Just don't hit a concrete barrier going 40 mph.....

I, unfortunately, rear ended a 1990 Mustang doing 45 mph and my air bags didn't even deploy and I drove home with only the bumper, grill, 1 tow hook and 1 head light broken....

Of course, the Stang was totaled, but no one was hurt in the Stang, THANK GOD!

I'm still driving the same truck and it's been fine for the 5 years since that unfortunate situation...

Oh, I think I can put a Mini in the bed of my truck!

Mitch

 

Stories like yours are more what I'm used to hearing, but if 97-03's (Assuming they all share the same design) are dangerous, The drivers should at least be aware. instead of "God, if I only would have known!" The nearly 300 police officers that burned to death in Crown Vic accidents before Ford admitted "there may be a problem", probably would have liked to know. (A couple of bolts that were left long to aid in assembly, that ruptured the fuel cells on rear impact accidents)
I have complete faith in my 87' F-150 though.

 

Yea, it's no secret that the 97-03 (and 04' Heritage) fair poorly in front end collisions according to the NHTSA or what ever. But like someone else mentioned, the worst seems to be when crashing into a concrete barrier doing 40+ mph. I've seen a few front end crashes with this style F150 in the car to car category (luckily not mine knocks on wood ) and they seem to fair a lot better.

 

keep in mind that the doors are a structural member of the cab, and they removed the door, makes the cab weaker

 

This is definitely old news. If I recall correctly the problem only existed with the SCABs. The SCREWs and regular cabs had the B-pillar to maintain integrity.

 

Very good point.

 

Something else to consider. This test is done with the vehicle going straight into a wall. This very rarely happens. Typically a person who is awake will be attempting to miss the wall and hit at an angle. Similarly a drunk or passed out person will have "wandered" off the road and hit a stationary object at an angle. What all of that means is a lot of the force will be expended by the vehicle spinning off the object. The tires will then consume energy when they skid rather than transferring it to the cab. Any secondary collisions will most likely be to the rear or side of the vehicle. This means all or most of the energy of the impact will not be directly transferred and absorbed by the cab of the vehicle, like it was in the test.